ADVICE AND GUIDELINES FOR THE CORRECT FOOD CHOICE

As dog owners we can easily avoid all of the above unpleasant things by following some simple basic rules. It is important to choose the right food for our dog's age and lifestyle.

Foodstuffs

There are 2 main categories of food for small animals:

The ready (canned or dry food) of the trade
Home cooked food
More and more owners prefer ready-to-eat commercial foods, for reasons of speed, convenience, low cost and the certainty that their dog has a balanced diet. Not all ready-to-eat foods, whether in canned or kibble form, are the same.

Criteria for choosing ready-to-eat food by the consumer

Meal prep prep (preferably none)
Cost
Quality and proportion of ingredients
Appearance and smell of food
Palatability for the dog (how much he likes it)
Quality and quantity of dog feces
Foods of medium cost, some meet the mentioned conditions, but others are based only on impressive packaging, good taste and advertising, without containing the required ingredients in the required proportions to ensure a balanced diet for our dog. It is not always certain that buying a well-known, much-advertised food ensures good quality. It is worth checking the small print on the packaging with the help of the following selection criteria.

Foods of higher quality, the so-called Premium foods. We find these in special stores. The main concern of the manufacturers of these foods is to ensure a balanced and good quality food with selected raw materials of high biological value and volatility. These foods provide complete and balanced nutrition. The dog does not need any kind of nutritional supplement. Although more expensive than all other foods per kilogram of food, they are usually more nutritious, resulting in the dog needing a smaller daily amount.

Criteria for the quality of a prepared food

The packaging label must state:

The name of the product
The net weight of the food
An analysis of the individual feed components (protein, fat, moisture and ash)
A list of ingredients by percentage of content
The name and address of the manufacturer
Notice that it is dog food or cat food respectively
An explanation that it can be given as an exclusive diet or the purpose for which it is intended (especially in clinical diets).
Cooked food

Cooked food is usually given for "better than ready". However, this diet, unfortunately, in most cases is not balanced and complete, as a result of which health problems are often created due to a lack or oversupply of various nutrients. From the above information on the various groups of nutrients and the fine balances that must necessarily be maintained to ensure good health and growth in the dog, it is, I believe, understandable that it is not enough to put some minced rice in the pot to provide a balanced diet to our dog. If you want to prepare your dog's meals yourself, consult your veterinarian about the correct proportions and combinations of nutrients.

Epilogue

I hope after the above information, at least some of your questions about your dog's nutritional needs have been answered and you feel less "lost" when it comes to choosing a food. Our expert staff will certainly advise you better and more impartially than any advertisement, on what your dog needs and what is insufficient, excessive or harmful in all phases of his development.