Dogs are so adorable and kind animals, commonly taken as pets in most of the world’s countries. We love them for their irresistible ‘puppy look’, their loyalty and their affection for us as their owners and friends. You’ve certainly heard that famous saying about dog being a man’s best friend for over thousands of times. Well, there is a lot of truth within.
The connection between dogs and humans seize far back into the past, when we used to hunt together and share our food and shelter. In modern times, dogs are still our protectors and guardians of our homes.
Beside that, dogs are really cool and playful buddies to many people and children. However, get well informed on particular breed characteristics if you want to take a dog and introduce it to your family, especially if you have small children. You should be aware a dog needs a lot of time and devotion. It is not a toy; it is a living being that demands constant care and attention. So, nurture it well and your family will grow for one healthy and happy member more!
Before you take a dog as a pet, consider if you have all the necessary conditions to take care of it. You should always have enough time to walk it out, to spend hours playing, grooming and cuddling and such.
You should also provide your new pet the best possible living conditions and regular veterinarian checks, with all the necessary procedures taken. Good diet plan is essential, of course. So, a dog is a demanding buddy. It requires your time, money and unconditional love.
How to feed dogs?
Once you decided which dog you’re about to take, you need to get well informed on its individual nutritional needs. Of course you want your puppy to grow healthy and strong. As times passes by, its needs will certainly change, so you always need to adjust its diet to particular circumstances. Seek for an expert’s advice and choose the best for your loving furry friend. For instance, yogurt may look fine, but veterinarians might disagree.
The golden rule when it comes to feeding dogs is – don’t give it everything you might think it would please it! Yes, a dog will most certainly eat just about anything you serve it, but that doesn’t mean it is good for it. Coffee and chocolate are both dangerous for them. Unfortunately, many owners just fall for the ‘puppy eyes’ and feed their pets leftovers from their own table. Well, that is just irresponsible and wrong. Dogs cannot digest human food and they need special menu adjusted to their individual needs.
Dry, vacuumed and canned dog food is the best option for a base of your pet’s diet. It contains a good proportion of all the necessary nutrients your pet needs on a daily basis.
Fortunately, pet food industry has grown really beg, so you can easily find high quality dog food products, designed to meet each pet’s individual needs, according to its breed, age, gender, health condition and other factors. You can find all of them in almost any pet store and purchase them for a really affordable price. There are many of good dog food products and you just need to consult a vet to decide which the best for your dog is.
Beside commercial dog food, you could prepare some food for your pet at home. Dogs’ digestive system is originally designed to process only meat, but it adapted to digesting some plant food as well. So, some fruits, vegetables and other natural viands could also be health.
However, those are not essential or so important for your dog, so it is the best you keep to a regular menu and consider them occasional treats.
Juicy and dangerous grapefruit
When it comes to fruits, dogs don’t actually need them on their menu. However, some fruits could be ok to feed your dog from time to time. Fruit is known to be an important source of healthy dietary fiber and vitamins, in the first place. Citric fruits such as oranges, lemons, grapefruit and such are real vitamin bombs for humans, but are they good for pets? Can you give your dog some juicy grapefruit once in a while?
Grapefruit peel and seeds are actually toxic to dogs. Citric fruits contain a lot of essential oils we consider good, but they are not beneficial to animals. While we can benefit from grapefruit’s vitamin C content, its antioxidant properties and its amazing weight loss effect, we can’t say the same for canines. They cannot process those nutrients the same way we do, so they can’t use them.
On the other hand, dogs don’t usually need any additional vitamin C, for example. The acidic content in grapefruit is also too high for dogs. Eating grapefruit could cause intoxication and stomach problems to your pet, so just skip it. There are other fruits you can give your dog safely, keeping to really small amounts.
