But why do we let our dogs pick the food that they eat, rather than feeding them whole foods that provide a complete meal? Isn’t natural food better than processed one? Actually, yes and no. While it’s a more complicated issue to study, experts do agree that the best way to ensure that your dog is getting all the nutrition that he needs is to work with a complete, nutritionally balanced dog food.
That’s not to say that you can’t over feed and give your dog too much of the wrong foods. Many dogs are picky eaters and are content to eat dry food or scraps.
When buying foods that are sold commercially, you should always read the label carefully. Most processed foods are made from cheap ingredients and are unnecessary ingredients to provide the minimum needed nutrition for your dog. So when you read the label, make sure that you read every item on it and ensure that each item is Nutrition Profitable.
Nutrition Profitable means that the product contains the highest amount of nutrients. These nutrients are usually in the form of supplements. If you feed your dog with a supplement containing additional vitamins and minerals, then you can be sure that your dog will get all the other essentials that he needs.
Indeed, manufacturers of processed dog food provide canine nutrition plans, so you can be sure that your dog gets the right amount of nutrition.
But what if you can’t afford a professionally-produced dog food? Indeed, that is indeed a problem. Many dog owners would consider that this is crucial. When feeding their dogs, they’d want to make sure that they only feed them natural food. And so you shouldn’t give a dog only a highly processed food as a meal. But then, what is the best food that you can give to your dog?
As a start, consider feeding your dog personally. This is by far the best way to ensure that your dog gets the nutrition that he needs. Yet when you’re shopping in the supermarket, it can be extremely difficult to decide what’s best for your pooch. When you go into the pet supplies store, you’ll likely find that there’s a huge selection of dog food, but you won’t know which variety is the best for him.
Think about it, do you really know what’s in the food that you feed your dog? Even if you do, it may not tell you all. Realistically, you can’t read the labels that are on the top of the bag.
What I’ve found is that a good rule of thumb is to simply read the label that is on the back. If it lists real meat, you’re on the right path.
Now let’s look at a typical dog food label, as this happens to be my favorite way to determine what the best food for my dog is. Here’s a typical listing from the AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Offices) on October 22, 2008:
Wheat:medicine, stated as an ingredient of preparing animal food. Since wheat is included in gluten which is used to expand the dog food formula that is so popular, it boggles my mind. This product is so popular among dog owners that it is even a target for cheese manufacturers!
When you get your dog started on gluten-free food, you might want to start with saying that allergen-free food is best for your pet. Many companies have taken this direction. When you decide that your dog can eat the food, you need to manage the feeding schedule and exercise your dog accordingly. This all important decision can be settled by simply reading the label.
What is gluten and what is it associated with?
gluten and a wheat protein called amylase is a part of the proteins that dogs and cats cannot break down by their bodies. gluten itself is a carbohydrate but to get your dog started, this particular part of the protein called amylase has to be an ingredient. Since gluten and wheat are such popular ingredients of dog food, you’ll want to regulate this within the diet of your pet.
Just saying that gluten-free food is best for your dog does not mean that you cannot include Celery in the diet. As previously stated, the amylase enzyme is an ingredient and while Celery is not a usual ingredient you want to watch out for it as it can severely effects your dog.
Possible Anxiety Conditions
A normally happy dog includes anxiety as a part of his bloaters. When you start increasing his gluten-free diet, this may be a effect on his anxiety. The anxiety is brought on by the change itself from being gluten- free to not so much as not being able to digest wheat.
Consulting a Vet
You never want to just take the new diet straight away, but you should take it gradually. Check with your vet and then start to backtrack to when your last dose of gluten-free food.
