Nutrition for your Dog
Premium brands of dry dog foods provide convenient and healthy diets that satisfy the varying needs of dogs at each stage of life. Puppies especially require a complete and controlled diet to avoid diseases caused by nutritional deficiencies or excesses. Beware of cheaper supermarket dry and canned foods as these may only meet minimal dietary requirements and can be associated with intestinal and skin diseases in some dogs. Soft foods diets fail to abrade the teeth resulting in plaque, painful gum infections and smelly breath. Some dry foods are designed to clean the teeth as the dog chews.A nutritious homemade alternative for a dog is:
60% raw meaty bones eg veal bones, lamb necks or shanks, chicken wings and necks.A combination of these homemade foods and a premium dry food suits most healthy dogs.
10% rice or pasta
30% veggies, fruit and leftovers (avoid onion and garlic)
Make soft raw bones available to puppies from weaning so that their natural instinct to chew is supported at this age. Adult dogs may not take to chewing as readily. Never feed cooked bones and avoid hard beef or mutton bones, which may crack teeth.
Whilst raw bones are a natural part of a dogs diet, hazards exist with bone feeding that may warrant supervision include gulping and choking on a bone and dogs becoming aggressive over bones. Certain medical conditions involving the bowel, pancreas or prostate may result in poor tolerance to bones and signs of vomiting, diarrhoea or constipation.Avoid feeding very fatty foods or treats as these predispose to unhealthy weight gain. Obesity increases the risk of arthritis, diabetes and pancreatitis. Many dogs will overeat if allowed constant access to food.
Prescription diets are available for dogs with special needs. These include diets for dogs with intestinal, heart, kidney, liver or bladder disease as well as for arthritis, diabetes and weight control.
Recipes for homemade diets for dogs are also available. We are happy to give nutritional advice to suit your dog.
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