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Meet Dexter. He loves food, and I love feeding him. If Dexter ruled the world, he would eat everything (i.e. kibble, canned food, squirrels, bacon, etc.) except non-food items and kale. Dexter is not fond of kale.<\/p>\n
Despite his enthusiastic appetite, Dexter cannot eat whatever he wants because his digestion simply will not allow it. Many things, including some types of pet food, give Dexter diarrhea. Pet food is complicated, and there is no perfect pet food. The very food that gave Dexter chronic soft stools and odiferous gas gave his German shepherd friend a beautiful coat and boundless energy. Every pet is an individual, just like every person is an individual.<\/p>\n
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Meet Dexter!<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n There may be some trial and error involved in finding the right pet food for your little buddy. Below are some considerations in selecting a diet for your pet:<\/p>\n 1.\u00a0Get your advice from a good source.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The best source of information about nutrition is a licensed veterinarian. Other sources of information, such as the internet, a pet-store employee, etc., can be misleading, sometimes false and even dangerous.<\/p>\n A few examples of concerns that I see regularly in practice:<\/p>\n The most important aspect of any diet is that it\u2019s nutritionally complete and balanced (contains all the necessary nutrients in the right amounts). How can you tell if your pet\u2019s food is nutritionally complete and balanced? The nutritional adequacy statement is just a few lines of text and can be found anywhere on the product labeling, though typically on the back or side panels. Look for something similar to the photo below.<\/p>\n This statement will outline a few important aspects about the particular food.<\/p>\n How was nutritional adequacy established?<\/p>\n What age or life-stage is appropriate for feeding this food?<\/p>\n 3.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Eat to Live. Not Live to Eat.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Your pet\u2019s nutritionally complete and balanced diet should make up the majority of daily calories. Treats should be provided in moderation to prevent weight gain and nutritional imbalances or deficiencies.<\/p>\n What exactly is moderation?<\/p>\n Treats should provide no more than 10% of the required daily calories. Let\u2019s try an example. Generally speaking, a neutered male Labrador that weighs a healthy (not overweight) 70lbs should eat about 1330 calories per day. No more than 130 of those calories should be from treat sources. Some commercial dog treats can easily exceed this amount, so check the box or call the company if the\u00a0caloric information is not provided on the box.<\/p>\n Want to give your dog treats, but there\u2019s not a lot of room for excess calories? What if your pet has diet sensitivities and can\u2019t tolerate other foods?<\/p>\n\n
\u200b\u200b2. Complete and balanced nutrition.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n\n![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/pet-nutrition-blog-3.jpg\")
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