If a food is making a dog sick, you may see symptoms like increased vomiting, softer stool than usual, or allergies that manifest as licking or chewing their feet, and unusually itchy, smelly skin. If you notice these signs, the food may not be agreeing with your dog.

Human food can be a challenging thing to know what can be good or bad for your dog. All human food should be given in moderation if you're going to feed it. You need to consider the size of your dog and their calorie needs compared to ours. What you think may be a small amount of human food is actually a large amount that can cause a lot of issues. There are also certain human foods that need to be avoided at all costs.

The choice between dry, wet, or a combination of both depends on what works best for you and your dog. Typically, a dog's diet is mostly made up of hard kibble, with wet food occasionally added as a treat or to encourage eating. Dogs don't require wet food to survive, as a balanced kibble will provide all they need.

To ensure your dog is getting a balanced diet, it is best to buy commercial dog food from a reputable company as they have done the necessary research and testing to guarantee all the dog's needs are met. If you're cooking at home, you'll need to do more research to ensure the food provides all necessary supplements.

Dogs require fats, proteins, carbohydrates, water, vitamins, and minerals. Commercially made dog food ensures that these are present in the correct amounts and ratios for different life stages.

Senior dogs should transition to a food specifically designed for seniors. This usually contains higher levels of joint support and brain health supplements. The age at which a dog is considered a senior also varies by breed - large breeds may reach this stage as early as five to six years, regular dogs between eight to ten years, and small breeds not until they are ten to twelve years old.

The best food for an adult dog is an adult formula food. This is custom made to suit their needs at this stage of life. The age at which a dog becomes an adult varies depending on size - small breeds generally reach adulthood at nine to ten months, middle-sized dogs at around a year, and large breeds between a year and a half to two years.

The ingredients of a treat are most important. If your dog has a food allergy, you want to ensure that the allergen is not included on the ingredient label. Besides, you want to ensure that the treats are made in a reputable company's facility to ensure there are no bad byproducts or anything harmful in them.

On a food bag, you want to ensure that the food is ACCO certified, which means it meets the food standards of this country. If your dog nutritionally needs fat or a low amount of fat, perhaps due to conditions like pancreatitis, you will want to look at the maximum fat content on the label. If your dog has a certain food allergy, whether that be chicken or beef, you should scan the ingredients carefully. Dogs that are sporting or hunting dogs will need a higher protein level to keep up with their needs.