7 ways in which a high quality diet impacts your dog or cat's health and wellbeing

Our companion animals depend entirely on us for their food, therefore we must make informed decisions regarding what to feed them. Giving your pet a high quality diet can ensure they lead happy and active lives, and can prevent the development of diseases.

Here are 7 ways in which what you choose to feed your animal can impact their health and wellbeing:

1. Effect on gut health

Poor diets that are packed with fillers and artificial preservatives can irritate the gastrointestinal system leading to vomiting, loose stools and diarrhea. The looser the animal’s stools are the less nutrients they are absorbing, making them prone to malnutrition. A high quality diet can optimize the cat or dog’s microbiome to support the gastrointestinal system.

2. Coat health

A pet’s coat is one of the most prominent indicators of their health status; a healthy coat is shiny and smooth. Dietary deficiencies caused by feeding a low quality diet can produce a dull, dry, and scaly coat.

A prolonged deficiency can even result in hair loss, greasy skin, and skin infections.

Feeding a high quality diet will not only provide your pet with the essential fatty acids their body needs to maintain healthy skin, but will also improve their skin barrier for better protection against environmental aggressions.

3. Kidney disease

Felines are particularly prone to kidney disease, and cats that are fed exclusively dry food diets consume less water which puts them on a higher risk to developing the disease. Including a balanced amount of wet food in their diet will increase their water intake and counteract dehydration to help prevent kidney disease.

4. Pancreatitis

Low quality foods that are high in fats can overload your dog’s pancreas leading to the development of pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). Feeding the animal a high quality/highly digestible diet can, in some cases, prevent pancreatitis and even help with the recovery.

5. Malnutrition

Pets that suffer from malnutrition are not always underweight, feeding big amounts of poor diets results in overweight animals that are malnourished. Just like underweight animals can have stunted growth, low energy, and weakened bones; obesity can lead to many diseases including heart disease, diabetes, and joint problems. Feeding your pet a high quality diet while making sure they are getting enough exercise is a great way to keep your pet at optimal health and weight.

6. Immunity

Your pet’s body needs energy to fuel the immunological response and fight off infections. For the immune system to function properly, the animal needs to be well fed and not suffering from any nutritional deficiencies. A weakened immune system increases the risk of infections, autoimmune diseases and cancers.

7. Joint health

Joints allow your dog or cat to move around while providing a wide range of motion, and they are continually employed even during periods of rest.

Unlike humans, animals spend their days shifting around, running and jumping, therefore any joint related pain will cause the animal a great deal of discomfort and stress.

Complete and balanced nutrition makes sure each component of the joint’s anatomy receives the right nutrients to maintain joint health thus preserving overall wellbeing.

 To ensure a well balanced high quality diet for your pet, get in touch with Whiskers and Hounds' team of pet nutritionists. Book an appointment for an online call or visit Whiskers and Hounds' shop in Dubai Marina. 

References:

Tim D. G. Watson, Diet and Skin Disease in Dogs and Cats, The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 128, Issue 12, December 1998, Pages 2783S–2789S, https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/128.12.2783S

Wernimont, S. M., Radosevich, J., Jackson, M. I., Ephraim, E., Badri, D. V., MacLeay, J. M., Jewell, D. E., & Suchodolski, J. S. (2020). The Effects of Nutrition on the Gastrointestinal Microbiome of Cats and Dogs: Impact on Health and Disease. Frontiers in microbiology, 11, 1266. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.01266

German, A.J., Woods, G.R.T., Holden, S.L., Brennan, L. and Burke, C. (2018), Dangerous trends in pet obesity. Veterinary Record, 182: 25-25. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.k2

Saad, Flávia & Saad, Borges. (2013). PET NUTRITION AND IMMUNITY. DOI:10.13140/2.1.2908.9603.

Beynen, Anton. (2019). Diet and canine pancreatitis. 102-105.

Nutritional Management of Canine Pancreatitis Denise Elliott, BVSc (Hons), PhD, DACVIM, DACVN