Guest post!

When it comes to making sure that your pet Pug is happy and healthy, the most important aspect to take into consideration is the food that it eats. But learning about proper nutrition for your pet doesn’t have to be complicated at all. There are many kinds of products that are actually the best dog food for pugs out there – all you need to do is to find out what’s best for them. Just like you, your pet pug has their own unique nutritional needs and it is important to address it.

The Pug’s Needs According to Its Build

Like many other dog breeds, pugs have specific nutritional needs.  They usually weigh around 14 to 18 pounds, although some tend to weigh more. One thing is for sure: pugs do love eating, so it’s more common to see pugs that are more on the heavy side. This is why pug obesity is a common health concern among pug owners. However, if you make sure that they get adequate exercise, it wouldn’t be a problem. According to the National Research Council of the National Academies, the average caloric intake for an 18-pound pug should be around 727 per day. But if the dog is already old or has been neutered/spayed, they may need more calories. Growing pug puppies will also need to consume more calories than an average adult 18-pound old pug.

Health Choices for a Pug’s Diet

When shopping for the food for your dog, there are certain things that you need to take into consideration. The one thing that you should keep in mind is that as the dog’s owner, he should be provided with the most nutrition as possible. It can be easy to purchase a bag of manufactured food but remember that these often contain fillers and other additives that give your dog no nutritional value at all.

We want to give the dog food that is available and because of this some pet owners resort to home cooking. That’s also an option as long as you know what your pug needs. In fact this can also save you quite a bit of money since many of the ingredients that you can use to feed your pug healthy food, is already part of your shopping list. These include:

• Meat: Feeding your pug with a lot of meat is important because it’s what they need for growth and development. Fish on the other hand, contains the important amino acids that your pug needs to keep both his skin and hair healthy. Good meat options include boiled white chicken breast, liver, organs, and lean hamburger. Avoid using dark meat since these are too fatty and contain more calories than white meat.
• Brown rice: Has a high protein content and also contains important nutrients such as fiber and potassium while being low on the glycemic index
• Regular and sweet potato: Provides a healthy source of starch for dogs and also contains potassium, fiber, copper, vitamin C and B6. In particular, baked potatoes are low in calories and also contain flavonoids which will provide your pug added protection against heart disease and respiratory conditions.
• Green beans: Contain high levels of silicon which canines need for bone development and also helps with the formation of connective tissue.
• Carrots: A vegetable high in antioxidants that can help your dog prevent cancer. Carrots are also low in calories but nutrient rich; these contain beta carotene, fiber, and vitamins A,C, and K.
• Broccoli: Contains high amounts of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. Broccoli contains fiber, folic acid, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and vitamins A and C.
• Spinach: Nutrient-dense vegetable that is also low in calories. Spinach contains calcium, iron, protein, zinc, folate, omega-4 fatty acids, niacin, antioxidants, vitamins A, B2, B6, C, and K.
• Peas: Contains phytonutrients that can help reduce the risk for cancer. Peas also contain important antioxidants and is anti-inflammatory.

If you are shopping for the best dog food for your dog in supermarkets, make sure that the product you buy lists Meat as its main ingredient. Make sure that the first ingredient listed is not a grain or other kind of carbohydrate. Meat meals and whole meats are excellent sources of protein for your pug. Avoid dog food products that use the words “by-products” or “digest”. Your pet pug also needs an adequate amount of fat in their diet. When shopping, look for products that list healthy fat, such as chicken fat and fish oil.

Conclusion

We hope that we have helped shed some light on the dog food for pugs so that you can feed your pet the food that they need and deserve. After all, our canine companions deserve good quality food, just like us!

DISCLAIMER: DogExpress does not endorse or take responsibility for the content in the guest posts.

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