Dog Nutrition ? The Do’s and Don’ts of Feeding your Dog

You need to understand that appropriate dog nutrition is not the same for all sizes, ages and breeds. Every breed of dog has its own dietary recommendation and also the suggested number of feedings for each day. The recommended feedings can be customized to suit the size and age group of your pet. Although, there are a couple of general guidelines that you can follow so as to provide good nutrition for your dog using a balanced diet.

Your dog’s protein intake really depends on his/her age. You need to understand that your pet will not need more than 25% if he/she is still a puppy or over 22% for a dog that gets moderate exercise, please note that older dogs will need more protein. You will need to consult your vet so as to come up with a proper protein intake for your pet. A lot of do foods contain a pretty high amount of salt. Ensure that you carefully read the label on your dog’s food in order to make sure that your dog is not getting too much salt because it can lead to heart disease.

A lot of dog owners feed their dogs twice a day, some dogs prefer to eat just once in a day. Your pet will naturally display to you which he/she prefers by simply refusing to eat during one of his/her feedings. Although puppies need to be fed three to four times each day so as to develop bone growth.

Under no circumstances should you feed your dog table scraps! If your pet has been prescribed special diet by the vet, which will require that you cook your dog’s food, make sure that you place the food into your dog’s bowl directly. You should avoid feeding your pet directly from the dining table – your pet is not only going to develop obesity but this will definitely encourage begging.

One thing that you need to know about dogs is that they can keep on eating and if you encourage this habit, they will eat you out of house and home! You need to avoid giving your dog too much to eat. Once your dog becomes obese, it will really take a miracle to make him/her lose the weight. This can also lead to a lot of medical issues such as:

Abnormal bone development
Heart problems
High blood sugar
Diabetes etc

Ensure that you choose a highly reputable, top quality dry dog food with of course the recommended daily allowance for your pet’s size, age and weight. You can easily obtain this information from your vet. Along with your dog nutrition plan, make sure that you also give your dog multi-vitamins so as to promote sound health and normal growth.

You should feed your dog in a stainless steel bowl and make sure that you clean your pet’s bowl with water and soap each day or two. You need to know that these bowls are a breeding ground for harmful bacteria. Ceramic and plastic bowls are not at all recommended.

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