When we consider the subject of nutrition we naturally think of health, this has not always been the case. If we were to look back in history we would see that people’s diets were often based on the foods they enjoyed eating and that were available rather than the food that would constitute the best option in respect of their health.

Scientific research coupled with constant access to a wide variety of food from across the globe has allowed our society to change our outlook on nutrition for the better. In fact, you would only have to turn on the television or pick up a newspaper or magazine and you would no doubt find information on nutrition and how to eat healthily. Today more than ever people are extremely conscious of the effect that their diet has on their health and their ability to live a full and happy life. Today we have a much deeper understanding of food and its impact upon our wellbeing. However, when it comes to nutrition for our Dogs many people are still living in the dark ages

We have all heard an older relative discuss how people fuss too much over what their Dog eats and claim that Dogs used to just eat the leftovers from everyone’s dinner plate and that they were fine and of course this, to some extent, is true. However, it is also true to say that 50 years ago people did not have access to the wide range of fruit and vegetables we do today and would survive quite happily on a diet with significantly less nutritious value, but people simply did not live as long.

Of course, we could all just feed our Dogs scraps or we could just go to a local supermarket and pick up the cheapest Dog food available and our Dogs would survive, but put simply they would not be as healthy, this would mean they would not be able to live a full and happy life free of medial problems and ultimately they would not live as long.

As a society we need to wake up to the fact that the food we give our Dogs is fuel and if we give them the wrong fuel, they will suffer for it. Think about it, you wouldn’t put diesel in a car that runs on unleaded petrol and expect the car to last for years!
The vast majority of owners do want the best life for their Dog and as such they do want to provide them with the best available nutrition. The problem is that there is much less understanding of Dog nutrition and with all the available Dog food brands and the advertising employed to sell them people often feel overwhelmed. Most people make the decision on what to feed their Dog based on packaging and advertising rather than basing this decision on nutritional facts.

We cannot expect people to become nutritional experts when it comes to Dog food, but Dog owners do have a care of duty to ensure that they at least know the basics when it comes to this topic.

So here are a few basic facts to help you ensure that your Dog gets the nutritious diet that they deserve….
As with humans Dogs that are subjected to a diet which is high in additives and chemicals may develop medical and behavioural issues so as a rule it is best to eliminate as many of these from your Dog’s diet as possible. An easy way to spot foods that contain high amounts of additives and chemicals is by looking at the colour of it. If it is dry food and it contains colours it is likely to be packed with both!

Diets high in salt are also an issue. Dogs are not as sensitive to salt as humans are. As such, they can easily ingest too much and this will only become apparent once their health deteriorates. Therefore, we should all be conscious of how much salt our Dog’s food contains and seek to limit this where possible
A simple way to check the quality of the food your Dog is eating is to look at the ingredients. The list of ingredients will also tell you what percentage of each ingredient the food contains. By understanding this you can understand how much actual nutrition the food contains

At Wags Dog Day Care we have spent years researching this issue and after seeing the huge array of Dog foods out there which have very little nutrition we decided to do something about it. We consulted with top nutritionists and developed our own brand of Dog food, which is packed with nutrition and designed to give Dogs the fuel they need to live happy balance lives.
If you would like to know more about Dog nutrition or find out more about our brand of Dog food, Mother Hubbards, please get in touch or speak directly to the Wags Dog Day Care team