Feeding a nutritious diet is important to ensure your dog is healthy. But when faced with so much variety choosing the right diet and knowing the appropriate amount to feed your dog can be confusing. Talk to a vet in your area about an appropriate diet for your dog.

Deciding What Type of Diet to Feed Your Dog

Now more than ever, the options available when it comes to feeding your dog are endless. Some of the more popular foods people feed their dogs are dry food, canned food, meat roll and the relatively new BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) diet. Dry food, meat roll and canned foods offer the benefit of convenience and vary in cost depending on the brand and ingredients used. As a general rule the more expensive the food, the better the quality. These foods often cater for the different nutritional requirements of dogs in different life stages from puppyhood through to adulthood and old age.

The B.A.R.F. diet is gaining in popularity and involves feeding a raw diet comprising raw meat, bones, egg, offal, fruit and vegetables. While not as convenient as other diets, the B.A.R.F. diet is virtually preservative free and closely resembles what our dogs’ ancestors would have eaten in the wild.

Deciding How Much to Feed Your Dog

Feeding your dog the right amount of food is also important to maintain your pet’s ideal body weight. Feeding too much or too little food can make your dog overweight or underweight. Factors including the age, size, breed or breed type and activity level of your dog will help to determine how much food they need to eat on a daily basis to maintain a healthy weight. Although most dog food packaging includes instructions on how much to feed your dog these are a general guide only. You should adjust the amount you feed to maintain your dogs ideal weight.