Sunshine Coast Holiday House

Pet health

These days, people everywhere are turning to holistic nutrition in an effort to achieve healthier lives and prevent illness. As early as 400 BC, the world's first physician, Hippocrates said "Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food." This health craze has expanded to include our pets as well as ourselves and families. A major step towards realising these increased health benefits for our dogs is to provide them with an all-natural or holistic diet. Our dogs depend on us to meet all of their nutritional needs. They can't go to the store and purchase their food. Nor can they tell us when their food is not meeting their nutritional requirements, or worse yet, is making them feel bad.

The old saying "You are what you eat" is true for people and dogs alike. While a dog might look quite healthy, the dog might actually be in poor condition. Eventually, the dog may show signs that something is awry and a trip to the veterinarian may result in the diagnosis of a serious illness. A healthy routine centred on proper nutrition is key to maintaining the dog's overall good health both inside and out.

Quality dog foods should provide the pet with six basic nutrients necessary to sustain good health. These nutrients include protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and water. 100% of all the dog's needs should come from its dog food with the exception of water, which needs to be supplemented daily. The new holistic approach to dog nutrition takes an additional step toward optimum nutrition by including naturally beneficial ingredients.

Proteins, fats and carbohydrates provide energy for the pet. Dogs are continually expending energy and this energy expenditure increases during lactation, exercise, and when regulating body temperature. If the dog stays outdoors or is typically active, he will require more protein, fats and carbohydrates for energy production than an inside or sedentary dog.

Vitamins and minerals like calcium, vitamin A, D, and E are also important to a dog's overall nutrition as they are involved in virtually every bodily function. Vitamins and minerals are key elements in providing beneficial antioxidants, protecting cells from free radical damage, enhancing the immune system, and promoting bone development and strengthening of surrounding ligaments.

Unaware of the importance of these nutrients, many dog owners believe that all dog foods are about the same and that the difference in cost can be attributed to expensive packaging or increased marketing costs. But all dog foods are not created equal.

Many dog foods are produced as cheaply as possible by using poor quality meats and high amounts of poorly digested carbohydrates. Sugars, artificial colourings, artificial flavourings, and chemical preservatives are often added to these products to improve the taste or appearance of the product. Poor quality dog food can create a number of unpleasant ailments, including excess gas, increased bowel movements, diarrhea, itchy, bumpy skin, dull coats, brittle nails, and vomiting.

One way to assure that the family dog is receiving all of the nutritional benefits possible is to feed him a holistic or natural diet. The word "natural" is often interpreted in many different ways. It is a very popular word when referring to both human and pet nutrition. The word natural is synonymous with words like healthy and organic. It might mean that the product contains no dyes or chemicals. In the case of the holistic dog foods, it means that the product is indeed free of chemicals, artificial colors and chemical preservatives, but is also made up of a group of carefully selected meats, fruits, vegetables, and herbs to maximize health.

Ingredients in holistic products like chicken, potatoes, brown rice, tomato pomace, fish, flax and tuna oil, blueberries, spinach, kelp, cheese, chicken fat, canola oil, apples, oatmeal, and sweet potatoes provide the dog with needed protein, vitamins, carbohydrates, fibre, essential fatty acids, natural antioxidants, and minerals. They also include naturally beneficial herbs like Yucca, Parsley, Dandelion, Chicory, Basil, Rosemary, Sage, Cinnamon, Turmeric, Chamomile, Garlic, Capsicum, and Paprika.

Feeding the family dog a healthy, wholesome, "natural" diet with the selection of a quality dog food product will help you to maintain the dog's overall good health and may reduce the risk of many diseases, creating an outer glow that comes from inner good health.