Proper Dog Food Keeps Your Canine Healthy

With so many different types of dog food available, it can be difficult for dog owners to know just what they're feeding their furry friends. Many owners make their choice in dog food based on a well-known brand or a good price tag. Despite this, it's important for fur parents to know what they're really feeding their canine so they can live a healthy life. Whether owners give their canine wet food, dry food, or a combination of both, there are plenty of healthy ingredients to look for as well as ingredients that should be avoided. Although dog owners will need to start looking closer at labels to find the best food for their canine family member, the benefits for their pooch will be well worth it.

Kibble and Dry Food

Kibble is the most commonly used type of dog food. With its long shelf life, affordable price, and convenience it's no wonder that many fur parents choose this for their dog. The USDA requires dog food to include a protein source, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Because of these requirements, kibble and dry food include these nutritious elements. However, most of the ingredients are processed and lose much of their nutritional value. One benefit to feeding canines kibble is that it helps prevent plaque and bacteria build-up, which can cause serious health issues. It's also important to note that preservatives are used to give kibble and dry food its long shelf life. Dog owners who like the convenience of kibble can look at other dry food options such as extruded, baked, or coated. Extruded dry food is made with extra vitamins and minerals to make up for what is lost during processing, while baked dry food offers a softer option to aid in digestion. Coated dry food utilizes freeze-dried meat coating, which offers higher nutritional value.

Wet Food

Wet food is another common way for fur parents to feed their dogs. One key benefit of wet food is the moisture content. The additional moisture in wet food helps dogs to stay hydrated, burn calories, benefit more from nutrients, and digest food more effectively. Added moisture in canned food can also help dogs to feel more full while eating less and can be a good option for dogs who are overweight. When it comes to nutrition, wet food generally contains more protein and fat content than kibble. Many experts recommend feeding dogs a combination of wet and dry dog food. When choosing the right dog food, owners should check the label for healthy ingredients such as real meat (this should always be the first or second ingredient), vitamins, carbohydrates, and vegetables.

Things to Avoid in Dog Food

Although there are regulations on dog food, there are still plenty of ingredients that shouldn't be fed to dogs. Dog owners should avoid artificial preservatives and food dyes. Many other ingredients are best avoided when searching for healthy dog food. These include: 

• Meat Meal - Meat meal is made from left-over parts of animals. This meat is usually low-quality and may even come from diseased or dead animals.
• MSG - MSG provides zero nutrients. This is a sign of low-quality food.
• Corn Syrup - Just as with humans, this ingredient can cause diabetes and weight gain.
• Animal By-Products - This means that every piece of the animal was used. Fur, feathers, beaks, hide, feet, and hair are a few examples of animal by-products.