naturalpet
Dish Up Variety
Treat Your Dog to Good Health and Good Taste
by Wendy Bedwell-Wilson “B
roiled chicken, brown rice and steamed broccoli again?”
When you sit down to dinner, you prefer some variety, and so does your dog, who may well inquire, “What, kibble again?” Day after day of the same mix of protein, carbohy- drates, fats and veggies can hamper any appetite, human or canine. But a diet packed with different food types can make eating more enjoyable.
Before concocting your own dog food blends, it helps to learn more about potential ingredients and the benefits of a varied diet, as well as how to successfully introduce new foods.
Healthful Variety
By definition, a varied diet is dense in nutrients and changes regularly; a decided departure from the stick-to-the-same-food routine encouraged by dog food experts of the past. Dr. Sean Delaney, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist in Davis, Cal- ifornia, says that today’s varied diet for dogs should resemble a cornucopia, filled with healthy meats, whole grains, legumes, dairy, fruits and vegetables. “For optimum health, it’s better to have the food in a natural, unprocessed state,” he says. To start, dogs require 12 amino acids in their diets, so foods that contain all of them would provide the best qual- ity protein for dogs, advises Dr. Rebecca Remillard, Ph.D., a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and founder of Veterinary Nutritional Consultations, in Hollister, North Carolina. “Egg and liver are of the highest protein quality because of their amino acid profiles,” she advises.
A varied diet even reduces the chances of dogs developing an allergy to certain foods, like chicken or wheat, adds Del-
natural awakenings March 2012 53
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