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Dog
Nutrition Basics
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Dogs have specific
nutritional needs, but most pet owners do not realize that all
dogs and most pet foods are not alike. Many commercial dog food
brands are lacking in key nutrients, so reading the labels is a
must. Price and brand names are not good gages of quality when
it comes to food.
Dogs are carnivorous so they need meat and protein, along with
carbohydrates, vitamins, fat, minerals, and water. The
manufacturers have choices as to the types and amounts of
proteins, minerals, and vitamins that they put into their
products. Higher levels of animal protein like chicken, lamb,
and beef are needed by active dogs, while proteins found in
plants or grains such as corn, soy, wheat, and rice are
sufficient for less active dogs.
Puppy foods generally contain more protein than adult or
maintenance foods. What you are looking for is a food that has
two animal proteins in the first three ingredients listing. This
is a good rule of thumb that applies to all dogs and breeds, not
just puppies.
Carbohydrates are important but only in small amounts.
You should avoid foods that contain soy, because
altogether soy is high in protein, it is also a
carbohydrate that slows down digestion and prevents
other vitamins and minerals in the food from being
absorbed.
Vitamins come in two types, water soluble, and fat soluble.
Vitamins B and C are water soluble, while vitamins A, D, E, and
K are fat soluble. The B and C vitamins are lost through
urination and need to be included in every meal, while vitamins
A, D, E and K are stored up in the fatty tissues of the body and
liver.
The type of dog food is important, because of digestion time.
Raw foods, such as meat, vegetables, and even fruit are the
easiest foods to digest, and usually in about 4 ½ hours. Semi
moist processed dog foods take longer, usually around 9 hours to
pass through the stomach, and dry dog foods take up to 16 hours
before the dog is receiving energy from the food.
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