A DOG'S BREAKFAST
Alongside training, the most important part of being a responsible owner is also making sure your Golden Retriever stays fit, healthy and well cared for their whole life. This means not only keeping your dog occupied with interactive toys while you are at work (and we will cover this in a later blog), but also what you are feeding your fur-baby. Much of what you feed your pet will depend on your budget, your lifestyle, and your own beliefs.
HOW TO DECIDE WHATS BEST TO FEED YOUR GOLDEN.
There are many years of research and science behind what our pets should be eating, and we have come a long way from giving them table scraps and a bowl of milk. These days, we are exposed to many different recommendations and opinions (maybe too many!) coming from Pet Nutritionists, Vets, and everyday people like me who love their pets and treat them as a member of the family.
Supermarkets inadvertently us what is suitable, I mean after all, it’s where we buy our food from and we are ok with that, so why should we not be ok with feeding our dogs with supermarket bought dog foods?
What’s the fuss with Supermarket bought dog food?
Buying pet food from the supermarket is quick, convenient and cheap. Unfortunately, it's also a lot less healthy and nutritious for your pet, and may cause serious and expensive health problems in the long run.
As humans, we have learned that what we put into our own bodies has a direct impact on how healthy we feel and it impacts on our resistance to disease/illness. If you survive on a diet of fast food, your health will deteriorate, you will gain weight and odds are your teeth will deteriorate – probably at the same rate as your waistline.
The same goes for our pets, but unfortunately they are not able to make their own decisions regarding their health, so it is up to us to keep a look out for our little tribe member! Feeding your Golden Retriever (or any dog) a bad quality diet is likely to lead to poor health, bad teeth and illness that is actually completely preventable.
The truth is that dogs can survive on just about anything we feed them. But will they thrive? Research shows that feeding your dog a premium diet will help your pet live 30% longer, increase their quality of life AND save you money in the long run by improving their overall health (think of the Vet bills!).
Obesity and excess weight is a very serious condition in dogs that lowers their quality of life and shaves years off their life expectancy. But hey, who am I to know? Best take notice of your Golden and let him do the talking!
The Benefits of a Balanced Diet.
What are the benefits of making your own food for your Golden?
This is simple:
You know exactly what you're giving your dog.
You know what your Golden does and does not like.
You know that your Golden is getting the best foods possible.
What we feed our Golden Retriever.
Over the past 3 years that Malley, our Golden Retriever, has been part of our tribe, we have been learning what is best for her, and also for our situation. When we brought her home from our breeder, we were given advice on what to feed her, which was a good quality dry dog food, otherwise known as kibble.
A short time later, we took Malley off to puppy school held by our local Vet Clinic and it was there were were told that the simplest way to ensure a balanced, healthy diet is just to buy a bag of premium pet food off his shelf. He is a doctor you know, with letters after his name. Sure, it may be pricey, but its what the doctor recommends and we want the best for our little girl.
But two weeks pass and Malley seems bored of the same old dry dog food, and she seems to be starving even after eating the number of cups recommended for her weight on the back of the bag; we start to wonder if this is really the way to go.
Off to Pet Barn we go to look at our options. We ended up coming home with Black Hawk, to which Malley loved, and so did we! Although expensive, we could see that Malley really benefited from this food, and she also loved it.
Since then, we have learned even more about balanced diets for ourselves and have wondered if Malley would benefit from a similar diet.
We recommend Ivory Coat.
Using only the highest quality Australian-sources ingredients, this high-protein and hypoallergenic grain free, chicken free dry food promotes healthy digestion and is packed full of wholesome ingredients including a high concentration of quality animal protein for lean muscle maintenance.
Ivory Coat use carefully selected vegetables and superfoods like kale and blueberries to boost antioxidant intake, together with flaxseeds and salmon oil rich in omega-3 & 6 to maintain skin and coat health. A natural pro-biotic is added to maintain healthy digestion and essential vitamins and minerals to provide your companion with complete daily nutrition.
Ivory Coat's nutritious contain no wheat, corn, rice, soy, meat by-product or artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. They even offer a chicken free formula. This is why we recommend Ivory Coat.
Some other alternatives may be Black Hawk, Meal for Mutts and Taste of the Wild.
Raw vs cooked meat.
Sure, cooking food does reduce its nutritional value in some cases, but is this something we really need to concerned with? As humans, we cook all our own meat to avoid many subsequent illness’ and we seem to do OK. The risk with raw meat, even for your dog, is bacterial contamination, which cooking will often kill, as well as ease of digestion. I don’t believe there is a problem either way if you ensure it’s fresh if it’s raw. Same goes for raw eggs – probably fine, but there is always a risk of salmonella.
So?
In summary, we should be feeding our dogs a balanced diet, appropriate to the animal’s age, species, and any specific health problems, that is calorie controlled to avoid obesity, that is the best quality your budget can allow, and is fed in a consistent and controlled fashion.
Truly caring for pets costs money, and you have a duty of care when you take on a pet to look after them. Before you get a pet, have a quick think about the costs of pet food and nutrition, grooming, preventative health, and veterinary fees.
Resources:
Dr Justin Ward, November 16, 2016 http://www.reedycreekvet.com.au/dogs-breakfast-trying-decide-whats-best-feed-pet/
Dr. Becker, May 26, 2010 http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/05/26/three-major-reasons-to-feed-your-pet-a-homemade-diet.aspx
Jonas Tobias, August 26, 2014 http://www.bandt.com.au/marketing/campaign-purinas-big-bubble-little-dogs
Jon Mohrman http://pets.thenest.com/golden-retrievers-genetic-diseases-12882.html Lucy Gransnet, January 21, 2016 https://www.gransnet.com/forums/blogs/a1222619-Is-supermarket-dog-food-harming-our-pets
Ivory Coat
http://ivorycoat.com.au/ocean-fish-salmon-adult/