A Healthy Guide To Feeding Your Dog

We’ve see losts of dogs over the years at the sanctuary with numerous problems that are related to diet. A very common problem we encounter is dry itchy skin, hair loss, dull eyes and dry nose. Over excitement or lack of energy is common too. Of course we’ve seen our fair share of malnutrition as dogs that come into the sanctuary have often been neglected through no fault of their own.

Owners often get in touch after prescribed medicines have failed to cure the problem and have we been able to offer suggestions on diet which has resulted in dramatic improvement in health. We have used the same principals of a healthy balanced diet for many dogs over the years with behavioural problems. The use of dorwest herbs and plenty of fresh air has worked wonders too for many owners.

In many cases we have found the underlying cause of the problem to be commercial dog foods. Many commercial dog foods contain ingredients that should never be used. Propylene glycol is one such additive used to help preserve the moisture content in some commercial dog foods. It’s also used in anti-freeze to defrost your car windows in the morning. Can you hear alarm bells ringing? Unfortunately the requirements for what is safe and not safe to put in dog food is not the same as food for human consumption. Dry dog foods are often the worst when it comes to health problems with many brands of tinned food not far behind.

So what should I feed my dog?

Local butchers are almost a thing of the past, so getting hold of fresh meat and preparing a meal for your pet isn’t really practical in busy modern life. Thankfully there are a number of responsible companies out there now that make convenient natural dog food with no nasties added. Natures menu is our tried and tested dog food of choice. We have used their frozen meal packs with great success over the years and can really see the difference in dogs after only a few weeks of use. They produce frozen meat meals for dogs using meat fit for human consumption and add vegetables to give a balanced all in one feed. It is simple and quick to use. Some dogs might find it a bit bland after commercial sugary tinned meat but stick with it. Eventually they will no longer crave the fix of meat and jelly and will wolf down the natural diet.   We usually find after a few weeks on natures menu, most symptoms disappear and dogs look glossy and healthy again.

If raw meat is not for you, you could try Robbies natural dog food which is a cereal based dried food food made to very high standards. We have used it before with similar great results.

We also use and recommend Dorwest Herbs which produce a great line of products to treat all kinds of problems. Dorwest Keepers mix is great to put on food and we use this as an all year round supplement for dogs.

You can buy Natures Menu direct from the Sanctuary and you are more than welcome to come down and have a chat about your pets diet with Jo or Kate. Alternatively, give us a call on 07872 421878 or email us with any questions.

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