Due to the several food types available for your pets in the market, choosing a specific food for your pet can be difficult.
In this light, we at Briopets.com hope to look at the advantages of some of these popular foods in the market in an attempt to know which food best suits your pet.
Food Label: Things to Notify
Popular pet-food companies use the term “complete and balanced” to indicate that the food has all the nutritional needs that will keep your pet healthy and strong during growth. It is usually written on the bag for authenticity.
Also, there is a visible statement from the Association of American Feed Control Officials that indicates the purpose of the food and its nutritional value. Avoid buying any pet food that does not showcase all the evidence of their bags.
Next, you are to identify the life stage of your pet to know the kind of food that will be more adequate as these pets’ food is composed of food for growth and adult maintenance. This is because some food is formulated to feed pets for growth while others are to maintain these pets once they get to adulthood.
Some of these growth nutrients for a pet include calcium, protein, fat, and phosphorus. However, the choice of your pet for food depends on your choice, depending on your activity. Some pet food is formulated to fit the purpose of the pet like for hiking or walks, and just for indoor purposes.
Prescription Diets and Why Your Pet Needs One
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Prescription diets which are also called veterinary therapeutic diets are formulated with functional ingredients capable of treating various diseases. Each of these pets’ food is formulated with different ingredients as well as nutritional goals depending on the disease it seeks to treat.
There are so many pet foods out there designed to cater to pets with kidney diseases, liver diseases, inflammatory bowel diseases, and so on. However, this food should only be prescribed by veterinary specialists.
Another solution prescribed to pet owners aside from food is exercise. Your pet must begin to move. For example, if you have a dog, take it on an extra walk as it aids to keep them engaged and relieve them of their ailment. You can send them on errands as well through the throwing of items for them to return.
Wet Food vs Dry Food: Which is Preferable. Is Fresh Food Good?
Any wet or dry food is appropriate for your pet, as it provides them with options at their early stage. Also, it allows you to identify their preferences between wet and dry food. However, the ultimate preference lies with the pet owner. Generally, wet food is costlier than dry food. Even more, it’s beneficial for pets with low appetite or poor dental health.
Wet food is most suitable for pets who lack hydration, have kidney complications, and so many other issues.
Fresh food is premade meals that have little or no preservatives. Hence, they require refrigeration. However, they are expensive but nutritious.
We recommend that you carefully check the brand to see if they are certified to ensure the fresh diet provides all the essential nutrients and will not cause harm to your pet.
Can a Pet be a Vegetarian?
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Our response will be yes to some extent. However, you have to make available supplements to cover all the other essential nutrients if your pet is a vegetarian. These supplements will help to offer complete and balanced dieting for your pets.
Also, some vegetarian diets are prescribed for pets like dogs who have certain diseases like urate stones amongst others.
Note that veterinary experts recommend that vegetarian diets are recommended for adult pets alone as it is formulated for maintenance. Young pets deserve all the nutrients that come in the food for healthy and balanced growth.