Food that is not species appropriate for dogs and cats- this can mean several things – poor quality kibbles, filled with fillers (items with poor nutritional value which simply are in the kibble because it is cheap and because this increases the margins of pet food companies- think wheat, corn, soy, gluten) or where the bulk of the ingredients are meat items we recognize like chicken, fish or meat followed by “meal” meaning they are whatever is left over from the human industry that is then extruded and made into kibble, or even inappropriate meals like rotis and milk, rice and curd or meals suitable f or humans which are fed to dogs or cats.
Pet Nutritionist Anjali Kalachand shares signs to look for that show your pet is under a poor diet plan.One thing to note: cats are obligate carnivores and dogs are omnivores but will self-select meat over veg on any given day.
The quality of their food plays a role in their overall wellbeing, disease prevention and longevity. A poor diet will allow your pet to merely survive and not thrive.
If your pets are:
• Not at their ideal body condition, are either overweight due to the meals being very high on carbs or they are losing weight because their meals are not providing them with adequate nutrition
• Suffering from recurring skin and coat issues – dryness and flakiness, excessive shedding, itchiness, dry coat and even alopecia, dull, brittle coat
• Having recurring digestive upset – vomiting, diarrhea because something in their diet is not suiting them
• Lethargic and weak- due to lack of nutrients in the meals they are eating
• Displaying behavioral changes like irritability, aggression and inability to focus or concentrate
• Suffering from a compromised immune system leading to illnesses and infections
• Having a poor muscle tone- not enough high-quality protein in their diet
• Suffering from urinary tract infections and crystals
• Having eye issues – especially for cats if there is a lack of taurine in the diet this can lead to eye issues
It might be time for you to look at what you are putting into their food bowl. Always choose fresh over processed, ensure there is enough high quality protein in the meals and always read the label if you are feeding food from a bag to ensure that the ingredients are high quality and the bulk of the nutrition is not coming from a synthetic vitamin and mineral mix added to their food, which is anyway low on bioavailability as opposed to fresh ingredients.
