Basic K9 Nutrition

In general there are a few nutrition rules to stick to when it comes to feeding your dog. Starting off by addressing red flags in dog food. If any artificial dyes are listed in dog food, it is an indicator that the quality of ingredients is automatically questionable.

When reading the label of your dog food, the ingredients will be listed by order of quantity. The first item listed will be the primary ingredient in the food, so it is important that the first ingredient listed is a whole meat simply stated. For example: Chicken, beef, or salmon. The second ingredient should also be a simply stated meat or a meat meal. Ex: fish meal, chicken meal, chicken, salmon. If your ingredient list does not match the criteria above, trainer Faith says throw it out.

The AAFCO sets the standard for what dog food should look like. When searching for the "perfect" dog food look for a label under the ingredients marked as meeting the nutritional standard for a specific life stage. A nutrition label should state "Complete and Balanced."

Although "Complete and Balanced" may seem perfect, it still may not be for your dog. All dogs are different just like humans. Some dogs have food allergies and intolerances. Some dogs can have IBS from food sensitivities. And some dogs require more protein for high activity, or less for our slowed down senior dogs. Dog food should be tailored to the dog just like with training!

Lastly, the more expensive the dog food is, the more likely it is being made with quality ingredients, so you truly are getting what you pay for when it comes to dog food. It is so important to correctly feed our dogs so that they do not develop health problems and can live their lives at their fullest capabilities. Low quality dog food can cause lameness in dogs, as well as more severe health problems like cancer. Its always important to do your research, including checking food recalls.