A Guide For Feeding Your Dog Or Cat

Sometimes, with all the hype about name brand pet food, natural pet food, and diet pet food, it can be a bit overwhelming when deciding which to feed your pet. While it very common for people to purchase pet food at a supermarket or pet supply store, an increase is showing in the number of people who are beginning to make their own pet food.

An article by Shirley Lipschutz-Robinson sings the praises of a raw food diet for all pets. Her argument revolves around the feeding habits of animals in the wild. She states that domestic pet diets lack the necessary nutrients to keep our animals healthy and active. Veterinarians report an increase in multiple diseases resulting from that lack of raw meat in both dogs and cats, according to the author.

Most pet owners, however, prefer to purchase foods produced specifically for pets. Pet food varies greatly in terms of quality. Certain brands (Science Diet dog food, Purina Puppy Chow) are more expensive and believed to contain more nutrients and therefore, to be better for pet feeding. Be sure you have fresh water available for your pet at all times.

Pet Feeding for Dogs: Commercial brands of pet food for dogs include canned food, dry food and semi-moist food. Up to 50% of your canine’s diet can come from carbohydrates such as grain. Vets do not recommend semi-moist food because of the additives and chemicals in them. Adult dogs may be fed once or twice per day, while puppies require more frequent feedings. There are brands that specifically specialize in all natural dog food, so if you decide you do want to feed your dog a more natural diet, you may look into it.

There are some foods in which you should NEVER feed your dog. The following are some: onions, garlic, plant leaves (potato, tomato, etc.), mushrooms, persimmons, chocolate, grapes or raisins, or macadamia nuts. Some people mistakenly believe that human vitamins are suitable to dogs, but this is absolutely incorrect. There are pet vitamin supplements available, which you can usually purchase through your vet or at a pet supply store.

Pet Feeding for Cats: Cat food, as with dog food, comes in three forms: canned, dry and semi-moist. Again, semi-moist is not recommended. Carbohydrates are not good for cats. Also, cats need relatively high water content in their food. Therefore, some canned food is good for indoor cats.

There are also foods which are unsuitable to feed to a cat, such as: dough that contains yeast, onions, mushrooms, plant leaves, garlic, sugary foods, raw eggs, salt, persimmons, macadamia nuts, and raisins/grapes. Regardless of the rumors that milk is good for cats, you should never feed a cat cow’s milk, as they cannot digest it properly. There are some brands of cat food which offer small bottles of milk, usually intended for kittens.