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When selecting a dog's food, what's great for one dog might not be great for another. This doesn't depend on the dog's breed, but on the individual animal's tolerance of the food's ingredients. That means one dog might thrive on a given diet, while another dog has problems digesting that same food. Some dogs just don't tolerate a particular meat or carbohydrate source, while other dogs can't digest a food that's too high in protein.

An adult dog that's a house pet, that isn't super active (doing "performance" activities) should be fed a diet that's 18-24% protein and 9-15% fat. If your dog is super active (running miles daily, herding cattle, Dog Racing, etc.) it would require a diet that's 25-35% protein and 20-50% fat.

"Super premium" dog food diets aren't usually found in supermarkets, you can find them at larger pet stores or feed stores. They are made from better quality ingredients than the cheaper brands, often having a named source of meat as the primary ingredient, rather than using grains. What you feed your dog matters, you should try to feed your dog the best quality food you can afford.

The way to judge a dog food is by the ingredients listed up the source of fat, because that's what the food is primarily made from. The way not to judge a good dog food from a bad dog food, is by TV commercials.

The better quality dog foods will have specifically named meats and meat meals such as Chicken, Chicken meal, Beef, etc, and not simply poultry or "meat". The same goes for the fat source, it should contain specifically named fats and oils such as Chicken fat, Canola oil, etc, not a generic fat such as "Poultry Fat", or "Meat Fat".

How much food a dog requires depends on the dog's weight and activity level. Because activity levels can differ greatly, how much to feed your dog depends on your judgment of whether or not your dog looks overweight. The other part of how much to feed is dependent upon what you're feeding your dog. Just about every food differs nutritionally, so you need to follow the specific guidelines on the package of the food you've selected.

If you follow the feeding guidelines and your dog seems to be gaining weight, cut back a little on how much you feed, or increase your dog's daily exercise level.

If you decide to change your dog's diet, do so gradually over a period of 5-7 days. Changing a dog's diet too quickly can result in an upset stomach or diarrhea.

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12y ago

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