A high-quality, balanced diet is fundamental to your dog’s health, but do you know why? Here are some dog health issues that are directly affected by diet.
1. Obesity
Obesity is a national epidemic in dogs, affecting more than 50% of American dogs.1To make matters worse, obese dogs are more susceptible to arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer. According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP), a shorter lifespan has also been linked to pet obesity, and unfortunately, of all pets ultimately classified as obese by veterinarians, over 90% of dog owners initially thought their pet was in the normal weight range.
Pay particular attention to the calorie and fat levels in your dog’s food. While both are important in their diet, too much of either can cause or exacerbate obesity in your dog. Similarly, finding the right dog diet that limits calories and fat can help an overweight or obese dog lose weight and ultimately help your dog live a healthier lifestyle.
Consult your veterinarian or use petMD’s healthy weight calculator to determine your pet’s ideal weight.
2. Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis occurs when the pancreas becomes inflamed, causing digestive enzymes to spill into the abdomen. When this happens, the enzymes begin breaking down fats and proteins in the pancreas as well as other organs.
“Dietary fat is known to be associated with the development of pancreatitis in dogs and may stimulate the secretion of hormones that prompt the pancreas to secrete digestive hormones,” says Jennifer Coates, MD. Talk to your veterinarian about whether your dog’s current dietary fat intake may be increasing his risk of pancreatitis. If your dog already has pancreatitis, Dr. Coates recommends feeding him a bland dog diet that’s low in fat and easy to digest.
3. Bladder stones
Bladder stones are not all the same. They are made up of different types of minerals and other substances. For example, calcium oxalate bladder stones are made up mainly of calcium, while struvite is made up mainly of magnesium and phosphate. Bladder stones may start out small, but over time they can grow in number and size, causing problems like urinary accidents, discolored urine, and straining to urinate.
If you think your dog may be suffering from bladder stones, consult your veterinarian. Your veterinarian can identify the type of bladder stone and recommend foods that will dissolve it or, if it’s a type of stone that can’t be dissolved by food, such as calcium oxalate, recommend surgery to remove the stones. They can also recommend a special diet to help prevent bladder stones from forming.
Even if your dog is not currently suffering from bladder stones, a diet low in calcium and phosphorus may be helpful. Your veterinarian will know what is best for your dog’s situation.
4. Heart disease
Dogs, just like us humans, are prone to heart disease, especially if their diet is not properly balanced. One of the key contributing factors to heart disease in dogs is sodium (salt) intake. “Increased sodium in the diet increases the sodium concentration in the blood,” says veterinarian Ken Tudor. “Increased sodium levels cause fluid to accumulate in the blood vessels, increasing blood pressure. With increased blood pressure, a diseased heart must continue to expand to overcome the increased pressure to pump blood from the ventricles.”
Are you feeding your dog table scraps? Is his current diet too high in sodium? Talk to your vet about these issues and how your dog might benefit from a healthier, lower sodium diet.
5. Diarrhea
Dogs often suffer from diarrhea, but there are two main types: small intestinal and large intestinal. “Dogs with small intestinal diarrhea will usually pass large amounts of loose stool, but only a few times a day,” says Dr. Coates. “If the abnormality is concentrated in the colon, affected dogs will usually try to pass small amounts of watery stool frequently throughout the day – this is large intestinal diarrhea.”
“We know that if you have large intestinal diarrhea, a high-fiber diet is beneficial,” says Dr. Coates. “Ideally, you should be consuming both soluble fiber (the type that colonic bacteria can use as food) and insoluble fiber (which isn’t digested).” For small intestinal diarrhea, Dr. Coates recommends a bland-tasting, low-fat, easily digestible diet.
Talk to your veterinarian about why fat, fiber, calcium, phosphorus and other dietary nutrients play an important role in your dog’s health. Your veterinarian may also have some important new dietary recommendations to consider, given your dog’s particular life stage and lifestyle.
