| Have you been thinking about adding canned dog | | | | your meat source to be at the top. You should know |
| food to your dog's diet but every time you pick up a | | | | that if you have a fresh ingredient like chicken as the |
| can, your mind has a complete meltdown at the | | | | first ingredient it does not always mean that there's |
| thought of trying to decipher the information on the | | | | a large amount of chicken in the can. What happens |
| label? Well, don't give up, because reading and | | | | is, there's a great deal of water in fresh chicken, this |
| understanding those labels are an important step in | | | | causes the weight of the chicken to go up. However, |
| making sure your feeding your dog right and with a | | | | if the first ingredient listed is chicken meal, then you |
| little help you can get the hang of the labels and find | | | | know that the dog food contains a large amount of |
| the benefits of feeding canned dog food to your dog | | | | it. |
| in no time. | | | | When looking for your meat source, make sure it's a |
| Feeding canned dog food can certainly have it's | | | | whole meat source, not a mystery meat. Here are a |
| benefits to your dog's health but it can also have a | | | | few of the statements that are used on dog food |
| downside depending on your dog's personal needs. | | | | labels that can be misleading: |
| One of the first considerations is of course taste. If | | | | - With Chicken Flavor - Flavor is detectable but |
| you have a picky eater, canned food will be a | | | | doesn't have to have any actual Chicken meant |
| definite plus as it is generally very tasty. It can also | | | | present in the product |
| hold health benefits if you have a dog that is | | | | - With Salmon - The product contains at least 3% |
| suffering from kidney issues because canned dog | | | | salmon. So if you buy a product that says "now with |
| food is high in water content, so it will help your dog | | | | real beef" it may only have 3% real beef in it! |
| go to the bathroom more frequently. Along those | | | | - Beef Dinner - The product must contain at least |
| same lines, it's easily eaten because it's soft and it's | | | | 25% Beef. |
| easy on the stomach for those with digestion issues. | | | | - Liver For Dogs - At least 95% of the product must |
| On the downside, one of the main problems with | | | | be liver or 70% including water |
| canned food lies with owning a larger dog breed. If | | | | After you check out your meat/protein source, you |
| you dog requires a large quantity of food/calories | | | | need to make sure the dog food has the other basic |
| each day, the amount of canned food required to | | | | nutritional needs such as carbohydrates. The five |
| meet that need is going to be large and expensive | | | | basics of these energy requirements are protein, |
| compared to a dry dog food diet. It's also important | | | | carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals. |
| to note that dog's that don't have any dry dog food | | | | |
| or chew bones in their diet are going to need regular | | | | 1. Protein - Usually Meat - Should be approximately |
| dental care because their teeth are not getting | | | | 20% of the diet |
| cleaned properly with hard foods. It is also possible | | | | 2. Carbohydrates - Rice, Corn, Wheat, Soy Should be |
| that too much wet dog food can disagree with your | | | | approximately 50% of diet |
| dog's tummy and cause diarrhea. | | | | 3. Fats Approximately 9-15% |
| Once you've considered the basic considerations of | | | | 4. Vitamins - A, B, C, D, E & K Complexes. |
| feeding your dog canned dog food, you need to | | | | 5. Minerals - Calcium, Potassium, Sodium & Magnesium |
| think about the actual ingredients of different wet | | | | & Other Trace Elements |
| dog food brands. This is going to require you to do | | | | Choosing to feed your dog a complete canned dog |
| some label reading. This is easier than you think if you | | | | food diet is definitely something you should research |
| know what to look for. To start with, identify a food | | | | and discuss with your vet before beginning. Many dog |
| that is formulated for your dog according to life | | | | professional suggest feeding both a dry dog food |
| stage or size according to the label. | | | | and canned food diet together to supplement each |
| Then you should begin looking for a protein source or | | | | other. The important part is to make sure you are |
| meat on the list of ingredients. Your meat source | | | | feeding quality dog food products and reading your |
| should always be one of the first three ingredients | | | | dog food labels because feeding your dog healthy will |
| on the list because ingredients are listed according to | | | | ensure that they live a quality life and live a longer |
| weight, largest being first, therefore you will want | | | | lifespan. |