There are many debates within the canine industry about the ‘right' diet for your dog. There is a constant battle between holistic, all meat, vegetarian and dry and tinned dog foods. 

Just like humans, a dog's diet should include key nutrients. 

The right balance

• These should be present in the correct proportions for a diet to be nutritionally complete and balanced.
• Vitamins are required for bone growth, vision and metabolism
• Minerals are essential for strong bones and teeth
• Fats are required for energy and contain essential fatty acids that provide healthy skin and a shiny coat
• Carbohydrates provide energy
• Fibre content aids digestion
• Protein is essential for healthy muscles, organs, nails, hair, cartilage and ligaments
• Water is also an essential ingredient and vital to your dog's life.

What are the options?

When considering what to feed your dog there are many options available.  Remember that they can be combined to give your dog extra variety and more balance.

High quality commercial dry food

High quality premium dog foods deliver all the nutrients required for good health, they are recommended by many veterinarians and breeders.  Top brand dry foods d o not contain artificial preservatives and are formulated for different life stages of the dog (eg puppy, adult, performance/active adult and senior dog) as their nutritional requirements differ.

Raw food diet

A well-designed diet of raw food can provide the nutrients necessary for your dog.  Readily available ingredients can be used to supplement any additional vitamins dogs may have naturally found through scavenging, such as rolled oats for carbohydrate, flaxseed meal or oil for Omega 3 and plenty of green vegetables.

Variety is the spice of life

No matter which food option you choose, the main concern is that your dog receives a complete and balanced diet.  A healthy variety of foods, possibly even a combination of the different options above, will help avoid some diet related problems.

You can add extra variety to your dog's diet by adding some vegetables, ensuring you mix up the varieties you use.  Orange and green leafy vegetables are best while fresh vegetables have more nutritional value than cooked  ones.

If in doubt about the balance of food to feed your dog, have a chat to your vet about what would best suit your dog's activities, life stage and other factors.

The appeal of Natural Foods

The terms ‘natural', 'organic' and ‘holistic' may mean different things to different people.  For example, some pet owners define natural as not containing any synthetic additives or ingredients while others refer to organic food as not containing ingredients from animals treated with hormones.  In addition, there are several definitions of the word holistic.

Webster's Dictionary describes it as: relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than analysis/treatment of parts.  Holistic as it relates to diet is affecting the whole through balanced nutrition, utilising the safest and most functional foods and supplements.

The importance of nutrition as a mode of healing is not new.  There is evidence of dietary prescriptions being written in Babylonia around 2500BC and of course Hippocrates said, "Let food be your medicine and medicine you food".  By 1845 scientists knew that tissues contained fats, carbohydrates and protein and in 1890 John Hopkins University offered its first course in nutrition.

Our pets pretty much eat the same thing every day and what we feed them can have a profound impact on their health and wellbeing.  We all know that domestic animals age much faster than humans and subtle changes in behaviour and/or physical appearance may signal the beginning of a decline in health.  Superior nutrition, exercise and veterinary care are the keys to a pet's long and happy life.

There is a growing awareness of the human health benefits of utilising pesticide-free grains and hormone-free animal protein as well as rising the recognition of the benefits of feeding a more natural diet to our pets.  As evidence of this, more natural pet foods accounted for approximately 20 per cent of the total pet food market in the US in the last decade.

Remember, we are what we eat!

Courtesy of Eagle Pack(Feb 20080) www.dogsnsw.gov.au