Monday, June 24, 2013

Top Tips For Changing Your Dog Food

By Shari Evans


To complete the nutrition or just give the best to your pup, you may need to change the type or brand of dog food. Even though dogs can eat both organic and inorganic foods, their digestive issues and nutritional needs have to be heavily considered. Making a mistake on this, could lead to many digestive problems and as everyone knows, it is very hard to cure sick dogs especially those who have lesser appetite. You will have to choose the right food and follow the correct steps to ensure a smooth and safer transition.

Searching for a New Food for your Dog

Just like food for humans, the ones that you see in TV commercials are not the best for your dog. Before you give in to those catchy lines and humorous dog videos, you have to consider a lot of things first to ensure a safe and smooth dog food transition. First you must ask yourself whether you will be giving a dry or canned food to your buddy. Older dogs should be given the usual kind of food while for growing puppies that would need more nutrition you will have to think on what is good for their breed.

Most pet parent's reason for changing the brand and kind of food for their babies is nutrition. Since a dog's body does not rely on the quantity of the food they eat but on the nutrients that the food has, you will have to learn on how to weigh and measure nutrition. Check on the numbers of carbohydrate, protein and other contents. To ensure that the food is safe, look for AAFCO seal. Once you have found the food that would give the proper nutrients and is compatible on your canine's breed, check first whether you can easily buy it anywhere to save you and your pup from another transition process. Its fine to think about your budget but the truth is, you won't be saving money if your dog becomes sick due to lack of nutrients from your chosen inexpensive food.

New Food Introduction

A good brand of dog food has printed instructions in its pack which will help you on how you can change your dog's food gradually. Follow these steps and make sure that you are giving the right amount of food. While on the transitioning process, carefully watch your dog for some changes in their body and behavior. Look into signs of diarrhea, vomiting, loss of appetite and other problems in digestion. If you bought a dog food that has no instructions, make sure that you will gradually add the new food. One part should be mixed with three parts of their old food. The next day could be a bit higher. Do this until the new brand had completely replaced the old one.

If your dog is experiencing problems right after or hours after the food intake, temporarily replace the old food with rice and chicken meat. Mix the new food in, gradually increase it every day until it the transition is complete. Provide a small dose of Imodium or consult the vet about it. Continue to observe your dog for days and if there are no signs of improvement or blood was found on their stool, call the veterinarian for a solution.




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