![\"\"](\"http:\/\/pethobs.com\/pet\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/joanna-kosinska-71802.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nDogs need different food at different ages<\/strong>: A puppy, once it\u2019s weaned, requires special puppy food to help with all the nutrients needed for growth. There is food for different breeds on the market \u2013 or you can stick to puppy food for small, medium and large dogs.<\/p>\n You can change to adult food when the dog\u2019s growth in height slows, from about 12 months in smaller breeds to 24 months in large breeds. The choice available varies greatly in price and there are the general ones, those that cater for a specific breed, and food suited for different size dogs \u2013 your Yorkie will not want to eat the same food as the neighbors\u2019 Alsatian!<\/p>\n The older dog may have problems chewing and digesting food, so changing to a softer food, and speaking to your vet should ensure that it still gets food that\u2019s sufficient for its needs.<\/p>\n What is the best food for your dog\u2019s needs? <\/strong>The main argument has to do with the balance between carbohydrates and protein (sounds familiar?). Research indicates that your dog needs a fairly high quantity of protein in its diet. A high protein low carbohydrates diet corresponds with the dog\u2019s diet and anatomical psychology and promotes health and well-being. However, today\u2019s dog food typically has a 40%-60% protein\/carbohydrate make-up. Start by reading the labels on the dog food; the first ingredients mentioned are usually those that make up most of the product. For instance, if it lists maize or corn first the product is mostly corn based and high in carbohydrates. Ideally you\u2019d want the first items on the list to be chicken, turkey, eggs etc. Also, the more detailed the description, the better the quality; for \u2018chicken livers\u2019 is better than \u2018animal byproducts\u2019.<\/p>\n Dog food<\/strong> comes mostly in dry, hard pellet, form and soft tinned food. Advantages of dry food are that it\u2019s easier to store, cheaper and helps to clean teeth. Disadvantages are that it\u2019s not as tasty, can be hard to chew for dogs with dental problems and the picky eater. Soft dog food come mostly in tins and is tasty even for the fussy eater, it has a high moisture content, and it\u2019s also easy to chew for older dogs. Disadvantages are that it\u2019s more expensive, must be kept in the refrigerator once opened and can cause plague and tartar build up on the dog\u2019s teeth. A solution that seems to work for many people is to mix wet and dry dog food.<\/p>\n Dogs love treats!<\/strong> That\u2019s not news, but it pays think what you give your dig as a treat. Many people give left-over food from the table to their dogs. This is not ideal as dogs have different nutritional requirements than people. Another danger is that the dog can get so used to \u2018people food\u2019 that it refuses to eat dog food. It\u2019s best to avoid giving the dog spicy and rich food \u2013 no matter how they beg for it. A bit of bland carbohydrates and protein now and then wouldn\u2019t hurt them, but they shouldn\u2019t be used to being fed from the table. And bones, except for marrow bones, are a no-no; they can get stuck in a dog\u2019s throat, damage their teeth and cause digestive problems. Rather buy one of the many chew products on the market \u2013 it\u2019s safe and helps with cleaning teeth.<\/p>\n If you want to reward your dog with treats (as you should) there are many to choose from on the market \u2013 just read the label and buy the best you can afford.<\/p>\n If you have the time and inclination, you can prepare food and treats for your pet<\/strong>. It is fun baking your own dog nibbles, so you know exactly what goes into them. And if you want to add protein to dry food, a good idea is to buy affordable quality meat in bulk and prepare it all at once. Just cook it and freeze every day\u2019s portion in containers, you know it\u2019s healthy and it\u2019ll also work out cheaper than buying the finished product.<\/p>\n There are pet shops that specialize in dog nutrition \u2013 from Omega tablets to specially formulated food for ailments like itchy skin etc. The people at these shops are usually knowledgeable about dog nutrition and may help with many minor health problems. However, for specialized care the best is to visit your vet.<\/p>\n If you take care of your dog\u2019s food, you\u2019ll have a happier and healthier dog. There are helpful websites<\/a> available. But be sensible about it; as in human nutrition, moderation is the key.<\/p>\n 1<\/sup><\/a>Salomi is a contributing blogger ,dog lover and avid \u00a0learner ,you can see more of her articles on her website<\/a><\/p>\n Notes:<\/p> Good nutrition for your dog is important; it makes for a happy and healthy dog and helps to prolong its life. But the bewildering choice in dog food available makes it difficult for the dog owner to choose the correct one. And then there\u2019s the advice from nutrition experts and vets in the media, on…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pethobs.com\/pet\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pethobs.com\/pet\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pethobs.com\/pet\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pethobs.com\/pet\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pethobs.com\/pet\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=96"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/pethobs.com\/pet\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":225,"href":"https:\/\/pethobs.com\/pet\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96\/revisions\/225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pethobs.com\/pet\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=96"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pethobs.com\/pet\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=96"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pethobs.com\/pet\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=96"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/ol><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"