An average life expectancy of a dog is deemed to be about 10-12 years. For a dog to reach that stage of life it’s not only important for them to be clean and playful, but it’s also vital for them to eat right. Here comes the owner’s major responsibility.

Being a millennial, with countless choices in the market and at home, it can be a tad overwhelming comprehending which food will be good/bad for your beloved canine.

 After all, when it comes to a food diet for the dog, there are countless choices available.

Excessiveness or insufficiency of any nutrient can both be problematic for your dog in the near future, so it’s best to give your dog a very diverse diet for its consumption. His diet will be the main factor that will determine the quality and the length of his life. After all, your dog is what he eats!

Choosing Food According to Your Dog’s Size

Choosing food according to your dog’s size is the key. Like humans and dogs have different rates of metabolism, the same goes for different breeds and sizes of dogs.

Puppies or small breed dogs have a much higher metabolism and grow at a much faster rate. They need to be fed at regular intervals and require special attention to their diet.

From four to six months and beyond, an average dog much go through a transition of four to two meals a day. Overstraining stomachs of small breeds can be eluded by providing them with specially formulated growth foods at intervals.

A universal rule is a small breed dog requires about 40 calories per pound of body weight and a large breed dog might need about 22.5 calories per pound of body weight.

Adult dogs require a 23% nutrient-rich diet with other vitamins and minerals that comprises: about 18% protein and 5% fat.

Sometimes, besides considering your dog’s size, it’s also important to consider their special needs. If they have sensitive stomachs or are allergic, try and give them an ample, composed and hypoallergic diets.

This will hinder their susceptibility to adverse reactions and reduce gas accruing in their sensitive stomachs.

You can get some guidance from the nearest vet to make sure that you are doing the right feeding.

Choosing the Best Diet for Your Dog

As a new dog owner, one often frets about what they should feed their dog and what and where is it available.

Like a basic human diet, there’s hardly just one answer. Our bodies cannot survive on proteins alone. We need everything ranging from carbohydrates to dietary fibres, vitamins, minerals to even fats. To be precise, diversity is key, but it’s also essential to eat foods that suit us.

Similarly, as mentioned earlier, dogs need to be given a diet that suits them and does not cause them adversities. It’s almost impossible to come up with the perfect diet on the first go, so be prepared for a fair amount of hits and misses.

Before purchasing your dog food, it’s wise to do a fair amount of research about it online, talking to your vet or consulting other fellow dog owners.

Due to changing times and agronomic innovation, the market is filled with a myriad of dietary choices. Not just for people, but even for dogs.  There are complete foods, dry foods, wet foods, semi-moist and tinned foods and countless others.

Each one more different than the other, it’s up to you to make the final call about what would be best for your dog.

If you are a novel dog owner, try exposing your dog to all kinds of food before discovering their comfort zone. Even after they choose a favourite, make sure you still provide them with a diverse, balanced diet for sound digestion and health.

The main types of dog food include:

1. Semi-Moist Foods: Everyday or Occasional?

Semi-moist dog foods mostly resemble pork chops, burgers, or other meaty foods and most experts do not recommend this type of diet as it is the least nutritional due to the presence of artificial flavours and colours.

It’s basically like chips for your kids, nice for a random treat, but absolutely unacceptable for an every-day meal as it may cause digestive problems and does not provide the nutrition that your pup requires.

If you’re thinking about feeding your pup a semi-moist diet, you need to seek the advice of your veterinarian first.

2. Moist/ Canned Dog Food: Worth it?

This type of canned/ tinned food is the absolute opposite of dry food. Its moisture content is extremely high, which lessens its nutritional value. It’s mostly eligible for older dogs with poor dental hygiene.

Although this kind of food is readily available in supermarkets, have a long shelf life and most dogs love it; sadly, it can be very expensive. If this food is not very digestible and is not broken down into absorbable nutrients, it will hardly do any good to your dog.

Canned food is typically cooked in high flames in order to neuter the food. It may come in cans or may be bought refrigerated.

Also, most canned food is about 75 per cent water so it's best to go with a kind that's labelled "100% nutritionally complete."

3. Dry Food: Why Is It So Popular?

Dry food includes not just kibble but also biscuits, mixers and so on. It is the most popular option since it’s the most convenient and economical amongst its peers.

When it comes to picking a particular dry food, read the ingredients carefully, and choose a brand that uses wholesome food as its chief ingredient.

There are many benefits of dry food which includes its easy storage capacity.   It’s also easier to serve as there is no cooking, defrosting or refrigeration involved. All you have to do is scoop it into your dog’s dish and serve it.

The crunchiness of the food also cleanses your pet’s teeth, thwarting tartar buildup, aiding in dental hygiene.

Dry dog food consists of 90% matter and 10% liquid which would obviously make your dog thirsty after a meal. Eventually, eating dry food will require your dog to drink more fluids.

Unluckily, many of the commercial dry dog foods on the market are not healthy for your pet since a lot of them contain artificial preservatives and generic fat sources which have absolutely no nutritional value.

So, always look out for dog food labels that have the words “whole” and “unprocessed grains and vegetables” written on them; as that’s when nutrients thrive best.

4. Homemade Food: Is It Really Helpful?

Homemade food is not a great idea for new dog owners as it’s extremely important to be well acquainted with the food and nutrition charts of your canine friend first. It’s also laborious and costly.

Some people still like giving that extra effort due to love and peace of mind, and it’s only okay if you know who to consult and have a few years of experience. Do make sure your dog meets its nutritional needs.

If your dog has a sensitive stomach, try sticking to commercial foods as you do not want to harm its digestive system.

Concluding…

Avoid feeding the dog from your table like chocolates, avocados and so on as it ‘s harmful, plus it will encourage it to have attention seeking behaviours like howling and pleading, leading to anxiety issues.

Try not to be flabbergasted by the various choices available in the supermarkets. Keep a sound knowledge about your dog's needs, research well and work accordingly.

Just make sure whatever you feed your dog is highly nutritious and is well-liked by it.

 About the Author:

This article has been written by Rafidah Rahman, she is a content writer at Feedfond. She loves to read and dance in her spare time and write about her inflicting thoughts.