5 feeding and diet tips for dogs

Making a decision on what to feed the dog — or anybody else in your care, for that matter – is not something you should do lightly or without consideration. Diet, in addition to physical activity and mental health, is the most important factor in overall well-being. It is really important to feed your dog a nutritious diet.

The eating habits we establish can be the difference between living a long healthy life and setting ourselves and our loved ones up for disappointment and failure. I'd like to share to you several of the most essential concepts that I adhere to in my search of the ideal canine diet, and I hope you will find them useful.

If you're satisfied with the food you're currently giving your dog, implementing even a few of these tips will be beneficial to your pet.

It's important to remember that it doesn't have to be everything or nothing. Do whatever you can, once you can, to help others. It is preferable to have some change than no change.

Here are proud dog parent's top suggestions for improving your dog's food right now...

1. Ignore the marketing hoopla and put your product through the label test.

It is not recommended to rely on advertising for nutritional information, no matter how amusing they may be.

Why? Because the cuisine was not created by the same individuals who created the advertisements. Their goal is to make these most harmful products look to be nutritious.

The labels on dog food and treats should be carefully read so that you can make more informed purchasing decisions for your dog.

Product labels always show the ingredients in the following order: from the most significant to the least significant.

Google each of first five ingredients to see what comes up. In the first step, enter each item, followed by the words "bad for dogs" and then "good for dogs," as appropriate. You might be surprised by the outcomes. When you begin your inquiry, you will quickly discover why I am opposed to pharmaceutical foods sold by veterinarians.

They may be beneficial for a specified ailment, but they can also create a slew of other issues (and this is before even considering the cooking and packaging methods).

The ingredients should be discussed with the person or firm who is recommending the products. You should rely with your own research & judgment if the manufacturer cannot explain how much each ingredient is, where it came from and why and how it is beneficial to dogs.

2. Avoid relying on rack foods as a primary source of nutrition

Because of sophisticated marketing, the average customer is generally unaware of the frightening reasons why processed foods have a shelf life of 12 to 24 months on average.

Because of marketing, we have been conditioned to assume that shelf-stable meals include everything a dog requires to live a long and healthy life.

In reality, the inverse is true. Although there will still be the occasional exception to the norm, don't expect on your dog to be one of them in this case.

Because of the industrial cooking procedures used to produce shelf-stable food, they do not contain any living enzymes.

They're dead food that rely upon synthetic supplements to achieve the supposedly "balanced" nutritional requirements imposed by the American Agricultural Food and Commercial Organization (AAFCO).

What I dislike about these items isn't really that they appear, but how they are pushed to consumers as a regular part of a daily diet.

As a matter of fact, if it were possible to pack all of the nourishment that the body requires for optimal health into one small pellets or a can, there would be loads of businesses out there creating human "food" and marketing it as a main food source.

Using biscuits, dog food kibble, and canned meals has its place – at animal shelters and charitable organizations as well as during lengthy trips or on times when we are short on time – but these should not be seen as a primary source of nutrition.

3. Incorporate fresh, natural foods into your diet

Fresh whole foods, such as fruit and vegetables, are high in living enzymes and will provide a different dimension to the dog's overall health and wellness.

Additionally, whole meals are high in fiber, which aids in digestion, induces defecation, and improves the consistency of feces.

Many of the vitamins are eliminated during the cooking techniques that are used to produce shelf-stable food. As a result, manufacturers reintroduce synthetic nutrients into their products.

They are synthetic versions of nutrients that are naturally occurring. This is the fundamental difference between all foods and meals that have been industrially processed.

Whole foods, in contrast to most manufactured nutrients, contain nutritional co-factors which work together to aid the body in the absorption, assimilation, and use of the nutrients they contain.

The food you eat does not define you; rather, you are defined by the amount of information you can take in.

Carry out your own investigation into healthy whole meals for dogs.

You'll be surprised to learn which sections of veggies are the most nutritious, and which fruits and vegetables dogs should avoid eating altogether. For example, cauliflower stems contain significantly more nutrients than head, while beetroot leaves are loaded with nutrients and antioxidants.

To ensure optimal nutrient absorption, puree veggies, or eat them whole as a bone graft to keep teeth and gums in good condition.

4. Include a variety of items that are high in antioxidants & anti-inflammatory characteristics in your diet

Considering that inflammation is a primary source of disease in canines, it's critical to thoroughly investigate all of the contents in your dog's diet, as well as the manufacturing procedures.

Inflammation is the most common cause of early aging in both dogs and humans, and it affects both species.

In fact, as you're certainly aware by now, processed commercial foods have a high inflammatory potential. When you consume processed foods on a regular basis, you are more likely to get pancreatitis and arthritis.

If you're using commercial food, it is recommended to at the very least mitigate the negative effects of the food by incorporating natural anti-inflammatory whole food into the diet.

Whole foods that are high in antioxidant also aid in the reduction of inflammation in the human body.

Feeding your dog a range of nutritious foods high in antioxidants & anti-inflammatories will help to keep him looking and feeling young.

5. Steer clear of preparing meats

Except for humans, all other creatures on the earth consume raw food.

When we cook our meals to please the palates, we lose a significant amount of nutritional value.

It's the same when we're preparing food for our canine companions. While cooking certain entire foods may allow for the release of more nutrients, it is recommended to avoid preparing meat for the dog whenever at all possible.

Whatever the purported nutritional values, here's one of the many reason why commercial pet meals are essentially flawed: they include too many additives.

6. When possible, choose vegetables and fruit that have been certified organic

There are genetically modified organisms present in many non-organic fruits and vegetables sold on the market, making it impossible to tell exactly what we really our dogs are consuming because there are no labeling rules in place.

Despite the fact that gm foods have been allowed for human consumption, research suggests that they are not safe.

Dogs have lifespans that are around one-eighth the duration of human lifespans on average.

The health problems that are currently being observed in dogs who have been exposed to genetically modified foods will, without a doubt, be observed in humans in so many years to come.

According to the findings, the gmo consumed by the lab mice's fifth and sixth generation offspring had an effect on their children's health.

7. Wash non-organic fruit with apple cider vinegar to remove pesticide residue

As organic vegetables isn't always affordable or readily available to us, we must make do with how much we can get our hands on.

Plants create allelochemicals, which help to prevent hazardous substances, such as pesticides, from penetrating the surface. Allelochemicals are substances that help to keep dangerous substances out of the environment.

Scrub non-organic fruit and veggies with a clean small brush while immersing them in a solution of one part cider vinegar plus four parts water for one minute and then rinsing them well to remove pesticides.