Despite its large size the Akita does not eat that much and feeding it is relatively cheap compared to other dogs of similar size. Just like people a good diet is essential for maintaining your dog's health. Many dog owners make the mistake of buying the food for their dogs from the cheapest supply they can find at the supermarket. This is a big mistake and will end up being expensive for the owners when they have to take their dog to the vets with nutritionally related illnesses.

Flakey skin, rashes and stomach problems are just a few of the problems that can be caused by poor diet. A good diet is essential for the healthy maintenance of your Akita. It will also keep you away from the vet. So choose your Akita's diet with care.

To ensure your Akita is receiving all the nutritional requirements it needs to keep it healthy spend some time looking into the dietary requirements of the dog. This is time well spent and will save you a lot of money over the course of your Akita's life.

Akita's thrive on fresh food in my experience, free from preservatives. Good cooked meat and fish supplemented by fruit and good quality supplements without preservatives. Avoid the "all dog" foods at the supermarket. These foods are full of preservatives to ensure they have a long shelf life and are not suitable for an Akita.

Give the Akita a varied diet of fresh food if you want to keep it healthy. This takes time I know, but it's something you need to factor into the decision making process if you are thinking of buying an Akita.

The Akita needs good pure nutrition and this can best be supplied from fresh food cooked at home. Many owners recommend raw meat as used in the BARF diet. I'm not going to go into the BARF diet in this article, simply because the subject matter is so large. Remember if you wish to feed your Akita on raw meat you will need to ensure the meat is fresh.

Raw meat is prone to bacterial infection. Cooking the meat will kill all the bacteria. Personally I prefer cooked meat for my dog, but that's just my choice.

Don't underestimate the importance of the diet you choose to give your Akita. It is an important factor in maintaining the dog's health and should be thought out carefully.

If you ensure your Akita has a good diet free from preservatives it will enjoy good health and you'll save a lot of money in vet's fees over the long-term.