Many dog owners think that every different breed of dog must be fed different, according to some sort of specification. However, the eating behavior of a dog is characteristic of the whole species, not of any individual breed, since all dogs eat the same way. As a result, there are certain general considerations that can be made when feeding any dog.
A dog is not required to eat its food the same way a man does. A dog has no hands. It's jaws are suited for biting and cutting rather than chewing. There are few ?gag? reflex nerves at the back of a dog's mouth, but many in a person's throat. A dog has fewer taste buds on its tongue, but a much greater sense of smell than a man has. There are many other differences as well.
How A Dog Eats dog food
While the eating behavior of a dog may seem strange or awkward to some dog owners, to the dog it is the most comfortable and satisfactory way of getting its food from its bowl into its stomach. The normal pattern of swallowing in a dog is often described as ?bolting.? The dog picks up a piece of food with its front teeth and with a short, quick thrust of its head, tosses the piece of food back onto the top of its tongue. The piece of food is then rolled (without being chewed) to the back of the mouth. As the piece reaches the base of the tongue, a reflex causes the back of the tongue to push the food upward and backward into the esophagus. From there it is carried directly into the stomach.
When a piece of dog food is too large to be swallowed, the dog holds the food with its paws and uses its front teeth to tear off smaller pieces that can be swallowed. If the dog food is too tough to be torn, the dog will cut it into pieces small enough to be swallowed, using two specialized jaw teeth.
These teeth are called carnassial teeth and have large shearing surfaces that act like scissor blades which can cut through such tough substances as muscle, hide, gristle, and even bone. While the powerful jaw muscles of a dog are useful for cutting chunks of food into swallowing size, these muscles are used very little for actually chewing those pieces. A dog's teeth are few in number and poorly equipped for mastication.
There is a growing number of type 2 diabetes among dogs. It is a disease that is caused by lifestyle problems just like the disease in humans. It is important that the dog be given an appropriate diet to control their illness through the medications that the vet will prescribe and the diet. Diabetic dog food is just one of the possible solutions.
The first rule of thumb to go by when you are looking for a diabetic dog food is that the closer to the natural food source the food is, the better it is for your dog. Most dry dog foods are too high in carbohydrates to be healthy for a diabetic dog. You will need to read the labels very carefully to determine that they are high enough in protein and low in carbohydrate and sodium to be healthy for your dog. You should not rely on dry dog food alone as the only source of nutrition even if it is diabetic dog food.
Raw food diets are actually quite healthy for your dog. Dogs in the past were very healthy when they were eating raw meats and vegetable scraps. They will also get the added benefit of shiny coats. Diabetic dog food does not have to be prepackaged specifically for this illness; you can give your dog a healthy diet on your own. Homemade diabetic dog food is the best for your dog.
Of course you can buy diabetic dog food for your dog. It can typically be found in organic and natural pet stores. This type of dog food is very healthy for dogs that do not have diabetes, but is more important for dogs that do have the illness. Diabetic dog food is designed to keep your dogs nutritional needs in balance and give them the nutrients that they need and eliminate the ingredients that have caused the problem.
Ask your vet the type of food that you should be feeding your dog if they have gotten a diagnosis of diabetes. They should be able to recommend a diabetic dog food that will be healthy for your dog and give him all of the nutrition that he needs. The vet will be able to tell you what types of foods to avoid as well. It is important that you keep the foods to a minimum that will affect your dog's condition.
Dog food manufacturers are becoming just as aware of the need for nutritionally balanced food for pets as manufacturers of foods that people eat. They understand that an animal needs a special balance of nutrients to keep the animal healthy and strong. Diabetic dog foods are just one of the ways that animals can continue to live a long and healthy life.
Both John Mailer & Joshua Drew are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
John Mailer has sinced written about articles on various topics from Pets, College Student Loan and Parenting. John Mailer has written many articles about dogs and puppies and how to train and look after them. His main business is as an internet marketer.