Just like the human body has nutritional requirements, your dog does too for being active and healthy throughout the day.
What Is A Balanced Diet?
A balanced diet is a total diet approach that includes food in five groups: grains, vegetables, dairy, meat, and fats. With the grains at the bottom and the fat at the top, the approach aims at moderation.
Thus, the balanced diet follows the same ideology for the dogs. Different dog breeds have different nutritional requirements. Not too much or too less of anything, a balanced portion ensures a balanced dog.
As omnivores, your dog needs more than your balanced diet. Adequate protein, vitamins, fat, and carbohydrate ensure a healthy, loving pooch.
Just like you need a daily dose of vitamins, so does your dog!
Vitamin A, B, D, E, K, and choline plays a crucial role in supporting the dog’s healthy skin, vision, immune system, nervous system, cell growth, and circulation.
Does Your Dog Food Satisfy The Nutritional Needs Of Your Dog?
Whenever you purchase food for your dog, make sure to go through its nutritional content. Whether you have chosen the right food for your dog? Or your dog needs something extra? You need to do a bit of research about the nutrition needs of your dog and purchase the right food online.
To qualify as a balanced diet, dog food must pass the standards set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). The food must contain an appropriate quantity of protein, fat, vitamins, carbohydrate, and minerals.
Water is an essential component of a balanced diet. In addition to these above-listed minerals and vitamins, water is also essential to your dog's health.
Vitamins
Vitamin A deficiency is one of the most common deficiencies in dogs. It leads to vision impairment, respiratory ailments, skin lesions, and increased susceptibility to infections. Furthermore, the lack of Vitamin E in dogs leads to muscle breakdown and retinal degeneration. Therefore, Vitamins are essential in small doses for well-body functioning.
Proteins and Amino Acids
To dogs, protein is essential for maintaining proper health. Dietary protein contains ten specific amino acids that dogs cannot make on their own. These proteins prove as a crucial element for active biological compounds in the body.
Fats
A balanced diet provides sufficient fats and fatty acids that cannot be synthesized in the body and serve as fat-soluble vitamins. Proper fat proportion is essential to keep your dogs skin and fur healthy. Fatty acids like Omega 3 and 6 are crucial to protect your dog for maintaining the body physiology.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrate provides dogs the energy to engage in playful tasks throughout the day. Rice, grain, corn, legumes, and barley are the major source of carbohydrates. With the growth, lactation, pregnancy stages, the carbohydrate proportion increases and thus needs appropriate care.
Minerals
Minerals like calcium and phosphorus are essential for dog teeth and bones. Apart from that, the dog needs magnesium, potassium, and sodium for nerve impulses. Refrain from including excess calcium in the diet of your dog, as it can lead to skeletal deformities in growing puppies.
Therefore, a properly balanced diet is crucial to ensuring the good health of your dog in all the stages of maturity. Consult with a veterinarian to know your pooch dog care supplies better.