Dog food comes in arguable degrees of ‘excellent’, ‘good’, ‘not as good’, ‘you could do better’, and ‘just don’t’. Dog owners find dog food to be confusing and misleading. We judge things based on pretty pictures because we can’t understand the ingredients and because we really don’t know which ingredients are necessary for dogs. Let’s face it, humans have a hard time understanding what is necessary for their own nutritional needs.


What Your Dog Needs

Dietary needs of dogs are actually fairly basic. They don’t need fancy food, so you don’t have to break the bank account each month. They are not carnivores, which many people mistakenly believe. Dogs are omnivorous, meaning they will eat plant and animal matter. Dogs like fruit, veggies, and meat. Sometimes, you might even find your dog eating poop.

They need a balanced meal, not really unlike our own need. Dogs have a wide margin of likes and dislikes, just like people do. While one dog may love blueberries but you have to be careful with blueberries, the next dog may look at you as if you’ve lost your mind if you put blueberries on top of their food. Just like an infant, the only way to know is to offer it.

Antioxidants are great, no matter which species you are.
When it comes to protein, approximately 17% is about the norm but if your dog is highly active – as a hunting dog that puts 5 miles on his legs daily – then you may want to consider a food closer to 21% to 25% protein.

The extra protein goes to building muscles and repairing tissues that are broken down from being used and over-used.

Dogs do not digest corn very well and excessive amounts of corn, cornmeal, hydrogenated corn oil and other ways of sneak corn into the bag is a manufacturer’s sneaky way of being cheap. Corn is a cheap filler. The problem with cheap fillers is that they need to be removed from the body.

This amounts to more piles of dog poop that you need to pick-up from your yard.
It also means that your dog’s body is working overtime to digest and then get rid of that stuff it isn’t going to use; putting stress on the kidneys, bowels, liver and even their heart. If you use something more, it wears-out faster, that’s only common sense. We see higher rates of kidney disease, liver failure, renal failure, diabetes, and heart disease in dogs that we have at any other time in history.

This seems causally linked to the food we give them.
Stay away from sweeteners in dog food. High fructose corn syrup is one of the sneaky ones that is added to not just dog food, but in many foods that are made for humans too.

This cheap sweetener will raise blood sugar levels and dogs shouldn’t have sugar in their natural diet at all. You are likely damaging your dog’s health by feeding foods with high-fructose corn syrup added to them. Just don’t.

Five Great Foods That Won’t Necessarily Break the Bank

You want to give your dog the best you can afford, and some people can’t spend a fortune on dog food. Luckily, there are plenty of brands that give a decent list of ingredients that are affordable regardless of your budget.

 You can also sneak in some treats from time to time, like Innovapet CBD biscuits to ensure that you are giving them plenty of healthy antioxidants to ward-off cancer and keep them as healthy as you possibly can. Supplements are often very affordable and certainly cost less in the end, when you save on the vet bills that you will not have.

These foods are listed in the order of cost, with the least expensive listed first.

Nature’s Balance – This is a fantastic dog food that uses human grade ingredients and isn’t a lot of over-kill on the ingredient list. Nature’s Balance comes in a variety of flavors and is also available in canned varieties and in soft foods packaged in rolls that look like a sausage. These are great options to put weight on a dog that is getting older and not eating as well. (CBD treats or oil is also a great way to stimulate their appetite in this case as well.

Nutro – This company is one of the better commercial foods on the market, also using human grade ingredients and creating a line of products for animals in every age group and at all activity levels, as well as sizes. Small breed foods are made with tiny kibble. Large breed puppy foods are formulated to slow their growth purposefully so that bones don’t grow too fast, stretching tendons and ligaments – leading to joint issues later on.

Nature’s Recipe – This food incorporates pumpkin in several of their recipes and offers a turkey with pumpkin that most dogs love. If you have a hyperactive dog, turkey can help naturally calm them as it also makes humans sleepy. Tryptophan is a natural sedative. Other flavors include chicken and salmon. They also have grain-free options for the dog with severe allergies to grains.

Avoderm – This is the best dog food if you have a pet that is allergic to many things. Beagles are a breed that can have allergy problems that result in itchy skin, constant scratching and open sores from licking and scratching. Avoderm has an excellent track record for producing excellent dog food at a reasonable price for those who have no other food options with sensitive dogs.

Wellness – this is one of the more expensive foods on the list, but it is a very holistic food with an excellent reputation for using only the best ingredients. Wellness is a brand that has a high rating with consumers and with dog food advisories.

Remember to include some rich antioxidant treats, such as Innovetpet dog treats to protect from effects of aging on the brain and the body. This should put you and your dog on an excellent path going forward.


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http://www.mommysblockparty.co/2017/08/the-best-way-to-grab-dogs-attention.html
http://www.mommysblockparty.co/2018/10/treat-your-dog-to-luxurious-new-bed.html
http://www.mommysblockparty.co/2018/10/grooming-tips-for-dog-owners.html