The best way of providing your pet dog healthy living is to put him on a nutritious diet. The foundation of good health is healthy food. When a dog is fed well, he has a better chance to maintain good health. Healthy dog food is the same as what nutrition experts tell us to eat; an assortment of fresh foods which are filled with critical nutrients like vitamins and minerals. This is considered to be the best type of diet your pet dogs can have which could add years to their lives.

If you wish your dog to eat the best foods, start by feeding him with some natural and newer food ingredients. When foods are processed, they lose critical nutrients like vitamins and minerals. Fresh foods which have hardly gone through any processing are better. A fresh food diet might include home created dog food, a raw diet or dried food. Well known natural pet care researcher and veterinarian, Dr. Richard Pitcairn, advocates feeding pets a healthy diet of home created foods adjusted for the specific needs of the pet.

Raw foods are a growing trend among many pet owners. These pet owners are slowly coming to know the health benefits of raw foods. These types of foods are proving to be great for the treatment of conditions like long-term allergic reactions as well as other complaints. Rather than feeding Fido a raw bone from your butcher, there are specialty stores that carry frozen natural foods that are balanced and safe. Raw foods are now made in freeze-dried form where the dog foods have undergone 'cold processing'. This process ensures the more important components like enzymes, amino acids and probiotics stay whole.

Yet another form of natural foods are the dehydrated foods. These foods are preserved and protected through an action of low temperature drying, much like the ready-made soup mixes which we buy from the store. Since the action involves minimal heat, the built-in enzymatic activity are in limbo until such time as the food is rehydrated. The action of dehydration only loses about 3% to 5% of the foods' nutrients. Other food preservation processes like canning or kibble making, the nutrients lost can be in the range of sixty percent or more.

Homemade meals are another choice for a healthy diet, but this isn't always easy as there needs to be a special balance and proportion of meat to vegetable products. The good news is that there are pre-mixes now available that take the guessing out of creating homemade dog food. All you need to do is add some water and fresh meat to make a tasty meal for your four-legged friend. Just like we enjoy a delicious meal, it should not be any different for our furry friends. When we pay attention to the freshness of the components, the variety in what is served and the quality of food that we offer our pets, they will not only enjoy their eating experience but will remain happy and healthy, too.