Is what I feed my pet important?

Your pet's diet is just as important as your own! When it comes to our pets, all we really want is for them to live long, happy and healthy lives. Diet plays a huge part in, not just their physical condition, but also how our pets learn and develop. This is especially important in our younger pets. Muscle tone, body condition, skin and coat health, digestion, immunity and prevention of disease are just some of the main reasons a balanced diet is important for your pet. There are more options now available to pet owners than ever before.

Dry diets (kibble) are great for the busy household and, if you want to find the best balance for your pet, then there are plenty of formulated foods available.

However, with dry diets, there is the need for plenty of drinking water to be available as the moisture content is very low in kibbles. There are formulas available for puppies right through to senior citizens and size-specific. In some brands, even breed-specific.

Wet foods (cans, rolls, pouches etc), while good for pets, can be harder to find nutritional balance when fed on its own. Wet foods are best fed in tandem with dry food as they add much-needed moisture to the diet, especially for the cats and kittens of the world who are not as active drinkers as dogs.

Raw feeding (minces, diced meats, bones etc) is probably the most controversial part of the pet feeding world, as It is a little more complex than others. In its purest form meat is just meat and there are no formulations or additives meaning finding the nutritional balance your pet needs, takes a little more work. Feeding raw does have some great benefits for your pet; there are no preservatives in raw meat or artificial colours and, because there are no fillers, there is little your pet doesn't absorb, meaning they are getting the most out of what's going in and leaving less left on the lawn or in the litter box! Raw feeding is always best done under the guidance of an experienced vet or pet specialty store to ensure your pet gets the best out of it.

As with any food, there are always different levels of quality and affordability. It is understanding the different options that we can struggle with the most as it can be quite daunting walking into a supermarket, pet store or vet clinic to choose a food!

But take the time to visit your local pet specialty store or vet clinic and have a chat with one of their pet nutrition specialists. It will be the best conversation you can have for your pet!