What is a healthy diet for your dog? Most pet lovers I know love to ask this question but find themselves becoming increasingly confused by the sheer number of opinions on the subject. There are just so many possibilities for a healthy doggy diet and each diet plan has their defenders and detractors.
So how do you know what to feed your dog? And is a healthy diet for your dog, the same one you or I eat or are we better off feeding a branded product? A healthy diet for your dog is the one that stays as close to nature as possible.
From raw meat and bone diets, large portions of grains to fruit and even supplements one viewpoint supported by most dog lovers seems to encourage the feeding of a good quantity of meat. No matter what other foods you choose to give your dog, meat and meat products will always form an important part of a healthy diet for your dog. Unlike us, dogs are carnivores and need meat protein in their diets. Meat is the most important part of a healthy diet for your dog.
As cousins to the wolf a healthy diet for your dog’s ancestors would have included all the parts of an animal carcass - meat, bone, fat, hide and hair. This diet along with a range of scavenged foods (grains, fruit, vegetables and even fish) would have supplied the essential nutrients the dog needed to stay healthy. Never skimp on a dog’s protein requirements - it is part of the recommended healthy diet for your dog.
A healthy diet for your dog should include about 55% protein to make sure he can keep his body tissues healthy and 14% carbohydrate. Some fat is necessary to keep your dog healthy so never feed your dog a low-fat diet unless he has specific health problems that indicate it.
