Observing Proper Diet for Dogs!

Your dog’s diet plays a major role in grooming your dog because a well-balanced diet will actively help the grooming process.

For example, have you heard all of the dog food adverts that mention the shiny coats, bright eyes, good health and all of the other elements of your dog’s appearance that would otherwise be associated with grooming?

Nutrition

If you have then you may not be surprised to find out that the nutrients that well balanced diets can provide complement the grooming process quite well.

We all know that we need to eat in order to survive and the same applies for dogs. They need food to boost their energy levels, their immune systems and to help boost their mental as well as physical health. However, food is also necessary for them to look good because the quality of the diet is reflected on the outside as well as on the inside.

Taking all of the above into account, you may be able to understand that there are certain nutrients that should be contained within your dog’s diet and it is down to you to make sure that your dog has them in the correct amounts. Any slight imbalance in the diet will be reflected in a duller coat, duller eyes, lethargy or an irregular bowel movement.

Other changes may also cause certain illnesses and ailments, such as a skin reaction to an allergy. As such, you have to make sure that you give your dog exactly what he or she needs.

What Should the Diet Include?

Your dog should have a balanced diet that contains:

• Fat
• Carbohydrates
• Protein
• Fiber
• Vitamins And Minerals

Of course, there is no set level of each of these for dogs because every dog is different. The more active your dog is the more energy he or she will need. Similarly, a Great Dane obviously needs more food and nutrients than a Jack Russell.

As such, the proportions and balance of the diet depends largely on breed and guidelines for all breeds can be found online.

Whether you make the food that your dog eats at home or you buy it in bulk from a local pet supermarket, you should ensure that your dog is fed a balanced diet at regular intervals or times because any differentiation to the diet could actually upset your dog just as much as stopping feeding your dog altogether.

Dogs are creatures of habit and it is in their best interests to remain that way.

Diet and Grooming

Going back to the relationship between diet and grooming, it is important to feed your dog the right diet in order to achieve a healthy and glossy coat.

There are actually plenty of tips and tidbits of information that can help you to get that diet right to ensure that it aids grooming as far as possible. Regardless of age, breed, colour and coat type, nutrition is of the paramount importance so you have to get it right.

Some of the information and dog grooming tips are outlined below for you:

• Choosing the cheapest dog food is not always the best so it is important to focus on nutrition rather than cost. So many economical, store and generic brands of dog food are not balanced correctly.They contain too much water and not enough of the other nutrients that your dog needs to remain healthy. As such, they are actually a waste of money. There are plenty of quality brands that are properly balanced and thus can help your dog feel and look healthy inside and out.
• A homemade dog food diet is often the best way to ensure that your dog has all of the nutrients that he or she needs for a glossy coat and healthy body. However, before you take to making dog food yourself, check out exactly what your dog needs on a daily basis.From there, make large batches of dog food and freeze it so it is available for your dog on a daily basis so as not to upset his or her system.
• Use supplements to ensure that your dog has all of the vitamins and minerals he or she needs if necessary. After all, skin and fur is there to keep bacteria, viruses and the cold at bay, whilst retaining heat and water.However, before adding supplements to your dog’s diet, always check with your vet to make sure that it is viable to add supplements to the diet and in what quantities.
• A dog’s coat is fascinating because it is almost wholly composed of protein. As such, it needs a good intake of protein in order to keep it in the best of health. If your dog does not have as much protein as he or she should then the fur may begin to fall out, become weak and dry and ultimately look ragged.The protein must be of a high quality in order to maintain coat health. This is why dogs should not be kept on vegetarian diets because the protein often does not reach the recommended levels. Meat is essential because that is essentially what their natural diet is.
• Dog foods that contain fillers and are grain based are absolutely no good for the health of your dog. All of these substances are very hard, if not impossible, to digest. As such, they are f no nutritional value at all and should be avoided wherever possible.
• It is unlikely that your dog will need supplements if you are feeding him or her on the highest quality premium food available. However, if you are worried about nutrition then consult a vet because any issue may not be a result of a dietary issue if you believe that you are fulfilling your dog’s requirements.
• There are two ways in which you can enhance your dog’s nutrition in order to achieve a lovely glossy coat. Adding a raw egg to your dog’s food once a day can add protein to your diet.  Adding supplements of Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids as well also helps the coat because these essential fatty acids go a long way to helping achieve a shine that is otherwise impossible to achieve.

In Conclusion

A good diet is a great place to start when you are beginning the grooming process. You can introduce a good diet immediately whereas it can take some time to even introduce the brush to your dog without him or her having a go at it!

If you get the grooming diet in place to start with then the rest will ultimately fit into place as and when your grooming regime can commence.

It is worth remembering though that if you need any advice at all about nutrition then never be afraid to ask your vet. He or she will definitely be able to help you and will, more often than not, be prepared to offer all the advice and recommendations you need.