Commercial dog food vs. Natural dog food
Here are some facts and pointers that you should consider when going for a natural foods diet for your pet. Commercial pet food, no doubt, is convenient but there are documented hygiene issues about the manner in which commercial pet food is processed and also the fact that the offal and carcass used to make commercial dog food often contains salmonella virus, e-coli bacteria, and other disease-causing agents.
Dogs that feed on natural dog food have shinier coat, cleaner breath, they show better behavior, higher energy levels, and more vitality. The big plus with commercial pet foods is that these are cheaper and convenient but apparently there is a long-term price to be paid as these can hurt the animal’s health. There is no saying what has been recycled into dog food at a commercial pet food factory and there are enough studies out there to prove that chemicals used in commercial pet food can harm your dog’s health badly. For example, many commercially available dog foods contain ethoxoquin which has been linked to stillborn puppies, liver failure, cancer, and infertility in dogs. The chemical is actually used to stabilize rubber but has somehow found its way into commercial pet food
Here is an excellent piece on the kind of raw materials used for commercial dog food and also the manner in which they are processed.
Natural Food Diet for Your Dog
Meat is perhaps the most important element of a dog’s diet; although dogs are omnivorous meat protein is central to their food. Lean meats such as turkey, chicken, fish, some cuts of beef, duck without skin, etc are good sources of nutrition for your pet dog. If you serve your dog fatty meats such as sirloin steak, lamb, pork, fatty beef heart, etc then you have to careful about the oil you add to the food preparation for your dog.
Eggs provide great nutrition for your dog; include cooked eggs in the animal’s weekly food routine. Cooked eggs, such as boiled eggs are safer than raw eggs. Milk is a good supplementary source of calcium in addition to bone meal.
Grains and oatmeal are a good source of carbohydrate for your pet dog. Buckwheat, quinoa, polenta, millet are just some of the grains that you can feed your dog.
Dogs can easily tolerate legumes; particularly the ones that you need to soak before cooking. Feed your dog lentils and split peas once or twice a week.
You can also include vegetables in your dog’s weekly diet. Vegetables provide minerals and vitamins that help in maintaining proper body metabolism. Peas, corn, fresh beets, potatoes are just some of the vegetables that you can cook and feed your dog with.
