Nutrition 101: What do dogs need?

To stay healthy and happy, your Morkie needs protein, a good source of fat, some carbohydrates, and critical vitamins and minerals. And of course, these ingredients must be in the right ratio – too much of one or the other can be unhealthy.

Protein provides mass, muscle, and bone strength. It builds and repairs body tissue. Protein should make up about 18% of your dog’s diet.

Fat provides concentrated energy and makes food taste good. It’s vital for healthy skin, coat, nose, and paw pads. The best sources of fat are “named” animal fats – for example, “chicken fat” or “beef fat.” NOT “animal fat.”  About 10% to 15% of an adult dog’s calories should come from fat.

Carbohydrates, composed of sugar, starches, and dietary fiber (grains and vegetables), do provide energy and help digestion; however, they’re not a natural energy source for dogs. 30 to 70% of your dog’s calories should come from carbs.

One thing that’s important to know – dogs don’t NEED carbs.

That’s right. There’s no real requirement for carbohydrates to keep a dog healthy. But carbs make us (and dogs) feel full. So we eat less food that has high calories. It can be a weight control measure.

Commercial dog food manufacturers will add plenty of carbohydrates to their formulas for one reason:  it’s cheap.  Do they add too much? Sometimes, especially for a small dog like a Morkie.

Many small dogs have finicky or fussy appetites, so you want to be sure they get enough protein and essential fats first, then an adequate supply of carbohydrates.

Just like us, dogs need vitamins and minerals to keep everything functioning. A proper diet should supply all the vitamins and minerals your Morkie needs, without the need for supplements.

Too many choices!

It can be difficult to try to decide what’s the best way to feed your Morkie. And the more you read, the more confusing it can get. In this special report, you’ll find a balanced view of all the options available and my recommendations. With this knowledge, you can decide what works best for your Morkie and your lifestyle.

Three Paths to Follow in Feeding Your Morkie

Each has its pros and cons.

To ensure you’re giving your Morkie the best nutrition possible (at a reasonable price too) you need to decide which type of diet works best for your Morkie and your lifestyle.

Canned dog food and kibble – the PROS AND CONS

PROS

• Convenient and reasonably priced.
• Dry food especially has a long shelf life even when it’s been opened.
• Modern food processing techniques help to sterilize food during the preparation of both canned and dry types of food – avoiding contamination you may find in raw food.

CONS

• Extreme heat destroys most of the nutritional value, to the point where vitamins, minerals, and enzymes have to be added back – usually by spraying the nutrients on after the kibble is produced.
• Most dry food is made up of nearly all grain products; not ideal foods for dogs.
• Particles from dry or canned commercial food stick to teeth, allowing bacteria to grow, causing sore gums, bad breath and bacterial poisons in the dog’s system.

Natural, holistic, raw (BARF diet) diets

PROS

• RAW foods match their biology; the dog has evolved over many million years on a natural raw diet. *
• Raw food leads to better oral health, mental stimulation through the processing of the carcass and higher activity level.
• Holistic foods are 100% natural and 100% nutritious and contain human-grade ingredients.

CONS

• Opponents of raw feeding say it can cause dental damage, airway obstructions, intestinal perforations, food contamination, and social aggression.
• A natural diet may not always be as healthy as imagined.
• Humans risk exposing themselves to bacteria like Salmonella (can be in their dog’s poop) if the dog eats raw.
• Detractors say there is no actual proof this is the better way to feed.

Homemade Dog Food

PROS

• With a good recipe, homemade food can be nutritious and less expensive than commercial food.
• It’s free of additives, preservatives, and chemicals because you make it fresh at home.
• No worry about pet food recalls.
• Flexible: choose from cooked food diets, raw diets, and combination cooked and raw diets.
• Homemade dog foods usually cause fewer allergic reactions than commercial ones.

CONS

• The nutritional balance of a homemade diet can vary greatly depending on the recipe.
• It’s harder than you think to make good quality dog food – detractors will say it’s almost impossible therefore you should rely on commercial foods.
• Your Morkie will get used to your diet, and that will make things like travel more difficult.