Diet & Nutrition
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It can be very difficult to know what food is best for your pet when there is so much choice available. Everyone has an opinion on what you should feed your pet. The nutritional needs of your pet dog have evolved from a ‘wild dog’ or wolf, where they ate the entire body of their prey including skin, bones, muscle and intestinal contents. For your pet to receive all their dietary requirements you need to consider this evolution, and not just feed them meat alone.
In recent years there has been research into canine nutrition resulting in diets which provide all of your dog’s needs. These diets have been shown to increase the life span & quality of life of our pets that eat it. We recommend super premium foods such as Hill’s Science Diet, Royal Canin and Advance diets.
The options that are available are:
Premium Veterinary Diets
HILLS SCIENCE DIET, ROYAL CANIN and ADVANCE are quality pet foods available from veterinary clinics and some retail pet food stores. They are available in various formulations to suit dogs of all ages and activity levels, from puppies through to adult, through to low calorie for weight control. The food is available in both tins and dried form. They are highly palatable which means less waste through uneaten food. Diet is important for our pets, and we need to be sure that your pet is eating the most suitable diet for its breed & life stage. For instance a dog is feed puppy food until they are at least 12 months of age. This ensures that their bone health and general growth are accommodated for.
Supermarket Foods
Supermarket food can provide your dog’s basic nutritional needs but in its production generally cheaper ingredients such as cereals, offal and soybean products are used with a reduced palatability and digestibility. In addition to this some unwanted side effects such as flatulence and a larger volume of stools with more odour for the owner to manage.
Home Prepared Diets
Can be very palatable depending on the ingredients used, but are usually not nutritionally complete. With home preparation it is really hard to achieve the right balance of vitamins, mineral and fatty acid levels required. Dietary imbalances can result in many health problems, including bone disease in growing pups, skin and coat conditions, dental disease and even intestinal disorders which is why the correct balance is so important.