Reviewed for accuracy and updated on November 5, 2019, by Dr. Katie Grzyb, DVM According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention’s (APOP) 2018 Pet Obesity Survey, 55.8% of dogs are classified as overweight or obese. That means that most pets these days are overweight, even if many of their owners don’t realize it. But dog owners should be paying more attention to their dog’s weight,...
By Jennifer Coates, DVM Changes to your dog’s diet should be made gradually. In fact, taking five to seven days to mix increasing amounts of the new brand of dog food in with decreasing amounts of the old brand reduces the chances that your dog will develop an upset stomach or refuse to eat. But what do you do when you have to switch your dog's food quickly due to a food recall or other...
Probiotic, Prebiotic Benefits for DogsWe all know dog food is essential for the health of our dogs. But what's more important is what is in the dog food. A dog's digestive system, which is mainly responsible for breaking down food, absorbs the nutrients from the dog food and distributes it throughout the body and prevents toxins from entering the bloodstream. In fact, research indicates that 70%...
How Minerals are Necessary for Dog NutritionChoosing the best food for your dog can prove difficult. One common issue is selecting a dog food with the proper balance of necessary nutrients from healthy ingredients. Minerals are one essential class of nutrients that must be included in a healthy, balanced diet. They are crucial for the proper development and function of your dog’s body. Specific...
All necessary vitamins and minerals are included in complete and balanced dog foods. This means that additional foods or supplements are not necessary for your pet’s general health. What does Good Nutrition do for your Dog?The proper balance of nutrients is essential when feeding your dog. Animals (and humans) need a certain combination of protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and...
Protein is a very important part of a healthy, balanced canine diet. Protein has several roles in the body, such as building and repairing muscles and other body tissues. It is needed to form new skin cells, grow hair, build muscle tissue, and more. It also assists in creating body chemicals like hormones and enzymes that are needed for normal function. It provides energy (like carbohydrates do)...
Fats and oils are a necessary part of a balanced diet for dogs. A diet that provides about 10-15 percent fat (for normal, healthy adult animals) is best to maintain health. The time when fat in the diet becomes a problem is when animals are allowed to eat too much fat and calories (such as from extra treats and table scraps), without getting enough exercise to balance things out. Dogs never have...
By Patricia Khuly, DVM Originally published as a three-part series on Fully Vetted. Do you switch your pet’s food around? Be honest. Assuming you feed commercial, do you succumb to whatever super-premium canned kitty food is on sale this week? Is it one month Halo, next month Canidae? If so … you shouldn’t feel so bad about it (prevailing veterinary sentiment notwithstanding). Yes,...
By T. J. Dunn, Jr., DVM It is common knowledge and generally agreed upon by experts that dogs (and cats) are meat eaters and have evolved through the ages primarily as meat eaters. Although now "domesticated," our pets have not evolved rumens along their digestive tracts in order to ferment cellulose and other plant material, nor have their pancreases evolved a way to secrete cellulase to split...
By T. J. Dunn, Jr., DVM At times, animal shelters or rescue groups are presented with a markedly thin and undernourished homeless dog. (The significant loss of body fat and muscle mass is termed emaciation.) The following presentation relates to the care and recovery assistance provided to dogs that have been homeless for days to weeks. Ideally, the dog should be thoroughly checked by a...