Diet and nutrition are as important, if not the most essential element, as fitness and staying active. There is no sense in training your dog for hours on end every day but then not giving them the nutrients and vitamins they need to feed their growing muscles, to assist in proper body functioning, and to help replenish their energy levels.
You need to have a balance, to put back into the body that which has been exerted at the park while playing fetch, rumbling and tumbling on the grass, and sprinting back and forth to find the ball or Frisbee. And it all starts in the kitchen as they say.
A good diet.
Owning a pet takes commitment, effort, and responsibility, and a breed such as an American bulldog takes that much more. They are strong, physical dogs with an unmistakable presence, and those muscle definitions don’t simply come out of nowhere. You need to invest the time to train and in a manner of speaking, exhaust your pup to get the heartbeat racing and the blood flowing, this way the muscles can grow and develop.
You want organic, ideally all-natural food sources, this way you know your pet is getting whole food vitamins without the added preservatives or chemicals found in some generic dog food brands that sit on the supermarket shelves for months.
Finding the right product is not always easy but it is worth it, your pet will thank you for it and you will notice the difference in their appearance but also their mood and morale. Hearing what industry professionals have to advise is always a good starting point, and browsing the holistapet American bulldog guide can set you off in the right direction. You want food products tailored to your dog’s needs and specific weight and height statistics.
The benefits of organic ingredients.
Buying from local suppliers and farmers allows you to get familiar with the community, they can give specific details about how they grow the products and you will know if there are added chemicals or pesticides used in the harvesting process. These may help the produce to grow quickly to meet the supply and demand, but the negative long-term effects on your pup are not something we want to risk.
Using organic items has a long list of positives, let’s take a quick look at what some of those are.
- While they may cost more initially and unfortunately this puts people off, you get a better quality product with a higher nutritional value. Because of this factor, your dog gets the vitamins it needs from less food so your four-legged friend eats less than if you gave a lower grade product with fewer minerals.
- Foods high in fiber can cause constipation and digestive issues, they need ingredients that help with breaking down the meals and maintaining their metabolism.
- When the immune system is functioning optimally there is less chance of illness or allergic reactions to foods, especially if you are introducing new ingredients which can upset stomachs.
If you think something has affected your pup there are symptoms to look out for, see what some of them could look like here https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/allergy-general-in-dogs, and this way with the added knowledge you can stay in front of anything that could get worse if not treated early.
- When you feel good, you look good, and the same goes for dogs. A proper diet is immediately evident in their fur and coat, and people will notice it has more volume, a bright sheen, and a good, clean texture.
How to prepare vegetables for your pup’s diet.
Each vegetable offers its advantages and thus it is important to give your growing puppy a variety of sorts to ensure they have a well-rounded and balanced nutrient source, and to keep things interesting you could prepare them in different ways too. Some of the more popular options are not as tricky as you may think and after a few times of preparing and practicing you will have the method mastered like it is second nature.
Blanching (read a great article on the topic in this link) is not a method many people use but has some of the highest benefits simply because the process is so quick and you lock in and save the majority of the nutrients and flavor compared to traditional cooking methods.
It also requires the bare minimum and in most cases no cooking oil making it that much healthier.
Then we have steaming, which requires no water or cooking fat such as oils or butter, and the products are cooked through whilst maintaining their vibrant colors. These can then be pureed (some root veggies don’t need to be cooked beforehand) and the breaking down of the cells in the plant material makes it easier for your pet to digest. It also adds a different texture that will intrigue your dog.
Once you have the knack of veg-prep you can make bulk batches and freeze them down for times when you are in a rush or to stay ahead of meal times and organization. Although naturally grown produce is great, remember to keep a balanced plate, 30% should be for veg while the rest is made up of lean or fatty proteins depending on the dog’s age, and some carbohydrates.
Like with all things it is a learning process and you tweak your dinner times accordingly.
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