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Nutrition

_{There is a great variety of advice available when it comes to feeding your pets. On the whole veterinarians tend to advise pet owners to feed their pets premium quality biscuits such as Hills Science Diet. Unfortunately the situation is not as simple as it first appears.}

 _{In times gone by people were far less aware of nutrition and often cats and dogs were fed diets lacking in certain vitamins and minerals. Often growing pups were fed meat only and suffered from calcium deficiency as a result. The solution was simple. Commercial pet food preparations removed the need for people to be concerned about their pets missing out on some vital ingredient.  Things are very different now. We all have access to a far greater variety of food and information on what is required to keep your pet healthy is far more accessible. If you asked a human nutritionist what the very best diet for a person would be they would not point to a bag of highly processed and desiccated biscuits flown in from the USA. Instead they would recommend that you eat a variety of fresh food including fruit, vegetables, lean meat, nuts and seeds.  So why are our pets not supposed to eat fresh food? The fact is that if you can provide your pet with a balanced diet then there is absolutely no reason they should not be fed fresh healthy food from your own kitchen. This is particularly the case with dogs. There are certain foods which have a history of causing illness in dogs such as onions, chocolate, grapes etc. Obviously these foods are not lethal to all dogs, particularly in small amounts, however care must be taken.  Cats are obligate carnivores and have very specific amino acid requirements. They cannot easily be fed with food from the kitchen without missing out on some of these key ingredients. However, feeding them with only dry food is a very bad idea. Because cats are carnivorous they are used to eating freshly killed animals. This means that their food almost always contained 70% water, high levels of protein and almost no carbohydrates or plant proteins. When cats are fed dry food only, they do not drink enough water to compensate for the water they are not receiving in their food. They end up in a state of constant water stress. Their urine is always very concentrated when compared to cats eating wet food diets. Over time this places extra pressure on their kidneys and urinary tract. It is no wonder that cats commonly suffer from a range of urinary tract problems such as renal failure, cystitis, crystals forming in their urine, etc.  So why do vets keep recommending dry biscuits to fix problems caused by a dry food diet? The answer is that from the time veterinary students first reach university onwards they are constantly force fed marketing material relating to these premium diets. So much so, that, no other possibility really comes to mind. The evils of wet food and home prepared recipes are constantly raised. Vets are terrified that their patients teeth will fall out if they don’t eat the special biscuits designed to keep their teeth clean. Have you ever tried keeping your teeth clean by eating biscuits? It really doesn’t help much. The fact is that if you can’t brush your pets teeth every day then they will need regular checking by your vet and possibly the occasional dental scale and polish.  So what do we feed our pet cats? There are now a number of preservative free fresh meat diets available. They are locally produced and provide your cat with all the nutrition they need without compromising their renal and bladder health. If all else fails find a wet food from the supermarket that is high in protein and low in carbohydrates. At Nepean and Mountains Animal Hospitals we have found Vets All Natural have a fantastic feline product which is reasonably priced. That’s what I am feeding my cat Nemo. If you want to give your cats teeth a workout then I suggest a piece of meat. Cats teeth are designed for cutting and when you give them a piece of meat too big to swallow they have to work at cutting pieces off small enough to swallow. So, next time you are about to throw out a plate full of healthy left overs, have a think about your dog. For further information I recommend you visit the following websites. www.catinfo.orgwww.vetsallnatural.com.au}