Healthy-Foods

Healthy Foods For Dogs To Eat: A Brief Guide (2023)

BySudarsan Chakraborty

For all the canine owners out there, you’ll no doubt wonder about healthy food for dogs to eat. Are blueberries good for them? What about raw meat? Will the odd bread crust be hurtful to them?

These are only natural questions to ask when you care about your four-legged friend, as who wouldn’t want their furry companion to be happy and healthy?

In today’s article, we’ll cover some healthy foods for dogs to eat to keep them in tip-top shape for whatever life throws at them.

Before we delve any further, it must be noted that any food changes you want to make to your dog’s diet should be in consultation with your vet and a dog nutritionist – to ensure the changes are entirely safe and beneficial.

Fish

Fish is considered to be, by most vets and dog nutritionists, a superfood for your canine friend. Oily fish is known for being brilliant for your dog’s health. Try feeding them fish such as:

  • Salmon
  • Sardines
  • Mackerel
  • Herring
  • Anchovies

These fish species are packed to the brim with nutrients that will keep your dog healthy – and the fish is a tasty treat for your dog.

These kinds of fish are known to have:

  • Omega 3 fatty acids
  • Vitamins A, D, and B
  • Minerals including calcium (from the bones), iodine, zinc, selenium, and iron

These nutrients, minerals, and vitamins are vital for keeping your dog’s skin healthy coat healthy and improving overall brain health. They also aid in reducing inflammation that certain conditions can cause, such as inflammation caused by arthritic pain. This isn’t even mentioning that they are an excellent source of protein too!

Just be careful to remove as many small bone fragments as possible to reduce the chance of stomach or throat irritation.

Raw Meat

Raw meat (of any kind) can have numerous benefits to consider for your canine. For instance, raw meat can help your dog build up their natural resistance to bacteria in a healthy way. Red meats also provide an ample supply of iron and essential amino acids that champion healthy bodies.

Raw chicken is the only raw meat you should avoid giving to your dog. There are many risks involved with raw chicken that make it a slice of very risky raw meat to digest (such as E.Coli).

Kale

Greens may be one of many things to mind for healthy dog food. But kale is a super food for dogs as much as it is for humans.

Kale is a brilliant addition to your dog’s diet to help boost their intake of vitamins A, E, and C and naturally introduce antioxidants into their diet. These can help your dog’s liver work more effectively and have anti-inflammatory properties.

Do note that if your dog suffers from kidney disease or bladder stones, you should consult a vet before adding kale to their diet.

Blueberries

Blueberries are another food that you may not initially think of when feeding your dog. However, blueberries are an ideal treat to feed your dog and are usually available all year round.

They are an excellent source of phytochemicals and anthocyanidins (powerful antioxidants). Aside from these benefits, blueberries also contain manganese, vitamin E, fibre and vitamin C. All of these are beneficial to your dog!

That being said, blueberries are often only useful when fed in small portions (because too much can cause the runs).

Carrots

Just like human diets, all the things that are good for us tend to be grown in a field. Carrots are another exceptional food for contributing to a healthy lifestyle for your dog. As carrots are also naturally sweet in flavour, they tend to be loved by all kinds of dogs, making them an easy treat to get their teeth into.

But carrots don’t just taste good! They are packed full of useful nutrients and substances for your dog, such as:

They also contain (in lesser quantities):

  • Phosphorus
  • Many of the B vitamins
  • Magnesium
  • Manganese

So? What are you waiting for? Give your four-legged dog a carrot to munch on. It’ll do them some good!

Pumpkin

This may seem unusual to feed your dog, but they are omnivores, after all! The joy with pumpkins as a part of your dog’s diet is that they provide many useful substances and a low-calorie count, making pumpkins a solid choice for those dogs out there that need to shed a pound or two.

Much like carrots, pumpkins are packed full of carotenoids and fibre, but they also provide:

  • Potassium
  • Vitamin C
  • Calcium (small quantities)
  • B vitamins

If you opt to feed your dog pumpkin, make sure it is pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie (or its filling). We want to avoid those sugars and spices.

Summary

There’s plenty of healthy food out there for your dog. What’s next on the grocery list for your pupper?

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