| Dog Food Nutrition for Iowa Born Chow Chow Puppies, Shih Tzu Puppies and Sheltie Puppies |
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Questions about the dog food ingredients typically used in commercial dog feed. Is it better to make your own dog food using all natural ingredients? Why todays dogs differ from those in the wild. |
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What about the new all Natural Ingredients type dog foods with no preservatives and additives?
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I would be very careful in using any types of feed claiming this unless they have submitted to and passed testing and are allowed to print the label "100% Complete and Balanced" on their food bag.
Certain minerals, vitamins, essential amino acids and fatty acids must be protected by chelating, preservatives and antioxidants in order to maintain their wholesomeness. As these nutrients are sensitive to air, light, humidity etc, they are easily destroyed and unavailable to the dog if placed in an open dish, creating an undernourished situation, which can lead to developmental problems later on. Humans have changed how a dog lives and survives so an all natural food with no additives and preservatives will not be nutritionally complete and could cause problems.
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Seem like dogs have it better than in the wild, a "dog's life". How are these changes making nutritional and feed requirements different?
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If a dog spent its entire life inside in a warm, air controlled environment and was fed gourmet Filet Mignon with all the trimmings every day, it would probably die early and be malnourished and very neurotic. A dog is not a human. In the wild, a dog would have to hunt its prey, gorge itself with the fresh kill because he may not eat for several days. Today, a dog is fed once, maybe twice a day, typically lazy in that it doesn't have to hunt, is in a jail, even though in a heated/ AC home with a luxurious couch and 40 acre fenced yard. This is still captivity and not freedom. A dog constantly needs to have new smells and territories, has a need to interact with other dogs and animals. This has made many dogs neurotic. Some have eating disorders which lead to nutritional problems as well. Lack of constant exercise and the ability to think and tax the brain as it would happen in a hunt and the luxurious couch life, makes many dogs lazy. Thus certain foods with different calorie content may be needed if that is more compatible to your dog's life style in order to avoid obesity and other health problem. Dogs need daylight as part of the metabolic process for good nutrition.
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