Sharing your life with a pet is amazing. The joy in all the wonderful moments that animals bring to our everyday life cannot be replaced with anything else. But it also comes with a responsibility for us as pet owners - and the most important thing we can do is to make sure that our cat or dog is feeling well and in good health. Good health also provides better conditions for a long life and a vigorous old age.
During January we will focus on how you can give your pet the best conditions to be healthy and happy, and in the long run reduce the risk of illness. We will start with four tips. If you feed your pet a food with all the nutrients it needs, provide conditions for good gut health, keep the animal at the right body condition and take care of oral health, you have come a long way!
1. Feed a complete and balanced pet food
Feeding time is not just the highlight of the day, it is also the source of all the important nutrients that the animal needs to take in to be healthy, strong and feel good. Among other things, the food must provide protein that gives energy and building blocks for the muscles, essential fatty acids that give healthy skin and a shiny coat, vitamins that fulfil important functions in the immune system and minerals such as iron that allow the blood to transport oxygen. A food that contributes all of this is called a complete and balanced food. But what does that mean?
Since cats and dogs have different nutritional needs, a complete and balanced food means different things for the different animal species. Nutrition in cats and dogs has been studied for a long time, and in Europe it is FEDIAF that regularly publishes recommendations for the different companion animal species, based on the latest research.
All of petgood's foods are complete and balanced foods that follow FEDIAF's guidelines, to give your animal optimal conditions for good health and to provide all useful and essential nutrients.
2. Good health comes from within
Good health comes from within, but it shows on the outside! A good body condition, a shiny and soft coat and a lively and happy mood are all signs that the animal is feeling well on the inside too. And what goes in must also come out - even the animal's stool is an indication of the animal's health.
Just as in humans, a lot of research in recent years has shown how a healthy gut flora in dogs and cats also has positive effects on the body's wellbeing and the general immune system. The gut of both dogs and cats is full of bacteria, and those that contribute to positive health effects are commonly called "the good bacteria". The more good bacteria, the more they also protect against bad bacteria that can cause illness. The bacteria thrive when they get the right "food", and the nutrients that nourish the good bacteria in the gut are called prebiotics.
There are different types of prebiotics. Two that have been shown to have a positive effect on the gut flora in dogs and cats are FOS (fructo-oligosaccharides) and MOS (mannan-oligosaccharides). These nutrients occur naturally in various foods. FOS is found in inulin, and MOS is found in corn and yeast. Our food contains several ingredients that naturally contribute FOS & MOS, to give the good gut bacteria optimal conditions to thrive.
Dietary fibre is also an ingredient that benefits gut health. Dietary fibre is not a nutrient that is absorbed by the body as such, since it passes through the gut wholly or partly undigested. Despite this, it contributes good effects such as an increased feeling of fullness and a healthy bowel movement and passage time for the food. In our food, beetroot among other ingredients contributes natural dietary fibre.
A healthy stomach and gut with gut flora in balance benefits a good immune system and can help prevent illness.
3. Prevent obesity = prevent illness
Most of what the dog or cat eats contributes nutrients that the animal needs - but there can also be too much of a good thing. In both dogs and cats, overweight and obesity are incredibly common. Being overweight is a risk factor for many illnesses - joint problems, diabetes and diseases of the urinary tract are some of them. The most important thing you can do to prevent many of the most common illnesses in dogs and cats is to keep the animal at the right body condition. Not to mention that it also gives a more alert and happier four-legged friend!
There is a lot to talk about on this subject, but step one is being able to assess whether the dog or cat is in good shape. An established scale that is used is the Body Condition Score, where the animal is graded on a scale between 1-9. Below you will find the scales and guidance for an assessment for both dogs and cats, as well as appropriate action depending on where your pet is on the scale.
Body Condition Score for dogs
We will dive deeper into the subject during February, and talk about both food and exercise on the theme of obesity. Exercise and movement come with many more positive health effects on the body. It can feel tough to put your pet on a diet - but it can be the most important health effort you make.
4. Take care of dental health
Dental diseases affect 8 out of 10 dogs and cats, which is why it is important to prevent these problems. Dental diseases not only cause pain and discomfort in the animal's mouth, but can also affect the animal's general health. Poor oral hygiene means constant inflammation in the body, which over time has been shown to affect internal organs such as the kidneys, liver and heart as well. Taking care of the animal's dental health is therefore of the utmost importance for a healthy and happy dog or cat.
For those of you who have a dog, feel free to take a look at the video below made in collaboration with Hundprat.se, where we talk about dental health and how to take care of your dog's teeth, or take a look at one of our articles below for more tips and information!
5 TIPS FOR BETTER DENTAL HEALTH
HOW DO YOU BRUSH YOUR DOG'S TEETH?
DO DENTAL STICKS REALLY WORK?
GNAWING, CHEWING AND BITING ... THE PUPPY'S TEETH
For those of you who have a cat, we look forward to publishing more articles about cats' dental health in the future!