There sure are a lot of food choices these days….just a
gander down the cereal isle at the grocery store can be an overwhelming
experience! It has been said ‘variety is
the spice of life’. It is obvious us
humans put it to practice every day. But
what do we select for our canine friends? How long have they been eating the
same brand, same flavor of kibble? Think
it doesn’t matter? Do dogs really get bored with their food? Do they even care?
‘That reminds me of a dog treat
commercial where the owner asks the dog if he wants a certain kind of treat?
And the dog’s response is, ‘I’d get it myself but I don’t have thumbs!’ I know…it’s a commercial, it’s cute, and some
human created it, and hopefully there’s enough of a lasting impression that you
go out and buy it for your dog. And
maybe there really is something behind that thinking…what would your dog buy to
eat if he could purchase it?
So perhaps your dog isn’t thinking, ‘I sure wish my owner
would switch my food…I’m really tired of this chicken and rice…some beef would
be nice!’ Even though your dog doesn’t
realize she needs variety in her daily dish, she does. Otherwise, something in her system will become
out of balance, and that can cause unnecessary stress, which can bring on
preventable illness. So, what do you as
a responsible pet owner need to do to correct this? Well, if you have a healthy
dog, this is a simple solution. Don’t
buy the same bag of kibble every time.
There are many quality brands on the shelf. Personally, I like ‘Innova’, ‘Blue Buffalo’,
‘Castor and Pullox’, and Halo. That’s a
good start. I like to keep my dogs at
50% quality protein, 25% carbohydrates, and 25% kibble. The better brands cost more, but when you’re
mixing it with real food, it goes much further.
Okay, so we’ve addressed the kibble…now, when you’re cooking
for your dog…don’t give them the same meat all the time…or the same vegetable
every day. Here at the Chaplin Doggie
Diner, Monday is eggs over easy, Thursday is oatmeal morning (organic, of
course…with organic whole milk), and Sunday we have scrambled eggs. I use whole milk organic yogurt, and switch
with organic Kefir…and fruits, banana, apple, blueberries, even blackberries
when I can get them for a good price.
They have ground chicken, ground turkey, chicken thigh, chicken breast,
round steak, salmon. They have variety
every day. I always keep staples like
cottage cheese, organic cheese and eggs in the house in case we ‘run low’ on
the meat for a meal (then I have to cook more!)
If you’re not sure how to prepare some of these, check out
the recipes I have posted on my blog.
These will assist, and my dogs love them! As humans, we make our choices everyday….we
don’t eat the same thing day in and day out….we’d get really tired of it quick!
The only thing I think dogs really don’t care about is what color their food
is! Guess that must be a human trait! Remember to include Fido in the variety
of yummy quality foods available, it's a healthy choice for both of you!
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