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Foods That You Should Feed Your Labrador
By Brooke Sunderland | August 7, 2008
When it comes to Labrador nutrition, there is no step more important than choosing the right dog food. There are thousands of different dog foods available on the market these days, and each food contains different ingredients and a different ratio of macronutrients, fat and carbohydrate. Because dogs, just like people, are individuals, there is really no way other than trial and error to determine which food is going to be best for your dog.
It may be intimidating at first to start learning about Labrador nutrition, especially because there are literally thousands of different dog foods to choose from and it can be overwhelming when you head to the store and see all these options staring at you from off the shelves. There are a few steps that can help you out, and which will help make the process a great deal easier.
On the topic of Labrador nutrition there is really no step more important than choosing the right dog food. The food that you give your dog is what is going to be supplying them with the bulk of their nutrition, so of course you want to make sure that they are eating only the best dog food. The first thing you should do when you are out trying to decide on a dog food is to scan through the list of ingredients listed on the label.
Reviewing the list of ingredients on the back of the bag is always a good place to start, and by law pet foods must list their ingredients by weight. This means that those ingredients listed first are what the food is primarily made up of, and which are therefore the most important.
Human grade ingredients are essential for a healthy food, and you want to make sure that there are actual meat ingredients and not meat byproducts like chicken bones and feet. It is the more economy brands of dog food that tend to be made from inexpensive ingredients which are harder for your dog to digest.
Selecting a dog food for your dog is certainly not the only step in providing them with the right diet. There is also the issue of supplements, which should be considered here for good Labrador nutrition. Not all Labradors require supplements, and most nutritionists and veterinarians feel that a dog being fed a balanced diet usually does not need any supplements of vitamins or minerals.
Veterinarians and dog nutritionists typically believe that if a dog is being fed a well balanced dog food and is in generally good health that they do not need supplements and some even go so far to say that supplements can result in unbalancing the diet by disrupting the relationship between vitamins and minerals, a relationship that is necessary for proper nutrition.
You really need to be careful if you decide to do this however, because it can actually do your dog more harm than good if you go overboard with it. Calcium must be in balanced with phosphorus and magnesium in the diet and an overabundance of calcium can cause serious health problems so ensure that you are giving the right amount.
Topics: Pets |
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