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We cannot stress the importance of good quality food and proper nutrition in the health and well being of you dog.
There is no aspect of a dogs life that doesn't entirely depend on what you are feeding him. There are many good dog foods out there. It is a very competitive industry and thus is full of misinformation. The best advise is that there is no one brand that is suitable for every situation, and in fact there are some situations that there are no brands suitable and you need to supplement your dog. You need to do your research.
For instance, we had a GSD with Panosteitis as a puppy, a good description of this in humans is "growing pains". A natural aid for this condition is glucosimine. Many dog food companies advertise that they put glucosimine in their large breed food. However, an effective dose of glucosimine is 3500mg per day for large breed dogs, if you look at the ingredients most of these companies put less than 500mg or only 5% of the glucosimine required to be effective, and you pay for it. We have run into similar situations with Omega 3's and 6's with other dogs.
We do not recommend any particular kind of dog food. We also don't recommend that you take advise from your vet in on a particular kind of dog food. Too often dog food suppliers and vets have secret deals to recommend their food in return for money. We believe that this practice is wrong, if your vet is truthful to you they won't recommend any particular food to you either, unless they are trying to solve a specific problem with your dog. Good vets will tell you what ingredients to look for in your dog food and which ones to avoid but won't try to push you to a particular food with the exception of solving specific problems.
It is our experience that in general cheap dog foods such as ones you by in the grocery store are not sufficient in nutrition and the cost you more because you actually have to feed your dog much more of it. You dog also wastes most of these foods and will be much more messy then necessary. On the other hand expensive food does not mean better food either. The best way to choose a dog food is to look at its ingredients.
Proper Nutrition
Contrary to popular belief and unlike the cat, a true carnivore, dogs are called carnivores only by convention. Meaning that dogs are mammals of the Order Carnivora. But like the Bear another Carnivora they eat vegetable matter and grains as well as meat. Dogs do, however, require a significant amount of protein in their diet.
For example, canned food is about 75 to 78 percent moisture, which leaves very little room for nutrition. In addition to containing what is generally considered the bottom of the barrel ingredients in terms of nutritional density, most conventional dog food products contain especially large amounts of sodium to make them palatable, as well as dairy, by-products, chemical preservatives, artificial colors and other unuseful ingredients.
The carbohydrate ratio is too high in some dog food brands as well, eventually leading to obesity, which is increasingly becoming a serious problem with dogs. In fact, obesity is one of the greatest health concerns facing our dogs; it can cause unnecessary suffering and a shortened life span.
Renowned research scientist Dr. Barry Sears believes that dog food should have about the same 30-30-40. This means a relatively small amount of carbohydrates. Not only do many dog food brands have a particularly large amount of carbohydrates, they are mostly grain based.
It should be noted that harder working dogs require more protein and fat in their diet to maintain stamina and good body form. A dog food that is complete and balanced and includes at least 26 percent protein and 1650 kilocalorie's of metabolize energy per pound is ideal. During the seasons when dogs are not working, their energy requirements decrease. Feed less of the high calorie food or change to a less nutrient-dense dog food.
Remember these points:
- The food must contain nutrients in usable form. Proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals are no good if they can't be absorbed. Here's where the difference between cheap foods and more expensive formulas is greatest. The higher-priced diets are more likely to have balanced and usable nutrients.
- It must be palatable to the dog. If Ranger doesn't like it, it doesn't matter how well-balanced it is.
- Sassy must remain healthy while eating the food. If her skin is dry, if she's losing or gaining weight, if she has stomach gas or flatulence, consider changing her diet.
- Consider the activity level of the dog when choosing a food. Don't choose a food with high fat content if Maddie is a couch potato or if you can't resist supplementing her diet with high-calorie people snacks; don't go for protein over 25 percent for puppies or over 22 percent for dogs that get moderate exercise.
- Remember that dogs probably don't see color and depend more on smell than on taste or appearance of the food. If you want to see red meat with carrots and peas in the can or supplement with a bit of beef juice or leftover hamburger meat, fine, but it's not necessary for Ranger's good health.
- There is currently no standard definition of "natural" in either dog food or human food. Therefore, "natural" can mean everything from organically grown grains and organically-raised meat source (no pesticides, antibiotics, feed additives, etc.) to no artificial preservatives.
- Although allergies in dogs seem to be on the increase, few dogs are actually allergic to their food. Lamb and rice feeds were formulated a few years ago as diets for dogs allergic to poultry, beef, or corn, but there is little evidence that the itchy skin and mal absorption problems experienced by many dogs could actually be traced to food allergies. Iams veterinarian Dr. Don Carey said that the new Iams fish and potato diet is available only through veterinary clinics because veterinarians can better monitor the dog to determine the source of his problem.
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