Diet is a basic part of caring for your therapy dog. It is important for your dog to be fed a well balanced, nutritious food. This is not news to you, I'm sure, but I wonder if you have been told the importance of reading labels. The first ingredient listed is the main component of the food. Most grocery store dog food contains, as their first ingredient either corn, wheat or some other kind of grain filler or animal byproduct. Dogs are carnivorous and need meat to comprise the main part of their diet. Look for labels that list beef, fowl, lamb, fish or some kind of meat as the first feature of the contents of the food, whether it is a dried or canned (wet) dish. Ingredients are listed by weight with the heaviest - that which makes up the greatest portion of the contents -first, when that is meat or meat meal, it is a pretty good bet the food will be relatively healthy.
There is no one perfect food for all dogs. No matter how good the quality of ingredients there are many factors that should be considered when it comes to choosing the food that is best for your dog. This will, no doubt, mean some experimentation on your part.
Dogs are able to digest meat proteins but not plant proteins. The crude protein and fat content of the dog food needs to be of high quality meat proteins. If you feed a carnivore a vegetable based food, he'll develop a loose stool. Unfortunately, manufacturers are not required to list the protein and fat sources in their product. Avoid any labels that use unidentified 'meat,' 'animal,' or 'poultry' products in their foods. Look for specific products: beef, venison, lamb, chicken, turkey, and salmon, among others.
There will be some grains in dry food because it is needed to hold the kibble bits together. Make sure the grains are whole and of good quality. Fruits and vegetables are fine especially if they come before the grains that are listed. Beware of saponins. These include soybeans, legumes (peas, beans) gluten meal, oats, alfalfa and others. Saponins are toxic to dog s and are a major cause of bloat.
Avoid any labels that list animal by-products. These may be such things as beaks, feet, feathers and hooves. Artificial coloring, flavoring, sweeteners or preservatives, especially those believed to be carcinogenic or that are banned from use in human food, should be avoided. Watch for the alphabet soup of BHT and BHA and Ethoxyquin and Propyl Gallate. If preservatives are not added by the manufacturer they don't need to be listed.
Another thing to consider is the changing of food. Dogs are designed to consume a range of different foods and to obtain different vitamins and minerals from each. Changing foods periodically helps to ensure that no dietary deficiencies or excesses build up over time. Switching from chicken to beef to fish is helpful in avoiding allergies that may become readily apparent if your dog is fed only one food type for a prolonged period of time. It may be necessary to gradually change from one food to another, too.
Signs of allergies would be itchy, flaky skin, red itchy paws, chewing paws, yeast infections, ear infections. These can be treated with antibiotics but if the cause of the allergy is the food, then as soon as the medical aid is gone the signs reappear. In some rare cases, a dog may be allergic to certain meats or poultry or different kinds of grain. A veterinarian can usually determine if this is the case.
Good luck on your label reading!
There is no one perfect food for all dogs. No matter how good the quality of ingredients there are many factors that should be considered when it comes to choosing the food that is best for your dog. This will, no doubt, mean some experimentation on your part.
Dogs are able to digest meat proteins but not plant proteins. The crude protein and fat content of the dog food needs to be of high quality meat proteins. If you feed a carnivore a vegetable based food, he'll develop a loose stool. Unfortunately, manufacturers are not required to list the protein and fat sources in their product. Avoid any labels that use unidentified 'meat,' 'animal,' or 'poultry' products in their foods. Look for specific products: beef, venison, lamb, chicken, turkey, and salmon, among others.
There will be some grains in dry food because it is needed to hold the kibble bits together. Make sure the grains are whole and of good quality. Fruits and vegetables are fine especially if they come before the grains that are listed. Beware of saponins. These include soybeans, legumes (peas, beans) gluten meal, oats, alfalfa and others. Saponins are toxic to dog s and are a major cause of bloat.
Avoid any labels that list animal by-products. These may be such things as beaks, feet, feathers and hooves. Artificial coloring, flavoring, sweeteners or preservatives, especially those believed to be carcinogenic or that are banned from use in human food, should be avoided. Watch for the alphabet soup of BHT and BHA and Ethoxyquin and Propyl Gallate. If preservatives are not added by the manufacturer they don't need to be listed.
Another thing to consider is the changing of food. Dogs are designed to consume a range of different foods and to obtain different vitamins and minerals from each. Changing foods periodically helps to ensure that no dietary deficiencies or excesses build up over time. Switching from chicken to beef to fish is helpful in avoiding allergies that may become readily apparent if your dog is fed only one food type for a prolonged period of time. It may be necessary to gradually change from one food to another, too.
Signs of allergies would be itchy, flaky skin, red itchy paws, chewing paws, yeast infections, ear infections. These can be treated with antibiotics but if the cause of the allergy is the food, then as soon as the medical aid is gone the signs reappear. In some rare cases, a dog may be allergic to certain meats or poultry or different kinds of grain. A veterinarian can usually determine if this is the case.
Good luck on your label reading!
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