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Feeding Your Dog to Death |
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 The
majority of us enjoy indulging our pets with treats and
food, we spoil our dogs with everything from treats to
leftover scraps from the dinner table but it rarely comes
to mind that we may actually be harming our dogs this
way.
With a great demand for pet food and treats, it's become
common to find doggie bakeries and frozen treats that
cater to this growing industry. The snacks and treats
being sold aren't always very healthy for our dogs.
We tend to overfeed our dogs treats and snacks, not realizing
that they may be consuming more than their daily caloric
requirements. The correct thing to do is to monitor the
amount of calories our dogs need daily and how much we
feed them and make sure they get a regular amount of exercise.
Feeding treats and human food without regular exercise
while exceeding the dog's daily caloric requirements will
result in obesity. Obesity is one of the major causes
of heart problems, heart disease, diabetes and arthritis
in dogs. We can literally feed our dogs to death this
way.
Feeding a dog table scraps is also risky. Commercial dog
food is formulated to provide the right amount of ingredients,
vitamins and minerals for dogs and if you choose good
quality brands, it provides easily digestible food for
your pet. Table scraps and human food may be more tempting
for dogs but some of the ingredients used in human food
can be lethal to dogs. Onions, grapes, raisin and chocolate
can make a dog very sick and even cause death.
Many human food ingredients can cause allergic reactions
in a dog, even in small quantities, so be very careful
what you feed your dog. Try to feed a balance of dog food
and a few pieces of cooked meat or chicken with a few
pieces of vegetables to provide your dog with variety
and nutritional value.
Another reason you should avoid feeding your dog table
scraps is that you will teach him to beg at the table.
A good way to feed your dog some leftovers you don't want
to throw away is to put them for him in his dish in another
room, this way you won’Äôt be teaching your dog to be pesky
at the table.
If you are a health conscious person, you're probably
in the habit of scanning the ingredients list on any foods
you buy. You should also do this when you buy your dog
any treats or dog food. Look for treats with low calorie
and fat content and try to calculate how many treats you
can give your dog without going overboard. Following the
feeding instructions on the packet can also provide you
with a guideline about how many treats to feed your dog.
Make sure you calculate the combined calories of the treats
and your dog's regular daily food to ensure you don't
overfeed the dog.
You should also consult your vet and get their advice
on the best diet plan for your particular dog. Not all
dogs have the same nutritional needs and your vet is the
most qualified person who can give you advice on how to
feed your dog based on your dog's age, health, activity
level and breed.
Information provided by Pet-Super-Store, featuring dog
beds and elevated dog feeders
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