Food For Dog: Nutrition For Your Dog
Feeding your dog organic or enhanced dog food helps maintain their health by supplying specific vitamins and nutritional values they need, but dogs have a specific diet and must adhere to certain rules for their own nutritional benefit.
Toxic Foods for Dogs
Dogs cannot digest several types of conventional human foods, due to their metabolism. While certain foods simply cause stomach issues, others can cause severe illness and be even fatal. Here’s a list of the most well-known items you should not let your dog ingest.
- Alcohol – can lead to coma and death
- Baby food – can lead nutritional deficiency
- Cat food – too high in fat and protein
- Citrus oil – causes vomiting
- Fat – leads to pancreatitis
- Grapes and Raisins – are harsh on kidneys
- Chocolate, Coffee, Tea, Caffeine – can be toxic and negatively affect the vascular and nervous systems
- Hops – causes increased heart rate, fever, seizures, and fatality
Avocados and onions are other foods toxic to dogs that can cause severe illness if ingested. Also, avoid giving leftover steak or chicken bones to your dog because they can break and cause choking or even rupture internal organs. Special doggy bones are made for your dog to chew and are available at all pet stores.
Getting Your Dog to Eat
Often dogs can turn into picky-eaters. Here are some tips to keep your pup happy, full, and excited to eat.
- Don’t feed him from the dinner table – he will learn to beg and refuse to eat his own food
- Reward your dog with a treat for doing a trick – by placing it in his doggie bowl, he will be more inclined to eat the rest of his dog food
- Change it up – sometimes dogs get bored from eating dry food all the time, so mix in some canned moist food for variety and additional protein and flavor
- Don’t ruin your dog’s appetite by spoiling him with treats – rawhide is a good alternative to doggy treats
Make Your Own
You are not stuck with store brands. If Toto’s sick of eating the same food every day, try cooking up a storm for your K-9. Tempt your dog with dog food recipes from I-Love-Dogs.com like birthday cakes, cheesy bacon biscuits, and Peanutty Pupsicles that are all healthy and delicious for dogs and easy to make for you.
