Are You Feeding Your Pet the Right Dogfood?

Just like their human friends, there are different kinds of dogfood that should be given to your pet, depending on his or her age. The first step in puppy care is to find a brand of food that provides the nutrients and vitamins essential for your puppy’s growing body, and the first step in a lifetime of dog health is choosing the right dogfood.

While your pet will never get the same variance in his diet as you do with yours, a good brand of dogfood will help ensure your pet lives a long and healthy life. Even though most pet owners make wise decisions regarding their own health, many may be overlooking the importance of diet when it comes to their own dog care. Dogs come in many shapes and sizes, and have different levels of activity and genealogical factors to look at when deciding on what diet to provide.

There are many different types of dogfood on the market, geared to circumstances such as the age of the canine, the exercise level, or even the metabolism of the animal. After starting with puppy food, switch to the appropriate adult food at one year, and start looking brands with lower fat and calories when the animal starts to slow down, usually between seven and ten years of age. However, never make the change all at once; start with one quarter of the new food to three quarters of the old, then half-and-half, then one quarter of the old and three quarters of the new, taking up to a week for a complete change. Animals have very sensitive digestive systems, and this will ensure a smooth transition to the new diet.