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.

A healthy diet for your dog can include beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, rabbit and even fish or eggs from time to time – just as long as it makes up about 55% of the total diet. What other items make up a healthy diet for your dog? Some experts feel that your dog should also be fed portions of grains and carbohydrates like fruits or vegetables.

These grains are usually made up of brown rice and other grains like barley or oatmeal for variety and a range of vegetables which should include greens like broccoli, peas, beans and orange vegetables like carrots or squash. These items are critical in a healthy diet for your dog.

Why are vegetables important in a healthy diet for a dog? These plant foods contain valuable antioxidants that boost your dog’s immune system and can help fight against certain cancers. Just as these foods keep us well they are also part of a healthy diet for your dog.

Particularly beneficial in a healthy diet for your dog are broccoli stalks, dark green lettuce leaves and asparagus spears. You can mince these up finely and add them to your dog’s food. These foods contain chlorophyll that can help your dog fight cancer causing free-radicals and are an essential part of a healthy diet for your dog.

For the same reason your dog should be allowed to munch safe grasses outdoors if he chooses to do so as they will help him to maintain the correct bacterial balance in his intestine. In doing so, fresh grass becomes essential for a healthy diet for your dog.

Other experts feel that a raw meat and bone diet is the only healthy diet for your dog. Many pet owners feel that feeding their dogs raw meat and bones will be bad for their dogs and expose them to bacteria from the meat or injuries from splintering bones. Bones (like chicken bones) only splinter once they have been cooked. When fed raw they form part of an essential and healthy diet for your dog.

This means that your dog can be fed a variety of bones in their raw form quite safely. Both their teeth and their digestive systems (which contain a super concentrated form of stomach acid) are able to contend with the raw food of their wild ancestors. A healthy diet for your dog should include all those portions of the animals they might have fed on in times gone by.

Many dogs who have been diagnosed with health problems like allergies, arthritis and other problems have recovered when fed on a diet that is as close to nature as possible. A healthy diet for your dog is one which closely resembles what a dog would have eaten out in the wild as he either hunted in packs or scavenged food he found in nature.

Many packaged foods do contain protein but these are mainly from plant sources (corn, wheat etc.) so while your dog may look well he may not be getting the nutrients that will keep him from becoming ill in the future. While these foods are cheap to produce they are not a healthy diet for your dog, who is a carnivore! Stick to a healthy diet for your dog that is as close to nature as possible and reap the rewards of a healthy pet! A healthy diet for your dog is one that tastes good and supplies all the nutrients your dog needs to live long and stay healthy.