All of us dog owners are interested in knowing what we’re giving to our best friend, and if it really is good for their health.
Today, though, we’ll focus on the minimum requirements to make sure that animal feed is balanced.
The description of balanced feed is the basis of all good nutrition. Some people have the mistaken belief that dogs are out-and-out carnivores (as they descended from wolves) and, therefore, provide a series of diets based solely on meat protein. This may pose a risk to dogs’ health, both short-term and long-term, as their organism isn’t developed for an exclusively meat-based diet. We should remember that not only did wolves hunt down large prey for food, but they also ate wild berries and vegetables found in their forest habitat.
Dogs are carnivorous animals, but not purely so – unlike cats. They need another source of food besides meat to satisfy their needs. This means that for dog feed to be balanced, the main ingredient has to be animal protein, but we shouldn’t forget that they also need fibre, vitamins and minerals, which meat alone cannot provide.
How do you solve this problem? Basically, by adding mainly whole grains (source of fibre) and hydrocarbons (source of energy for the animal), as well as vitamin and mineral supplements.
With this Mediterranean Diet, we want to reflect the benefits of its ingredients and add a series of foods that will be great for our pet’s health, such as Virgin olive oil (as described in a previous article) or typical Mediterranean fruits and vegetables, such as carrots, apples, and so on.