16 Responsible Pet Ownership

NUTRITION DOG

feed FidoNutritional requirements

Firstly, make sure the food you choose fulfils the basic

nutritional requirements. As with any animal, it takes

carbohydrates, protein, fat, amino acids, vitamins

and minerals to run a dog's body. Carbohydrates,

protein and fat supply the dog with energy. Fat is the

main source of energy for the dog. Protein is used for

building and maintaining the body – as long as there is

enough energy supplied by the carbohydrates and fat.

If not, protein is diverted to supply energy.

Life stage and health

The trick is to find the food that your dog not only likes

and eats with gusto, but also keeps your dog in peak

condition without breaking the bank. This is made easier

if you select the right food for your dog’s life stage and

lifestyle. So, if you have a puppy, buy the ‘puppy’ food

(which can also be divided into small, medium, large and

giant for the different breeds), an adolescent

dog requires ‘junior’ food,

and an adult, ‘adult’ food.

If your adult dog is

either a working dog,

a show dog or very

active, then a

premium or

performance

food might

be needed

to keep him

looking and

performing at

his best. Older ‘senior’

dogs are catered for with

special ‘senior’ diets; likewise

overweight dogs with

‘light’ foods. Certain

breeds suffer from

medical conditions

which are specific

to their breeds. In

those cases, consider

using a breed-specific

or condition-specific

diet as prescribed by

your veterinarian.

Price

Don’t judge a food by price alone. In

some cases the more expensive premium foods

have a higher nutritional content and are more easily

digested, so smaller amounts can be fed per meal,

thus saving money. On the other hand, don’t be

misled by high prices. Some foods make you think

they are premium or even super-premium because of

their price, but the ingredients list puts

them back in to a lower category,

so check carefully.

If in doubt

about the

correct diet

for your pet,

ask your vet.

He will be able

to advise you

on the correct

formula to feed

your pet at any

given time.

When it comes to dog food there are literally hundreds of choices – wet food, dry food, semi-moist food, high protein and high fat, medium protein and medium fat, high protein and medium fat, low protein and low fat, super-premium, premium, performance, regular, economy, high price or low. So which do you choose?

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