DOG FOOD

     What does it take to keep your doggy companion happy, healthy and long-lived? Surely the average dog owner knows that regular visits to the vet for check-ups and inoculations as well as daily exercise are important factors. However, surprisingly few dog owners are as well versed in dog nutrition, or dog food, as they should be.

     Taking your pet to the vet and running in the park are only two-thirds of what keeps your dog in good health. The other and probably most important factor is your dog's diet. Your veterinarian's advice as to what to feed your dog should be given careful consideration. However, many visits to the vet often do not involve a discussion relative to your dog's diet.

     Many dogs are fed substandard diets due to their owner's misconceptions about what actually constitutes appropriate dog food. Some people are convinced that raw - back to nature - food or leftovers from the dinner table comprise a healthy diet. But vets have noted that oftentimes lab tests of dogs fed in this manner show high blood phosphorous levels which require further testing for kidney disease. Home cooking can often contain estrogen-like compounds resulting in fertility problems for female canines. Consequently, unless you are sufficiently knowledgeable in doggy nutrition, it is best not to cook for your pet.

     Back to nature diets of raw meat as well are not proper dog food and can put dogs at risk for serious health problems.

     Simply put, dog food produced by the leading manufacturers is the time proven and safest way to feed your pet. Companies like Purina, Alpo, Eukanuba and much to the surprise of some dog owners, supermarket brands of dog food are nutritionally sound for your pet. Large dog food manufacturers have the resources to properly research doggy nutrition and produce wholesome, healthful dog food under rigid, quality-controlled conditions. In addition, buying dog food in high volume stores is your best assurance against the purchase of a stale product.

     Another thing to guard against is the urge to feed your dog a veggie diet. This is the opposite thinking of the "back to nature" crowd. One basic fact to remember is that dogs are carnivores. They cannot metabolize a fully nutritious meal from an all-veggie diet. A meat-based diet with vegetable material for balance constitutes proper dog nutrition. A wholesome meat-based diet poses no artery-clogging cholesterol problem for dogs since they metabolize meat differently then humans do.

     We do not recommend a total meat diet as the proper one for your dog. Your pet's diet should consist of 25% to 40% vegetable matter. Of course, dogs with kidney or other specialized health problems may need less protein. In this case, your vet is your best source of medical information.

     It is important to remember that a dog's nutritional requirements change as they mature. A proper diet for a puppy is different from a diet considered appropriate for a mature dog. Underweight, obese and aging dogs have different dietary considerations as well. Consequently, for optimal dog health, you owe it to your pet to do some research and consult with your vet to be sure you are meeting your dog's special dietary needs when deciding on your dog food purchase.