Is your pet a fussy eater? Give him variety & taste packed with nutrition – Try mix feeding

Considering pets cannot verbally communicate we should ideally be more understanding and

receptive to their needs, requirements and health. Over the time people have learnt that homemade

food albeit fresh is not a complete & balanced meal for the pet primarily because the nutrition

requirements of a pet differ from humans.

In India much like the western countries the focus on pet health & care is growing rapidly. Pets are

more often taken to veterinary doctors not just when they are unwell but for overall annual health

check-ups. The other big trend that is picked up is on usage of pet food for pets meal , pet parents

are now more concerned about pet health & use pet food products widely available in the market.

 People are now moving ahead in favour of a new category ‘mix feeding’ rather than traditional dry

and chewy food. Mixed feeding is simply combining dry and wet (Pouch/cans). As both are complete

and balanced pet foods, no worries of adding any supplements or home food.  How do you know

that you are feeding right food for your pet?  How do you know your pet is healthy and happy? The

following five signs of healthy pet will help monitor his health and happiness

5 Signs of Good Health:-

 Shiny skin and coat

 Strong muscles

 Better digestion

 Healthy teeth and bone

 Better immunity

Feeding mix of wet and dry foods in a well-planned diet provides better control over weight gain and

has better advantages than feeding either only wet or dry pet foods.

Mixed food feeding in early life may help dogs become more accepting of different formats in later

life. Mixed food is good for your dog to avoid surplus calories in its diet, and ensures good oral

health, palatable and urinary tract health. It also potentially reduces the risk of over feeding and

increases the water content in dry food which encourages the dog to eat slowly. Mixed food also

provides a lot more variety in terms of format, texture and flavour and keeps the diet balanced.

A study has been performed which shows that a typical home prepared food for adult dogs in India

was deficient in calcium, potassium, vitamin D and vitamin E according to NRC (National Research

Council) guidelines. To overcome the above issues Dr KG Umesh suggests some tips to responsible

Indian dog owners

 Home-made diets (eg. Curds and Rice) contains more water (60- 80 %) but NOT adequate

levels of Energy, Vitamins, Minerals your pet should need. On the other hand 1 Can Wet

Food is equal to 15 eggs or 45 slices of bread or 1.4kg of spinach for some vital nutrients.