Diseases Caused By Poor Nutrition In Dogs And Cats

The ‘ power is a key aspect for the protection of the health of pets. All species need a complete and balanced diet to develop a strong immune system and strengthen muscles and bones. In this article we will give you all the information you need to avoid any diseases due to poor nutrition in dogs and cats.

The importance of good nutrition in dogs and cats

When you eat well, your body responds better. Aspects such as mood, mood and concentration also benefit greatly from a correct and healthy diet. You have more energy and desire to do, as well as preventing multiple health problems. Such as obesity or much more serious diseases, which could affect the digestive system, but not only.

Even pets deserve to eat well and eat a balanced diet, according to their nutritional needs. Not surprisingly, more and more owners are choosing to provide high quality or even homemade food, in a more natural way.

Other people continue to choose dry food as a basis for feeding their pets. This traditional option offers the advantage of providing an adequate percentage of essential nutrients to your pets at every stage of their life. Of course, you should always choose a high-quality feed, as it will contain more protein and less fat.

The BARF ( Biologically Appropriate Raw Food ) diet respects the nutritional needs of your four-legged friends and gives priority to natural foods of organic origin. It also offers benefits such as facilitating digestion, strengthening the immune system, and facilitating oral hygiene.

However, we must consider that each animal has a different organism and that it takes into account specific nutritional needs. Therefore, it is always advisable to follow the advice of a veterinarian when defining a balanced diet for your dogs and cats.

This professional will help you plan and adhere to an optimal diet based on the weight, age, size, breed and specific conditions of each animal. It is therefore not possible to speak of a standardized diet for each specimen.

Problems of malnutrition

A bad diet can be directly or indirectly related to the development of numerous diseases. It is important to understand that it is not always associated with thinness or malnutrition. An animal can have a picture of obesity and, even so, have symptoms of poor nutrition.

A healthy diet should offer the ideal amount of essential nutrients for each animal’s body. Both the excess and the insufficiency of certain ingredients are harmful to its metabolism. It is precisely in balance, in the right measure, that the key to good general health is hidden.

The malnutrition is a clinical condition that requires a specific treatment with the assumption of particular vitamin elements. In these cases, the vet will recommend a high-calorie diet, with high-quality protein and healthy fats.

The main diseases due to poor nutrition

Allergies

Allergies are the result of a hypersensitive reaction carried out by the immune system. Various sources of animal and plant proteins could be allergenic agents for your pets. Soy, corn, wheat, chicken, fish, dairy products, eggs, are the foods that most commonly cause food intolerances and allergies in animals.

Diarrhea and vomiting

Although they are not diseases, diarrhea and vomiting are the most common symptoms  visible in pets: they indicate a disorder, a general decompensation. The causes can be many: the consequence of indigestion, a sudden change in diet, intoxication or even the aforementioned food allergy.

Gastritis

Gastritis diagnoses are on the rise in pets. Among the main causes we find food intolerances, the presence of intestinal worms and reaction by bacterial antigens. Some animals can also develop it due to poor eating habits, such as spending many hours without eating.

Inflammation of the esophagus

Fortunately, inflammation of the esophagus is not as frequent as the other poor dietary diseases just mentioned. It is a complex clinical picture, which requires careful treatment to restore the good health of the affected animals.

In dogs and cats, inflammation of the esophagus is usually associated with the consumption of cooked meat and bones. The organism of carnivorous or omnivorous animals is prepared to digest them, but in their raw state.

If you don’t want to offer raw meat to your four-legged friend, you can quickly cook it on a grill. But be careful with the bones: if cooked, they can splinter and cause damage to the digestive tract of the animal.