Healthy Dog Diet

Just as we humans love our food, so do our dogs! The difference between us is that dogs investigate a new food by first sniffing it. Half of the pleasure for your dog is in the smell! The taste of his dog food is far less important.

Many dogs lead a boring life. If they are left alone all day, the highlight of the day may be dog food or dog food treats at mealtime!

If your dog is bored and he is using food to brighten his day, it’s extremely important that you don’t over-feed him—whether in the form of his dog food or dog food treats!

And yes, I understand that he may beg and that it might be cute—but the last thing that you want to do is contribute to his obesity through excessive dog food treats or dog food.

To learn more about why a fat dog is not a healthy dog, see this section.

Dogs are completely dependent upon us! They are faithful, loving and they usually eat what we serve them (and sometimes a few other things that they find on their own!).

Fortunately most high quality foods are safe and balanced, but we were all a bit shocked to learn that even some of the “premium dog foods” were contaminated recently and we all experienced the horror of dog food recalls!

We can protect our dogs by doing one of two things: keeping up with the news on dog food recalls to make sure that the dog food that we feed them is safe and providing the nutrients for a healthy dog diet or making homemade dog food for our pets.

Making your own homemade dog food just got easy! Your dog is going to LOVE these recipes for homemade dog foods and dog treat recipes! John Miller spent years doing research, to get the best formulas for his home made dog food.

Are you ready to now take action to have a healthier, happier dog?

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Dog Nutritional Needs
for a Healthy Dog Diet

And a senior dog, while he can no longer digest his dog food as efficiently, needs fewer calories than an adult dog for a healthy dog diet.

I always thought of dogs as being carnivores—but they are not true carnivores! If all they eat is meat, they will be unhealthy.

Your healthy dog diet should have no more than 50% meat. Meat is a great source of protein for your pet, and it also contains fat and essential fatty acids for his skin and coat health.

The other 50% of your pet’s daily food should be from carbohydrates. A balanced diet will have all the needed vitamins and minerals for your pet’s health.

• Protein: promotes growth, tissue repair and maintains the basic metabolic processes.

• Fatty acids: essential fatty acids give your dog’s coat a beautiful sheen.

• Carbohydrates: these are an important source of energy for your dog.

• Fiber: The fiber in dry dog food provides roughage and helps your pet to have regular bowel movements.

• Calcium: Most dogs don’t need a calcium supplement, but growing puppies and lactating females often need additional calcium in their diets. Sterilized bone meal is a good source of calcium for a canine diet. You can buy it at animal feed stores or at natural food stores. The bone meal sold at garden shops is not the same quality and should not be fed to your pets.

What if Your Dog Won't Eat His Food?

Sometimes the guilt-ridden owners will present a buffet of delicious offerings to their pet—hoping that his healthy dog diet needs will be met.

This can get expensive—not to mention the emotional toll it takes on you. Your pet can leave you exhausted and feeling manipulated!

Here’s what you need to do! Your dog should eat only what you want to feed her. And she should eat what is good for her! Letting your dog decide what she wants to eat will not provide her with a healthy dog diet.

The first step to freedom from your dog’s controlling behavior is to make sure that there are no health problems causing the behavior. Have your dog or puppy checked by a veterinarian.

If there are no health problems, offer dog food to your dog twice daily. Give her a reasonable amount of time to eat it—then remove the food.

The will of wars can last up to a week, but your dog will eventually give in and eat the dog food that you are providing!

Begging for Food

If you do, you are reinforcing his behavior and teaching him that this is the way to get more food. Soon you will have an overweight dog—which is a health risk!

If your dog does become overweight, make sure he gets extra exercise (as long as he doesn’t have a health condition that precludes it) and reduce his caloric intake to about 60% of what he would normally eat.

There are special healthy pet foods designed for weight control and they make sure that the canine nutritional needs are being met.

Remember--It's almost impossible to provide a healthy diet for dogs when the dogs are calling the shots!

Dog Water Requirements

It's every bit as important to make sure that your dog gets enough water—whether he’s at home or you are traveling as it is to see that he gets a healthy dog diet.

If he is not able to drink for 48 hours, he can suffer from severe dehydration or even death. Good, fresh water is essential for his very existence!

Fill your dog’s water bowl with fresh water daily. If you are traveling, take a bowl and container of water for your pet. There are special folding bowls made for this purpose. They take up very little space and are lightweight so you can even take them in a backpack if you are hiking together.

Keep an eye open for the amount of water that your dog drinks daily. If you notice that he is drinking a lot more than usual, contact your veterinarian, as there are health conditions that cause a dog to drink excessively.

Dogs Sharing Food

Even if this is the case, it’s better to provide separate bowls in order to make sure that each dog is getting a healthy dog diet and is not getting slighted!

Guidelines for Feeding Your Dog

• The best way to make sure that your dog is getting a healthy dog diet and good dog nutrition is to buy a good quality dog food from a reputable manufacturer. If possible, the food should be made in the US. And while you're looking at dog foods, make sure that you choose healthy dog treats!

• Never offer spoiled or moldy food to your dog. Remove old food from his eating area and wash his bowl often.

• Serve your dog’s food at room temperature.

• Make sure that your dog always has fresh, clean water. Her water may need to be refreshed during the day, as dogs tend to contaminate their water bowl after exploring nature outside!

• Don’t feed your dog “cat food” as it is too high in protein for a dog and does not provide adequate dog nutrition.

• Remove leftover dry dog food at the end of the day.

• Remove canned or moist dog food that is not eaten—after a short period of time. Don’t let it sit in your pet’s bowl all day!

• Keep track of your pet’s weight. If he is starting to get too pudgy, cut back on the amount that you are feeding him. This is one of the easiest ways to avoid health problems!

• Never feed your dog bones, especially chicken bones. They can splinter and pierce your pet’s intestines and stomach.

• Consider giving your dog canine vitamins if you find that she has special needs.

• If your dog refuses to eat for 24 hours, consult your veterinarian. This could be a sign that he is sick!

A healthy dog diet should, of course, include healthy dog treats. Try one of our homemade dog treat recipes!

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