A proper and balanced diet is the foundation for a healthy life:
Nutritional needs vary by species and through life. To make sure that your pet makes a correct diet, seek advice from your veterinarian.
The first dilemma: homemade or industrial food
When we talk about home cooking we are talking about a meal prepared by you based on ingredients such as rice, meat and vegetables. The cost factor is one of the disadvantages but also the time spent on meal preparation, and mainly, the difficulty of achieving a balanced mixture containing the correct proportions of protein, fat, calcium, phosphorus, fiber, vitamins and trace elements. If the food does not contain sufficient and equal amounts of all these nutrients in order to meet the needs of your dog, severe nutritional deficiencies may occur and give rise to abnormal growth, very harmful to the harmonious development of your pet.
Industrial food standards for balanced and contains all essential nutrients to the different life stages of your pet.
Stages of life
Throughout life, the needs of your pet will vary and you should choose the appropriate food to each phase. The various stages are:
• Newborns - need milk. Ideally, the mother's milk. When this is not possible, you should opt for the species own milk powder. Never use cow's milk.
• Youth (from weaning to adulthood) - as they are growing, their nutritional needs are increased. It is a very demanding stage, so a good pet food will make a healthier adult animal.
• Adults - need a maintenance diet. Please note that the caloric requirements in the adult animal can vary greatly depending on whether he is sterile/whole or is more active/idle.
• Females in the last third of pregnancy or breast-feeding - their nutritional needs are increased and should be given a dog food/ kittens, depending on the species. Thus, babies may also start to eat the food of the mother without risk of malnutrition.
• Geriatric - at this stage the caloric needs are greatly reduced, but the needs in trace elements, antioxidants and fat acids increase. It is also a very sensitive stage of your pet's life, in which good nutrition can contribute to a more healthy aging.
Differences between species?
The differences between the metabolism and physiology of the dog and cat are huge. As such, you should never give dog food to cats and vice versa.
In the case of cats, you must complement the dry food (feed) with the moist food (cans or sachets) as cats drink little water. Dogs are perfectly adapted to eat only dry food and should be avoided moist food, to promote better oral hygiene.
