Healthy dog food: Brittle fur, frequent and foul-smelling bowel movements as well as lack of pleasure make dog owners pay attention. However, there is not always a disease behind it – sometimes it is simply because of the food. FOCUS Online explains what to look out for when eating healthy dog food.
In nature, the dog goes foraging and eats only what is good for him. His instinct tells him what food his body needs to stay healthy. If he is kept as a pet, the dog is dependent on you to give him healthy dog food.
However, in today’s jungle of dog food it is not so easy to see which dog food is really good. In addition to the possibility to bare your animal – that is, to feed it mainly with fresh meat – you can also find very good dry and wet food on the market. The only important thing is that you pay attention to the ingredients and the composition of the feed.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD DOG FOOD
In order to know what the dog needs in terms of food, it is important to first look at its needs. Dogs are so-called carnivores. In other words, they are predators who eat not only the flesh from their prey, but also the contents of the stomach. In this way, they obtain plant components that are necessary for healthy digestion. Therefore, it is important that your dog gets food with which it is fed close to nature.
Even if the animals grow up as pets, this does not change the needs that the animal’s body has. Simply going to the supermarket and grabbing a food, often does not bring the desired successes.
Many types of dog food are too nutrient-poor and do not provide the dog with sufficient vitamins. The result is a dry and strawy coat, fatigue and a high susceptibility to diseases.
THIS BELONGS IN A HEALTHY DOG FOOD
It doesn’t matter if you’re feeding dry food or wet food. Today there is quite good dry food, which contains all the important nutrients for your four-legged friend. However, it does not matter what was processed in the feed. A good dog food consists of the following ingredients:
- Large proportion of meat that acts as a supplier of proteins
- Cereals only in the form of rice, buckwheat, amaranth or millet
- Fruits and vegetables
- Oils and fats, such as salmon oil or sunflower oil
- A good ratio of calcium and phosphorus, at least 1.2:1
The composition of the dog food must be declared on the packaging. Keep in mind that the ingredients that are present in the largest amount come first. This means that in a feed with an optimal composition, meat comes first.
WHY THESE INGREDIENTS ARE SO IMPORTANT
Meat is an important supplier of proteins and therefore vital for the dog. The dog itself usually does not need any grain. However, if it is present in the feed, then it should be clearly declared what kind of cereals it is. Soy is a very bad choice .B. as many dogs can be allergic to it. Better is rice or millet.
Fruits and vegetables provide the four-legged friend with important vitamins. In order for the fur to shine and the nutrients to be absorbed properly, the food also needs a proportion of oils. If these ingredients are declared on the feed, it is a high-quality feed.