Kibble, tinned food, home-cooked meals — the choices for feeding a dog are many and can leave us unsure where to turn. Here are a few tips for the proper nutrition of our four-legged friend, bearing in mind that dogs have different needs depending on their size, age, breed and state of health.

Let's talk about pet food

Let's start from one assumption: despite the domestication of the dog dating back 14,000 years, dogs are descended from wolves and are predominantly carnivorous animals, which means animal proteins must always be present in their diet. In the wild, a dog would eat after having chased and hunted its prey; it can be useful to simulate this state simply by feeding the animal after it has done physical exercise.

Most dogs are fed pre-packaged dry food, that is, kibble. When buying, it is a good idea to check the nutritional values listed on the label, favouring brands that use meat rather than "meat meal" — a wording used when the raw material is obtained through a rendering process — and that contain no preservatives, colourings or palatability enhancers.

What to know about feeding your dog

It is also necessary to read labels in order to know the quantity of cereals present in the kibble. Cereals are acceptable in a dog's diet, but only in moderate amounts; often, however, the percentage in pet foods is high because cereals cost less than meat. A dry food intended for a healthy adult dog should contain around twenty per cent protein and around ten per cent fat. As regards "home-cooked" feeding, it is recommended that the diet be made up of at least fifty per cent meat, with the remainder consisting of vegetables and carbohydrates (such as well-cooked pasta or rice); alternatives to meat as a source of protein include fish, fresh cheeses and egg yolk.

It is also important to know what not to give a dog, because foods that are appetising to us could even be lethal for our animals, who have a completely different metabolism. At the top of the list of forbidden foods are certainly all foods containing sugar (which can cause diabetes and heart disease), followed by foods that are too salty or greasy (which cause a serious rise in blood pressure). Even apparently harmless vegetables such as onion and broad beans should be avoided (they can damage the circulatory system).