Nutrition for your dog

It’s hard enough to make a health meal for our self after a long day at work, a bowl of commercial dry dog food or a quick opening of a can is sometimes the easiest thing we decide to do for Fido, Muffy or Sparky’s dinner. And now with the holiday season in full swing our time is even more limited. Family and friends visiting, your dogs as well as your own diet have become a bit fuller. Cookies, pies thick sauces are just the start of whole month long of unhealthy eating, anything that is dropped, spilled or just given as a treat becomes your dogs diet.

A dog’s nutrition is not much different than our own. To maintain a healthy dog a well balanced diet should be considered. Studies show a poor diet have caused many health problems, cancer, diabetes, heart problems, liver and kidney dysfunction, obesity, arthritis and other ailments. As the dog ages his diet should be altered to best support his body’s changing needs, less protein and fat, more fiber, and vitamin and mineral supplement should be introduced. Commercial dog treats should be limited to no more than 5 percent of his total dietary intake.

Dogs over the last few decades have developed food allergies to wheat, corn, eggs, nuts chicken, beef, dairy and artificial colors and flavorings from the over processing of commercial dog foods. When dogs have food allergies they may have digestive problems, skin irritation and conic ear infections. Diagnosing food allergies can be done by food elimination or by skin or blood testing, provided by your veterinarian. Home-made food is sometime needed for serve cases of food allergies.

Whether you feed your dog a high quality commercial, home-made or a holistic diet there are a few thing you should consider:

1. Inform yourself on canine nutrition and consult with a nutritional veterinarian for your dog’s nutritional needs.
2. Avoid giving your dog chocolate. Period. It causes the same effect on the liver as alcohol in humans. Limit the use of onions and garlic, in high dosages they can cause anemia.
3. Water is the most important nutrient of all; especially in extreme weather condition. Unlimited amounts should be offered at all times, unless otherwise advised by your veterinarian.
4. Keep your dog lean and make sure he gets plenty of exercise.