When it comes to feeding your pet, we know that it can get pretty confusing with the overwhelming number of choices out there.
You may have also noticed that many pet food manufacturers promote their food as being ‘superior’ for containing ‘all-natural ingredients’. As a consumer we would expect that they all use natural ingredients. What we have to remember however is that fat and salt are all natural, but too much of either of these is not a good thing.
Branding and marketing of pet foods also makes the choice even more confusing. Did you know that many of the commercial brands of pet food are made by the same company, just packaged and priced differently. Lovely pictures of fresh meat and vegetables can be very misleading and may not always be a true reflection of their nutritional value.
As Veterinarians we certainly look at nutrition as a valuable aspect of optimal pet health, and a critical part in helping to prevent and managing many animal diseases. We are able to give you educated information and recommend the most suitable diet for your pet, at every stage of their life. If your pet is young, old, overweight, underweight, arthritic or suffering from diseases such as kidney or urinary tract disease, we will be able to recommend the correct diet for your pet
What does a balanced diet mean?
There are recommended daily requirements for both cats and dogs, and the best foods follow these guidelines. Some foods will have good ingredients but may not meet daily requirements, or have an excess of some ingredients, which may not be a good thing either.
All of the foods we recommend contain natural ingredients but most importantly, these are precisely balanced for optimum nutrition. This means your pet won’t receive too little or too much of certain nutrients, a claim only particular brands can make. It is almost like having their own personal nutritionist preparing each meal.
Dry Food Or wet Food?
Nutritionally there should not be a difference providing you are comparing the same brand. Wet food will have more water content, so dry food can be more economical to feed.
What is digestibility?
Some foods have very poor digestibility. This means that poor quality ingredients are used, they are harder for pets to digest and break down. They may use ingredients such as undigestible fibre which is a filler and cannot be easily broken down, resulting in most of what your pet eats being passed out as faeces. These diets often leave pets feeling hungry, Poor quality protein which could be all the waste by products (after all the meat has been used) from meat processing plants can be used in some pet foods, they are cheaper, but nutritionally lacking.
So what should you be feeding your pet?
The common answer is a balanced dog food, which is recommend for your pet’s stage of life, or particular therapeutic need. Stick with a reputable brand. As a Vet we generally look at foods that we would be comfortable feeding our own pets.
LIFE STAGES DIETS FOR HEALTHY PETS
For example Puppy 3 – 12mths
Adult 1- 6 years
Mature 7 – 10 years
Senior 11+ years
Pets have different nutritional requirements at certain ages and the better quality diets will provide exactly what is needed for those stages of life. For example ingredients that promote a better immune system, bone and muscle growth will be more important for young pets, whereas joint health and arthritis management will be beneficial for our senior pets.
THERAPEUTIC DIETS
These will be based on your pets individual needs and condition. We have a range of diets that can help many diseases in pets, such as kidney disease, arthritis, urinary tract disease, diabetes, obesity, gastrointestinal problems, skin allergies, and many more.
