Whether your four-legged family member is a new pup or a senior dog, a proper diet is integral to keeping your dog happy and healthy. Unfortunately, there are so many pet foods out there that simply aren’t suitable for our pets, and there’s a variety of reasons for this. More often than not, store-bought pet foods do not include adequate nutritional content, which can lead to various health ailments for your puppy.

For this reason, it’s always the best approach to speak to your vet regarding your pets’ diet. Different dog breeds also require varying daily nutritional intakes, so pet food that is suitable for one type of dog might not be ideal for another. And if you’re wondering what kind of expected and concerning health complaints can emerge from an inadequate diet for your pup, we have listed the most prominent ailments.

Urinary Tract Infections

Urinary tract infections are pretty common in both cats and dogs, and while there are several causes of this common ailment, the wrong pet food is often the culprit. If your pup is experiencing urinary tract complaints, you should opt for special urinary dog food to ensure your pets’ diet is balanced and not negatively impacting their digestive health. In addition to this, you must also always ensure your pup has access to clean water throughout the day, as lack of hydration can also cause urinary tract infections and even lead to kidney stones and infections, which are exceptionally painful.

dog under the blanketDiabetes

Dog diabetes is often associated with poor diet, as with humans. With that said, there are also two types of dog diabetes out there; diabetes mellitus, which is caused by lack of insulin or genetics, and diabetes insipidus, which is a rarer and idiopathic type that occurs spontaneously without any known cause. However, you can help your pup avoid developing the former type of diabetes by balancing your dog’s diet.

Skin And Fur Conditions

One of the first tell-tale signs of poor diets in both cats and dogs is the condition of their fur coat. A healthy pet will have a shiny, soft coat, while a pet with poor nutrition will have a dull, ragged, and even matted coat. Unfortunately, this issue can also lead to various skin conditions; your pet’s hair could fall out more than it should, become patchy, and even inflamed and itchy. Once you change your pet’s diet, you will notice a gradual improvement in their coat.

Obesity

Lastly, another common ailment that develops from a poor diet is obesity. Just as with humans, poor eating habits can lead to excessive weight gain. However, this is commonly seen in neutered pets whose owners don’t change their diet after the operation. Pets tend to become a lot less active after fixing, and as a result, they require a different daily nutritional intake. Avoidance of this can lead to obesity in a relatively short space of time. And while changing the diet and pet food is essential, you should also help your pet by assisting them to stay active and consider a slow feeder bowl that ensures your pet can’t eat too fast or too often.

 

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Holly MacDonald
Holly studied Digital Journalism at University of Strathclyde. A single mum, her young son Thomas battles for adulation with her love of wine and chocolate, and the very occasional guilt-driven Gym appearance. Other than writing, Holly has a love for making jewellery, thanks to her beloved grandmother.