Dog food: Are we feeding too much?

How aware are dog owners of the nutritional needs of their furry companions? While nutrition is key to a long and healthy life for your dog, nearly half of all dog owners don’t know what type of or how much dog food to feed their dogs.

Making sure your dog is eating the right foods, and in the right amount for optimal nutrition, is part of being a responsible dog owner. But there are so many myths and misconceptions out there surrounding dog food that it can be confusing to know what is best for your breed. We asked 2,800 dog owners about their dog feeding habits and found some surprising results.

Undoubtedly we all love our dogs but are we unwittingly doing them more harm than good? Dogs are becoming more and more a part of our daily lives – we see them in restaurants and in the office all the time now, but that doesn’t mean we need to start treating them like humans, or namely, giving them human food that can be harmful. While 92% of respondents knew that chocolate was dangerous, 30% didn’t know grapes or raisins were harmful, 44% didn’t know nuts can be harmful and a whopping 60% didn’t know mushrooms can dangerous to dogs.

As Head Vet Sean McCormack says, “There are many human foods that are dangerous to dogs, so it’s worth learning what’s safe and what’s not.” Head to our handy no-go and go-to list to see what’s not allowed!  If feeding human foods as treats, choose healthy options such as lean unprocessed meats, healthy vegetables such as carrots or green beans, and be careful not to provide too much.

The survey also indicated that 47% of owners had ‘no idea’ how many calories their dogs should take in. Indeed, only 9% of owners said they knew how many calories their dogs should get each day. This lack of awareness can quickly lead to overweight or underweight dogs which can potentially increase health problems for your dogs. Worryingly, 13% of dog owners admit they lie to their vet about their dog’s feeding behaviours. 

Telling porky-pies about those pork pies isn’t helpful; vets are there to help your dog live a longer, happier life. Each tails.com package comes with a custom scoop, perfect for your dog so you can give the correct amount that he or she should be eating based on his or her condition. You can keep your dog in shape by tracking their calorie and feeding plan with their personalised tails.com profile.  

Every dog is different, and there are so many factors that influence what your dog needs to keep in optimal health, including the type of dog food, calorie intake, lifestyle and more. The first step for any dog owner is to gain awareness of what is best for your dog specifically, not relying on generic labels, but from a tailor-made approach. If you want to learn more about what dog owners are feeding their pups and ways you can keep your dog in the best of health, check out the infographic below.

Get to know everything about dog weight management and why it’s important.

To view the infographic on mobile, click here.