Friday, November 6, 2009

Dog Food Comparison



Dog lovers are always cautious when it comes to select food and treatment for their dogs. There are different varieties and many brands available in the market but the main problem is to compare the different dog food brands and choose the best food for your pet. The dog food comparison should be purely based on the nutritional value of the dog rather than on price and popularity of dog food brand. Some of the important information is given below to guide you about your dog's basic nutritional needs.

The major constituent of dog food is protein. It is very necessary for the muscles, coat, nail and skin of the dog. There is not a standard protein amount which should be given to the dog and the protein requirements of dogs may vary based on their age and level of activity. High level of protein is recommended to the dogs including sick dogs, sled dogs, puppies and pregnant or lactating dogs. The dogs with high level of activity require 25%to 35% amount of protein in their food. It has found that 18 percent of protein in daily diet is recommended to the average adult dog. The dogs with kidney problems should not be given protein diet.

Dogs require a very little amount of carbohydrates in their daily diet but most of the prepared dry dog food contains amount of carbohydrate ranges from 30% to 70%. The starch helps to form and mold the kibble that is why most of the kibble brands have high percentages of carbohydrates. Therefore, it is very important to select the food that is totally up to the nutrition requirement of your dog and it is only possible if you do a good dog food comparison.

While making the dog food comparison you will find that the major source of energy in the dog food is provided by fats. The level of activity of dog and its age are the two major determinants of fats requirements in dogs. The pregnant or lactating dogs and puppies required 17 percent fats in they daily diet. Active dogs or high performance and the average adult dogs should require fats 15% and 20% respectively.

A high amount of fats is required to the sled dogs i.e. 50 percent daily. For providing high nutritional diet to your dog, you have to consider the dog food comparisons very seriously and you should also remember that if your dog needs fats then what are the various sources of fats. You should also give essential fatty acids to your dogs such as Linoleic acid. Apart from that, for the healthy immune system of your pet fats are very important. Fibre is not an essential constituent of dog's food but it is helpful for dog's bowels and colon health. Moreover, pumpkin and Metamucil are the best source of fibre.



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