A complete and balanced dog food contains all the necessary vitamins and minerals, meaning no additional foods or supplements are needed for your pet’s overall health.
What does good nutrition do for your dog?
Proper nutritional balance is essential when feeding your dog. Animals (and humans) need a specific combination of protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals and water every day to function properly. Balanced nutrition doesn’t happen by chance. Pet food manufacturers work hard to determine the exact formulas that go into their products to provide your dog with everything he needs every day.
There are foods designed for specific life stages (such as puppies or senior dogs), some that provide hypoallergenic nutrition, and formulas developed to manage specific health conditions such as heart disease or kidney disease.
Each nutrient in your dog’s diet has a purpose. Without adequate nutrition, your dog cannot maintain muscle tone, build and repair muscles, teeth and bones, perform normal daily activities with ease or fight infection. Protein provides energy and helps muscles function and grow. Fat provides energy, helps the brain function and keeps skin and fur shiny and healthy. Carbohydrates provide quick energy to keep your dog active. Vitamins and minerals are needed for muscle contraction and nerve conduction and help prevent disease.
Muscle tension and body condition
Every cell in the body is made of protein. Protein is essential for the formation of skin, hair, muscles, organs and other tissues. Protein is needed to repair damaged cells and make new cells. Protein is especially important for young, growing and pregnant animals. Protein in a dog’s diet helps him build and maintain strong muscles. This is why protein is one of the first few ingredients in a dog’s diet. Dog food The label must state the protein source (chicken, beef, etc.).
Skin and fur health
We all know that dogs with lush, shiny fur are more likely to be healthy. This is because dogs who get the right balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids have healthy skin and grow beautiful, shiny coats. Dry skin means hair splits, breaks and falls out easily. Foods with sufficient omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties, reducing itching and other irritation caused by allergies and environmental conditions (such as low humidity in winter).
Digestion and Excretion
Carbohydrates provide fiber to aid digestion and elimination. Dog food is formulated to ensure that the nutrients it needs are quickly available to your dog’s digestive system and easily absorbed by the body. Digestibility is important so your dog can utilize all the nutrients in their food and easily remove waste products from their body. Dog food should provide all the nutrition your dog needs while minimizing the waste that ends up being excreted.
Immunity and disease prevention
The vitamins and minerals found in every bag of dog food work together to keep your dog’s immune system and metabolism functioning properly. Vitamins work to reduce daily damage to body cells. Minerals promote the normal functioning of cells that keep them healthy. Vitamins and minerals come from both plants and animals in their diet. Without adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals, your pet will eventually get sick.
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