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Pet nutrition vs. Human nutrition

9 June 2021

Food, glorious food. We need it to survive, and so do our pets.

Just like humans, there are some pets that live to eat, while others eat to live. The only difference is that it’s up to us to ensure they have a healthy, complete and balanced diet.

Our pets have vastly different nutritional requirements than we do, and food also plays an important role not only in supplying their nutritional needs, but also their psychological ones. A well balanced, varied and interesting diet can go a long way to keeping your pet in peak physical and mental condition.

We have very different nutritional needs than our pets and this should be reflected in what we feed them. Cats, for example, have evolved as obligate carnivores and therefore require a meat-based diet. Dogs are omnivores and need a balance of animal protein and non-protein sources. These can be supplied in the diet with the right mix of nutritional supplements.

 

What not to feed your pets:

There are also several foods that our pets need to avoid. Onions and garlic, chocolate, raisins and grapes, xylitol and alcohol just to name a few. Table scraps and high fat foods can also cause upset tummies.

Finding information regarding how and what to feed your pet can be overwhelming. It seems everyone has an opinion on what’s best for them. It’s important that your information comes from a reliable independent source, backed by science and research, and whose information is regularly reviewed.

 

Written by Greencross Vets

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