Natural Dog Food - A Better Way To Feed Your Pet!
Natural dog food is a high quality, human-grade food prepared specially for dogs. It's made from ingredients derived from plant or animal sources, preferably in their unprocessed state or prepared with the minimum of processing, and without the use of chemicals, to enable the food to retain all its natural goodness. Natural dog food can be prepared at home or can be bought from reputable pet stores.
By definition, natural dog food needs to contain high quality ingredients because of the lack of chemical preservatives; low quality ingredients would spoil or become past their best fairly quickly without the use of artificial preservatives. The American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) offer guidelines for pet food manufacturers when using the term 'natural'. The association defines 'natural' food as having no added chemicals; however, they do endorse the use of synthetic vitamins and minerals because of their beneficial properties. 'Natural', in this instance, doesn't automatically mean that its ingredients are organic, but it is sometimes referred to as organic dog food. Natural pet food doesn't contain artificial chemicals, by-products, added sugar, dairy products, artificial preservatives and colourings, or ingredients that have been genetically modified. Natural food doesn't contain artificial preservatives or colourings. Nor does it contain wheat or other cereals which are commonly associated with dog food allergies and intolerances - it's highly digestible and, because its ingredients are of such a good quality, tends not to cause food allergies. The following may be classed as 'natural', healthy dog foods and perfectly suited to the Cocker Spaniel diet:
Natural and holistic dog foods usually cost more than the conventional pet foods but many dog owners are happy to fork out that little extra for the promise of benefits this type of dog food can bring; more energy (as if your Cocker Spaniel needs that!) healthier skin, shining coats, clearer eyes, and better health generally. Because all dogs are different, and have differing nutritional needs, it's important to check with your vet that the Cocker Spaniel diet you choose to feed your Cocker is adequate for his needs. Search our site!  Custom Search
Feeding your puppy organic dog food has many benefits, including adding years to your cocker spaniel's life - learn more here! Natural dog food contains high quality ingredients. You won't find harmful chemicals or artificial preservatives and processing is kept to a minimum so that the dog food retains its natural goodness. If your dog has recently been ill, or is suffering from a health problem, your vet may advise a prescription dog food diet for your cocker spaniel to replace his normal food. Feed your pet a raw dog food diet of fresh meat, bones, fruit and vegetables, with a few vitamin and mineral supplements thrown in, and see a marked improvement in your dog's health! A raw dog food diet (the BARF diet) can greatly improve your pet's health and appearance and can help him to live a longer life too! Try our raw dog food recipes and see the difference for yourself! The word 'holistic' in holistic dog food relates to taking care of the entire body. One of the ways we can do this is by feeding our dogs good quality ingredients that then will 'feed' the entire body! There are many vegetarian owners who choose to feed their dogs a vegetarian dog food diet, and whose dogs appear to thrive on it; however, it's not suited to all dogs. Learn more... Hypoallergenic Dog Food Dog food allergies are more common than you think and, in many cases, vets are recommending owners change their dogs onto a diet of hypoallergenic dog food to combat the allergy. We've some tempting homemade dog food recipies here for your Cocker Spaniel to try. Why not try one - I'm sure he'll love you for it! Dog food allergies often present many symptoms, making an allergy difficult to identify. Learn how to diagnose, treat, and eliminate a dog food allergy or intolerance. Learn how to prevent accidental dog poisoning from innocent everyday foods such as chocolate, onions, grapes and raisins. Also lists toxic household chemicals and poisonous plants.
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When preparing natural food, manufacturers very often follow the same processing standards as they would for processing human food and some include additional vitamins and minerals for extra health benefits.