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FEEDING YOUR PET
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A common topic for discussion in the consult room is diet for pets. With so many pet foods on the market, it can be a confounding decision for caring pet owners. I often say to people that pet food is like a bottle of wine...to get the best one, you often need to spend a bit more money.
You are what you eat and while cheaper pet foods may meet most of your pets nutritional requirements, they may also contain a lot of filler ingredients which may not be healthy for your pet. Artificial colours and sweeteners can cause ill health and altered behaviour patterns. |
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The most important consideration in your pet's diet is age. Pups and kittens have very important nutritional requirements. They differ not only in protein and carbohydrates for growth, but in calcium, phosphate, iron and vitamins, including folate. Also these foods need to be more concentrated as young animals have smaller stomachs. Pups (and kittens) should be fed three times a day until 3-4 months of age and then twice daily up to 6 mths of age. Puppy food shouldn't be fed beyond six months of age. Older pets often require less protein and carbohydrates and more fibre in their diet. This is because their metabolic rate slows down and the intestinal tract loses a lot of its tone. If the brand of food you buy doesn't have the specific diets for your pets age requirements, it probably doesn't do enough nutritional calculations to be worth your money. |
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Like people, more active animals need more calories and protein in their diet, including the older ones. Those that are less active should have a restricted calorie diet to prevent obesity. Obesity is a very common problem in domestic pets and shouldn't be considered as ‘cute'. There are many diseases directly linked to obesity, namely diabetes, respiratory disease, pancreatitis, liver disease, arthritis and dermatitis. These aren't cute.
Some people chose to make their pets food for them. To meet you pets nutritional requirements, this is harder than you may think. There are many essential minerals, amino acids, fatty acids and vitamins to be included in a complete diet. If you chose to do this, please consult your vet for advice on nutritional requirements. Personally, I love instant noodles, but I know if I make them the basis of my diet, my coronary arteries would soon explode. So too, your dog's taste buds aren't necessarily the best judge of what his diet should be. Fatty lamb chops off the BBQ have killed many dogs, but not because they weren't tasty. Your dog's diet must be healthy AND balanced. |
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Cats have even more specific nutritional requirements, mainly because they are almost obligate carnivores. As they told us at uni...'cats are not little dogs'. Make sure to feed your cat good quality cat food or speak to your vet about your cat's diet.
As a rule, the best pet foods you can buy are sold at vet clinics. The market leaders (namely Hills, Royal Canin and Walthams) all make diets that they sell exclusively to vet clinics. These are aimed at not only optimal nutrition but also in preventative medicine by nutrition. The growth formulas minimise bone growth diseases and aid in dental health, bladder stone prevention, weight control, food allergies. Some are breed specific and aimed at minimising breed related problems. As with vaccination, prevention is much better than disease treatment. These food companies also do specific foods aimed at managing diseases and play a vital role in treating a range of problems such as kidney, liver, bladder and skin disease to name just a few. Your vet will prescribe the appropriate diet that your pet may need.
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There are a few no-no's as well. Do not feed dogs chocolate, do not feed them fat (eg off a lamb chop or bacon rind) and do not feed them cooked bones (raw ones are generally OK).
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Finally a comment on teeth: In the wild, animals teeth are cleaned by the abrasive action of chewing bones. Soft foods offer no such dental cleaning and animals exclusively on these diets WILL develop dental problems. Dry food in the diet helps clean teeth, and specific dental foods are even better. A lot of chews commercially available offer no benefits to dental health, however the ones made by Hills, Royal Canin and Greenies have enzymes that break down plaque deposits. Ask your vet if you suspect dental problems in your pet, as dental disease has far ranging implications on many organs in the body. Unhealthy gums bleed easily and millions of bacteria in diseased mouths will flood into the blood stream and can localise anywhere in the body. |
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