Happy Dog Obedience

Twinkies for your dog

Is your dog a junk food junkie? Most of you will probably say “No”. After all, you feed your dog “premium” dog food right off the super market shelf, you are very careful about table scraps and only give your dog “treats for dogs”.

Guess what… Your dog is a junk food junkie. Although all dog foods say they comply with AAFCO standards for nutrition, all this means is that the food will keep your dog alive for a while as demonstrated by feeding tests. These tests must prove that the food will keep a small group of dogs alive and reasonably healthy for a specified amount of time (26 weeks for adult dogs and 10 weeks for puppies).

In reality, most dogs do live for a much longer time than this, but less than quality nutrition can afford and with higher long term costs. These costs include shorter life span for your dog, a dog that doesn’t feel and act it’s best, many more trips to the vet and a lot more work on your part cleaning up the dog yard.

“But”, you say, “My dog loves to eat (blank) super market food.” The reason is that these large companies use flavor enhancers to make the food taste good to the dog while providing no nutrition, just like human junk food. Just like people, dogs can get “hooked” on these flavor additives.

Dogs who are accustomed to quality food may eat a bowl of junk food, but offer it for the next meal and you may see a look on your dog’s face that says “Huh? No, I don’t think I’m eating this!” They know that you are capable of better.

Most dogs would get more actual nutrition from eating table scraps that are safe for them than mass marketed dog food. The majority of protein in these foods comes from low-grade meat by-products and grain. If you read the labels, you will often see “corn” as one of the top ingredients. Yes, corn can provide some protein but many dogs don’t digest it, so it goes through the dog but provides no nutrition, just a lot of mess to clean up in the dog yard.

If you love your dog, think about what you are feeding. The next part of this article will give you several ideas and options for quality dog food.

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