Feeding your Pet

Pets, like people, can have major problems due to how well and how much they are fed.  Pets can have as many health issues relating to food that people do.  Because of this you need to be cognizant of your pet’s dietary needs.  As mentioned before, your pet is relying on you to do the right thing in keeping it healthy—and a healthy pet will live longer and provide you with more hours of joy.

Here again, it is up to you to do a little research.  Consulting your veterinarian about your pet’s feeding needs will surely help.  You can also read up on what diet is best for your pet. 

Be aware that certain foods are better for certain pets.  For example, goldfish food should not be fed to tropical fish—the size and type of food is totally different.  Also bird feed differs for different types of birds.

It is not wise to rely totally on past history of what your parents fed their pets.  New advances and understanding in pet health issues have changed in the past few years and what was believed to be the ideal way to feed your dog or cat in the olden days may not really be the best way today. 

In previous years, dogs may have been fed totally on table scraps and chicken bones.  Today it is known that this type of food can be detrimental to your pet’s health.  They could be getting too much rich, fat food in their diet, or they could choke on a chicken bone. 

Today there are many brands of pet food made especially for your type of animal—even special ones for, say, small dogs versus large dogs, or kitten food versus food to aging cats.  Pet food companies try to incorporate the correct amount of vitamins and nutrients into the food that your pet needs to keep it healthy.  Many are dry varieties, but the pet food companies also try to keep pets happy with the taste. 

It would not be out of line to give your pet the occasional treat or table scraps that they may enjoy (as long as it is not something harmful like chicken bones).  Just as people can indulge in the occasional decadent dessert, so can you treat your pet.  The important thing is that your pet receives the right food for it the majority of the time so that it gets a proper diet to keep it healthy.

When feeding your pet take a note from the Book of People.  When people are overweight they are more prone to bad health issues.  This is the same with your pet.  In order to keep your pet healthy, be aware of its weight.  Overfeeding, even with loving intentions, can cause your pet to die before it should.