Hey Woofa’s,

I’ve had a few conversations in the Salon lately about Dog Food!

Most people just do what they think is best but find it all very confusing at the same time.

Some people feed their dogs canned food, some feed their dogs raw food only, or dry food only, others prefer to prepare their dogs food, and some have put their dogs on vegetarian or vegan diets!!!!

While I don’t agree with some of those choices, each dog owner has to make the best choice for themselves and their dog.

I remember last year when we went to The Dog Lover’s Show, there were sooooo many different Pet Food Stalls.  Yes we did line up to get samples, but what I found was everyone’s food was THE BEST!  One guy even told  me to stop feeding Billy vegetables!!!!  Implying that his Dry Dog Food was better!!!

HOW is dry dog food better than freshly steamed & mashed vegetables?  Dry dog food has to go through a process to turn it into a little biscuit looking thing!  Needless to say I wasn’t impressed!

I mentioned to Dean, that if you were a new dog owner, visiting all those stalls would’ve been totally confusing.

When you think about it, it’s no different to what we’re told about our food, one minute something is really good for us and the next it seems we shouldn’t go near it!!!

So let’s start with what we’re feeding our dogs RIGHT NOW.  Here’s a quick check-list to go through too see how healthy your dog’s current diet is for them.

HOW TO TELL IF YOUR DOG’S DIET IS HEALTHY!

One way to tell if your dog’s diet is healthy, is to take a good overall close look at your dog.  I mean REALLY look at them and run your hands over them if you have to!

Take note of the following:-

1. What does your dog’s coat look like?  Is it nice and shining or dull, constantly has hair falling out (not shedding) but has hair falling out that leaves bald patches, what does it feel like etc?  The condition of your dog’s coat can indicate how healthy your dog is.
2. What is your dog’s skin like?  Is your dog constantly itchy, has red blotches, what’s it like to touch etc.  Something to be aware of is if your dog is itching a lot (and fleas have been ruled out) then there could be a food allergy present.
3. Is your dog’s weight in proportion to their breed (or cross breed) size?  Basically, is your dog overweight or underweight?  You can tell this by whether or not you can see their waistline, or are their ribs sticking out?  You can also check with your trusted vet.  Some dog food may be too high in fat content (for your dog/breed) and others might have too much unknown substances in them that are affecting your dog causing them to loose weight or become malnourished.
4. Does your dog pass wind (fart &/or burp) a lot?  This is also an indication that your dog’s food isn’t agreeing with them.  I remember we changed Billy’s dry food flavour (thinking we were doing the right thing giving him variety) from Salmon/Sardine flavour to Kangaroo flavour.  After we changed him he was constantly farting every night!!!   The first few times were funny, then it became too constant and an issue.  By doing a process of elimination, we worked out it was the change in flavour of his dry food.  Needless to say we changed him right back again.
5. What does your dog’s poo look like?  Yes I’m asking you to go out and look at their poo.  The quality of your dog’s poo also tells you a lot about how their food is working for them.  Is the poo nice and brown and firm or is it constantly runny?  Or are they showing signs of constipation, where they’re trying to poo but nothing is coming out with ease or at all?
6. How does your dog’s breath smell?  I mean there’s normal dog breath and then there’s really stinky dog breath.  As a Groomer dealing with a dog’s mouth is a day to day thing, from grooming to licking right through to nipping/biting.  Usually, really smelly breath comes down to their teeth hygiene, are their teeth nice and white or are they brown.  What causes the brown on the teeth is lots of wet food and no hard food like raw bones or dry food.  By eating these hard foods it can help keep the teeth clean.  Nowadays there’s also doggy toothpaste to clean them with.
7. Is your dog prone to ear infections, skin infections or needs anal glands cleared out a lot?  Any of these could also be an indication of poor diet.
8. What is your dog’s energy level like?  Is your dog always hypo and can’t seem to settle, or are they always lethargic and never want to do anything? Amongst other things, food can determine their energy levels.

Okay so you’ve gone through the check-list, how did you go?

If in doubt, go visit your trusted vet or give them a call.  Obviously, there’s going to be times when your dog might have something else going on that’s causing some of these issues, again if you know about it so does your trusted vet and you’re working towards monitoring and fixing it etc

I do know that some vets like to push expensive pet food onto their clientele, this is why I always put TRUSTED VET.

It’s important to find a vet that is not only good with your dog but also that you feel comfortable talking with openly about anything to do with your dog.  A trusted vet where you feel comfortable saying, sorry I can’t afford that food what other options are there etc. Or you could ask them what they feed their dog.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?

What to feed your dog can be confusing.

Ask yourself these 8 questions about your dog.  Check out your dog while doing so, to get an idea of how their food is affecting them.

This will give you an indication on whether or not their food is working for them.

When in doubt ALWAYS check with your TRUSTED VET.

IN THE COMMENTS BELOW – BILLY WOULD LIKE TO KNOW – WHAT YOU FEED YOUR DOGS?

Cheers