Treating Your Dog Well

Good food for healthy dogs. Article Courtesy of Animal Alliance Chamber of Commerce

Confused about how to choose a dog food for your pooch? There are a lot of brands that claim to be good for your dog, but are they really?

Here are some tips to assist you in finding the healthiest food for your beloved dog.

Ensure protein sources are high in the ingredient list and that the meal is the pre-cooked meat, which ensures that it will not reduce anymore during the cooking process.

Grains can be a long-term source of energy and energy storage for dogs, but they can also be used as cheap filler. Any grain you feed your dog should be used in whole form so that it supplies more fiber, vitamins, and minerals. The best grains for dogs (when used in the proper percentages) are rolled oats, barley, quinoa, millet, and brown rice.

Often, low quality dog foods will list a meat ingredient first, which will be followed by several by-products and fillers. In this case, although meat is listed first, there are more fillers, which changes the ratio noted above.

Be aware that while preservatives may be necessary to keep the food edible, preservatives do not have to be artificial chemicals that might be cancer-causing agents. Avoid pet foods that use chemical preservatives BHA, BHT and Ethoxyquin. Vitamin E and vitamin C are great preservatives that are much better for your dog.

GoodDog pet supply store of Coeur d'Alene carries dog foods with the highest quality ingredients. Their knowledgeable staff can answer your questions and are competent to recommend products that make sense for your dog.

Here is another tip: once you've got your four-legged best friend eating a healthy dog food, don't give him unhealthy treats. When choosing treats, avoid those that are filled with sugars (such as corn syrup, molasses, fructose, etc.), salt, artificial colorings, flavorings or preservatives. Also, don't forget the 10% rule to avoid too many calories, not to mention an unbalanced diet. Treats and snacks should only make up 10% of a dog’s daily calories.

GoodDog sells 95% pure "meat" treats - lamb, chicken, or beef, and they have fresh treats from Faith's Food, a local company.

So if you treat your dog like family, go to GoodDog where their mission is “to provide safe and beneficial products to enhance the lives of your pets!”

GoodDog is located at 3115 Government Way in Coeur d'Alene; 208- 664-GDOD (4364); www.gooddog-us.com.

GoodDog is a member of Animal Alliance Chamber of Commerce.

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