When it comes to deciding on a diet for your dog, there are several options to choose from ranging from preparing homemade food to buying canned food. Irrespective of what you choose, it is imperative that you set a balanced diet for your dog. Any dog parent, who is given the task of deciding on their pooch’s diet, can come up with several questions. This article will feature answers to some of the frequently asked questions relating to dog food.
What are the dog foods to lose weight?
There are no specific foods for helping your dog to lose weight. The weight gain of your dog is directly related to the portion he takes in per day. Therefore, you need to start by reducing the portion intake of your dog and try to put him on a diet. When your dog is on a diet, choose food that has below average amounts of calories and fats and high protein percentage.
What are the dog foods to gain weight?
Foods rich in calories and protein are the key to adding some pound to your dog. Today, you have several weight-gain foods for dogs available in the market. Some of the popular ones are: Bully Max High Performance Super Premium Dog Food and Elite K9 Maximum Bully All Stages Dog Food.
One of the common mistakes made by dog owners looking to increase the weight of their dog is that they concentrate only on the calorie and the protein content and forget about the nutrition rating.
To help your dog to earn some weight, concentrate on the following tips:
- Prepare weight gain snacks rich in protein and calories
- Feed your dog regularly in small portions rather than feeding in larger meals. Feeding him small meals will help proper digestion and extraction of nutrients from the food.
What are the dog foods to reducing shedding?
Protein rich foods are an ideal solution to reducing shedding in your dog. Cheap dog foods act more like stomach fillers with zero nutritional value. If your dog starts shedding excessively, take off cheap foods from his diet and put him on a diet rich in protein and omega-3 fatty acids.
Introducing flax seed or olive oil to your dog’s diet is an ideal means to reduce dog shedding. It is not advised not to put your dog in a course of any kind of vitamin supplements without consulting a veterinarian.
What are the symptoms and causes of dog food allergies?
Dog food allergy can present itself with symptoms like skin inflammation vomiting, diarrhea, hives, and itching. Dog food allergy is triggered when the respective system starts treating specific food items as a pathogen and tries to defend the same via antibodies. There is also a condition called dog food intolerance, where the digestive system of the dog fails to digest a particular food ingredient.
Some of the food ingredients known to trigger dog food allergies are:
- Beef
- Soya
- Corn
- Wheat and
- Lamb
What are the dog foods to avoid?
Learn more about the toxic dog foods and consequences of each from here.
What are the dog foods for sensitive stomach?
There are several factors that cause sensitive stomach in dogs, some of them are:
- Food intolerance
- Lack of nutritional diet
- Food with excessive fat, fiber, and protein
The main symptoms of sensitive stomach in dogs are frequent vomiting and diarrhea. When you feel that your dog has a sensitive stomach, it is ideal to put him on a balanced and homemade diet. If you wish to go for canned food, ensure that your dog is taking in food that is not loaded with fat and protein. Some of the commercial dog food ideal for sensitive stomach is Blue Buffalo Blue Basic Adult Recipe and Wellness Simple Natural Limited Ingredient.
If your dog still shows signs of stomach sensitivity, take him to a veterinarian for a complete checkup and diet recommendation.
The diet which you set for your dog is directly proportional to different factors like his weight, coat and other health related factors. It is always ideal to perform a detailed research prior to planning a diet for your dog.