I’ve owned a pet dog at nearly every stage of life and I can tell you that dogs certainly aren’t like us in any specific way. Yeah, your dog might pant while lying by your feet, but if he could actually talk, he’d probably be saying “Hey, how about giving me a nice glass of water – I’m dying in this heat!” Fun Fact: Your dog sweats through his nose and mouth. In any case, making sure that your dog is in good health is just as important as making sure that you’re in good health. As such, when we talk about maintaining a healthy dog diet, we aren’t expecting you to don your apron and become Master Chef to your canine companion.

When you initially bring your dog home, you may be surprised to discover that these animals don’t readily eat fruits like apples, oranges, and bananas. Why is this the case? Well, first, it weird for them. Second, dogs are inherently carnivorous. This doesn’t mean that they’re only capable of processing essential proteins. This isn’t the case. They also need carbohydrates and vitamins in whatever form they can get these in. Dogs, however, are not in the woods with wolves, coyotes or other carnivores. Dogs have been cut off from nature through domestication.

Eating An Apple A Day…

This isn’t so much about giving your pet an entire apple and expecting everything to fall into place. It may be possible to gain a few, scant rewards from a walk in the park, but this is hardly sufficient or guaranteed. As the master of your dog, this means that you’ll need to use additional, nutritious treats to supplement your dog’s diet. There is no reason for your pooch to miss out on all this action.

I recommend boiling leftovers, fruits, and vegetables. Once this is done, mix the resulting broth in with your dog’s regular pet food. You also have the option of mashing or pasting the pet food with this broth. No matter what steps you take, be sure to put a few meaty teasers in during the process.

Spoil Your Dog On Occasion

Dogs have acquired a certain reputation over time. They can eat just about anything including (ironically enough) humans if dealing with the prospect of death. This, however, doesn’t mean that you should be giving your pet leftovers that are two days old and that have been gradually accumulating mold.

Say good bye to all of those efficient recipes for rotting food and start loving your pet in an entirely new and far more civilized way. Let your pet start bragging to his or her friends that he or she’s getting lots of calcium from occasional snacks of milk or egg shells. That she’s gotten plenty of roughage and carbohydrates from the cereal dessert of last night. Keep in mind that stomach worms and diarrhea are caused by rotting food and you should know better!

Check The Labels On Fool

Finally, food labels contain a lot of helpful nutritional info. Keep in mind, however, that there is always more to these than what’s immediately apparent. The AAFCO or the Association of American Feed Control Officials is largely responsible for the establishment of animal feed, food quality standards. As such, you can be sure that quality is guaranteed for all dog foods that bear the AAFCO logo.