Pet food diets come in a vast variety these days, leaving pet parents often confused about what food is best for their dog or cat. There are so many ingredients, so many different messages, so many celebrities touting their “favourite” brand that it is easy to lose sight of what is and what isn’t a good diet.
So, we’ll put it into perspective for you!
Let’s look at it in relation to a human diet. Junk food = a poor diet. If we are constantly eating a diet high in fat, sugar, carbs and ingredients called "fillers" that have little nutritional value our health will decline rapidly, our teeth and waistlines will suffer and medical bills will soar. This is the same for our pets.
Supermarket pet foods are made for the most basic of nutritional needs, and their main ingredients are fillers (such as cereals, offal and soybean products). Their appeal to your pet is created with artificial colour and flavour enhancers, but their low levels of fatty acids means your pet's skin and coat will be one of the many things that suffer.
While many supermarket pet foods will fill them and keep them chugging along, the low nutritional value will lower their quality of life and will end up costing you more than a quality, vet-approved diet. Why? Because diseases that could have been preventable through a good diet will rear their ugly heads in later life. Not to mention that pets on pet foods such as Hill’s Science Diet, Hill's Prescription diet and Black Hawk diet live up to a third longer than those on supermarket pet foods!
Here are the key advantages of a vet-approved diet:
• Little to no fillers
• High biological value proteins are the main ingredient
• No added artificial colours or flavours
• Optimal fibre levels
• A correct balance of fatty acids to assist skin and coat health
• Higher palatability