Most of us were taught the importance of a balanced and nutritionally complete diet for humans, but very few give consideration to the importance of the correct nutrients our pets need to stay healthy. With the wide variety of options available on the market, it can be quite difficult to understand what a healthy diet is for your dog. Nutrition is a crucial component in your dog’s health and behaviour.

The two most common options for dog owners are home-prepared and commercially available foods.  Home-prepared diets include home-cooked as well as raw feeding options, while commercial foods include a wide variety of kibble/pellets, canned foods and pre-made frozen raw foods.

Home preparing foods requires more time and commitment from the pet owner than commercially available foods and this can be a deterrent when choosing nutrition options for your dog. If you do decide on home-prepared foods, you will need to be committed to ensure your dog receives the best possible nutrition. Many veterinarians will dissuade dog owners from feeding home-prepared diets because of the research required in ensuring the dog receives the correct nutrients and the necessary protocols required in the preparation of the food to ensure the food is safe for the dog to consume.

The goal of home-prepared foods is to provide a diet that is as close as possible to what we call natural. To get all the essential nutrients (vitamins and minerals) in the correct balance requires knowledge of what is required as well as the supply of a good variety of ingredients in the correct proportions to supply them. As the food is fresh, this requires the food to be prepared daily or at least every few days for food that can be refrigerated.

There is a growth in the fresh food market for pets, with many suppliers offering “fresh” food options that can be more convenient while still offering the natural goodness of fresh foods. Fresh food feeding means you can avoid preservatives and additives, although the food needs to be handled and stored properly to prevent the possibility of food poisoning, as with human food.

Commercially available foods have become big business with a large number of companies offering a wide choice of products. This can make the task of choosing the correct food quite daunting as the quality of the food varies from one brand to the next. Commercial pet foods were created in response to the demand for convenience and boast a long shelf life, although this is mostly because of the inclusion of artificial preservatives.

Most of us were taught the importance of a balanced and nutritionally complete diet for humans, but very few give consideration to the importance of the correct nutrients our pets need to stay healthy. With the wide variety of options available on the market, it can be quite difficult to understand what a healthy diet is for your dog. Nutrition is a crucial component in your dog’s health and behaviour.

The two most common options for dog owners are home-prepared and commercially available foods.  Home-prepared diets include home-cooked as well as raw feeding options, while commercial foods include a wide variety of kibble/pellets, canned foods and pre-made frozen raw foods.

Home preparing foods requires more time and commitment from the pet owner than commercially available foods and this can be a deterrent when choosing nutrition options for your dog. If you do decide on home-prepared foods, you will need to be committed to ensure your dog receives the best possible nutrition. Many veterinarians will dissuade dog owners from feeding home-prepared diets because of the research required in ensuring the dog receives the correct nutrients and the necessary protocols required in the preparation of the food to ensure the dog food is safe for the dog to consume.

The goal of home-prepared foods is to provide a diet that is as close as possible to what we call natural. To get all the essential nutrients (vitamins and minerals) in the correct balance requires knowledge of what is required as well as the supply of a good variety of ingredients in the correct proportions to supply them. As the food is fresh, this requires the food to be prepared daily or at least every few days for food that can be refrigerated.

There is a growth in the fresh food market for pets, with many suppliers offering “fresh” food options that can be more convenient while still offering the natural goodness of fresh foods. Fresh food feeding means you can avoid preservatives and additives, although the food needs to be handled and stored properly to prevent the possibility of food poisoning, as with human food.

Commercially available foods have become big business with a large number of companies offering a wide choice of products. This can make the task of choosing the correct food quite daunting as the quality of the food varies from one brand to the next. Commercial pet foods were created in response to the demand for convenience and boast a long shelf life, although this is mostly because of the inclusion of artificial preservatives.