Information on Dog Food

If you ask a dog owner what the optimum dog food is, you usually get no clear answer. Therefore, you can often notice that the world of dog owners is dominated by great uncertainty and ignorance. Many people buy dog food from the mid-price segment and assume that they are giving their dog the best nutrition they can afford.

The nutritional needs of a pet are a little complicated matter and a basic knowledge of food of responsible dog owners is irreplaceable nowadays. Here is some information to help you with this problem.

There are many studies, debates and conflicting views about the proper dog food. Some ingredients, however, are vital and not debatable.

Proteins

Dogs are carnivores and need quite many proteins. In the wild, they have a diet that consists mainly of hunted herbivores. The wild dog needs its proteins, but also some other nutrients, so it will eat plants, too. Of course, dogs kept at home cannot hunt like wild dogs and therefore, cannot take the necessary proteins by themselves. Therefore, the dog owners have to make sure that the proteins are the basis of the dog food they their dogs. It is generally recommended that the dog food contains between 28% and 40% proteins. Dog owners also have to pay attention to the nature of the proteins. There are several types of proteins that have different levels of amino acids. The chance to take these amino acids from the protein depends largely on the quality of the protein. The better the quality of the protein, the more usable are the amino acids it contains. The dog's digestive system cannot break down proteins of lower quality.

Fat

Although most people think of fat as a bad ingredient of food, the pet must also take some fat for its health to be satisfying, just like humans. A fat molecule is generally composed of one carrier and three fatty acids. The small intestine of the dog ensures that fatty acids are available, as well as enzymes and bile. It is important that as many essential unsaturated fatty acids are present in the food the dog eats because its body cannot form them itself. No general statement can be made, but most dogs do not need more than 20% fat. A less active dog needs 9% fat at most, while an active dog needs 20% at most. If the dog is nursing puppies, it is advisable that the dog will take about 17% fat from the dog food. If the dog is supposed to lose weight, the dog food should naturally contain as little fat and protein as possible. One can also say that the daily requirement of digestible fat is 1g per kg of body weight.

Carbohydrates

The main suppliers of carbohydrates in food are corn and potatoes. These carbohydrates can be a problem if you are not careful. An excess of carbohydrates can result in various health problems in a dog in certain conditions, especially if they constitute a large part of the diet. Cheap dog food can contain up to 70% carbohydrates, while a dog actually needs less than 30%.

Feed the dogs well. Make sure that you read the flea treatment review to know more. You will be able to know the flea treatment for dogs that can surely help.

View the original article here

earning training