Good food means good health for pets, too

From thePurinaCare® Pet Health Library

I just got done watching Dr. Oz's new show. He's big on diet and nutrition. Women are bombarded with diet advice, books and ideas, all day every day, it seems. I'm attracted to shows like Dr. Oz's show because of his focus on nutrition, as opposed to "diet."

I can't help but think about my Wabby, the resident cat, and her diet, too. Naturally, pets need good nutrition, also. But how many of us know exactly what that means? This article, "The Role of Nutrition throughout Various Life Stages," over at the Pet Health Library has good information that makes it worth reading. It details nicely our pet's nutritional needs, from birth to old age. It starts right saying, "Pets have changing nutritional requirements during development, adulthood, pregnancy and whelping, recovery from illness, and during their senior years."

Sound familiar? People have the same changing nutritional needs. I know firsthand that being an expectant Mom requires a careful watch on your diet (and not just to control weight, but to help the growing baby be very healthy). And, as someone who has had surgery, I am well aware of the differences in diet and nutrition for recovery. Notice how we're focused on nutrition, not "diet."

It may surprise some of you to know that The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) "develops standards for pet food that ensure that all of the nutritional needs of pets are met in approved foods." We talk about nutrition on the petblog, and did a recent podcast on it, if you're interested.

A couple of good things in the article in the pet health library that helped me gain a better understanding are: the role of fat in pet food: "Growth formulas and diets created for working breeds of dogs will contain high levels of fat that would not be appropriate for sedentary or already overweight animals," it says.

When the subject turns to carbohydrates, the article says, "All carbohydrates are eventually broken down into glucose, the basic unit of energy for all tissues in the body." It goes on to explain the good carbs and the bad carbs, and how fiber fits into the nutritional needs of your pet's diet.

In the end, nutritional needs for a puppy are very different than nutritional needs for his mother. And, nutritional needs for elderly dogs are different than for other age groups. Adult dogs and elderly dogs are not the same category. It's important for pet parents to understand nutritional needs when it comes to diet and life stages. Their diets are very different than ours, but the need for good nutrition to stay healthy and strong, and live a long life, is the same.

If your dog or cat needs a special diet, your vet is the best person to recommend one. And to help you understand why. Maybe you can use this article to guide you as you determine the right diet for your cat or dog.