Five Common Natural Food Sources for Dogs
Eggs: Eggs
for feeding dogs can be bought by the dozen in the grocery store, by
the hundreds from hatcheries or by the thousands from egg
ranches.
Regardless of how many or where they are obtained, an egg should never
be fed to a dog raw. Raw egg whites react with the vitamin, biotin, and
prevent a dog from using it. In fact, feeding raw egg whites is the
exact way scientists produce experimental biotin deficiency in a
laboratory.
Milk: Much
controversy has raged over feeding milk to dogs.
Milk has been accessed of causing diarrhea and other digestive upsets.
While it may produce these problems in large amounts, if milk is kept
to about two ounces of fluid milk or two tablespoons of dry milk per
pound of food, few problems will be encountered. The value of the milk,
when fed in proper amounts, exceeds the risk of upset. Milk supplies
calcium and phosphorus in the proper ratio and amounts, a host of
vitamins, and also a protein which approaches the value of whole egg.
Cottage cheese:
Cottage cheese is little more than the major protein fraction of milk
casein. It does not have the same value as the protein of whole milk
because the lactoalbumin, normally present in whole milk, has been
washed away in the whey. The value of the protein in cottage cheese
compares favorably with that of horse meat. Cottage cheese offers the
dog feeder an inexpensive, readily available source of
quality protein for his dog.
Cheese: Another
dairy product made from casein is cheese. Cheese, unlike cottage
cheese, also contains a considerable amount of fat. The fat makes
cheese a valuable source of energy as well as of protein. Because they
are made as human foods, and are sold in competition with other human
foods, cheeses are among the more expensive protein sources for feeding
dogs. For dog
feeders who wish to spend the extra money, cheese is a
worthwhile consideration.
Fish: Fish
is not commonly used in dietary formulations for dogs, but there is no
logical reason to eliminate it from consideration as a protein source
for a dog. Indeed, fish protein is one of the better proteins, for the
money, that a dog feeder can use. Fish, too, should always be cooked
before being fed. In this case the heat destroys a chemical found in
many fish that will destroy vitamin B1 (thiamine) if left
unchanged...Can I Feed My Dog Meat Only?Can I Feed My Dog Meat Only?
Rawhide & Chews
Rawhide
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