Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Is All Natural Dog Food Healthy?

By Moses Wright

"All natural dog food" is a phrase commonly describing dog food that contains natural or organic ingredients. This phrase is widely used and may be misleading.

Commercial dog foods typically use artificial colors, artificial flavoring, and preservatives. Several small dog food manufacturers produce natural dog food that does not contain these artificial ingredients.

Dog food that is described in this way may still be unhealthy for dogs. For example, a dog food that is made entirely of corn and grain can be all natural but still be unhealthy for dogs.

Dog owners need to consider what ingredients are included in the dog food in addition to whether or not the ingredients are organic or natural. A dog diet should be largely based on protein from meat, though an all meat diet should be avoided.

A dog owner has several options for healthy, all natural dog food. A healthy dog food with quality ingredients can be a commercial dog food with organic ingredients and a good source of animal protein.

Many dog owners prefer to make all natural, homemade dog food. The homemade dog food can be healthy, cooked dog food recipes or a raw dog food diet. Making dog food is appealing to many dog owners because it gives them control over the type of ingredients and the quality of ingredients in the dog food.

Most of the dogs diet should come from protein from a natural animal source such as chicken or beef. Whether the dog owner decides to feed the dog commercial dog food or homemade dog food, the dog owner should ensure that the dog's diet is mostly protein. Few commercial dog foods contain mostly natural protein.

Some vegetables and grains for carbohydrates are often recommended as part of the dog's diet. A variety of foods in a dog's diet can help ensure that the dog the proper vitamins and minerals. Meat should still remain the main ingredient of the dog's diet.

If a dog owner decides to feed the dog homemade dog food, the dog owner should know which foods are toxic to dogs and should never be included in dog food. The dog owner should also be conscious of the fat content of the dog food since obesity can be problematic for dogs. A veterinarian should be consulted if the dog owner has questions about the dog's dietary needs.

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