Adult animals dietary advice III

Sensitive skin

• Some animals, especially dogs, have a tendency to itch or scratch, or have occasional reddening of the skin, and it can be related to food or environmental allergies.
• However, while these problems are often seen, it is important to correctly treat your animal against fleas and other parasites first, before you consider dietary sensitivities.
  
• Some individuals can be very badly affected and require medication or prescription diets, but others just benefit from dietary management.
• Diets designed to help dogs with sensitive skin tend to contain a small number of protein sources, to reduce food sensitivity and increased fatty acids and antioxidants to maintain the skin in good health. They also tend to be free from wheat, gluten, red meats and dairy products, all of which are common foods to which pets can be allergic.
• There are lots of diets on the market which bill themselves as 'natural' or 'from nature'. While these products may contain fewer additives, they are NOT hypoallergenic or always suitable for animals with sensitivities.
  

Diets for sensitive skin will use low allergenic foods, and contain ingredients to help maintain the skin in good health	Reddening of the skin, itchy skin, ears or paws, or excessive grooming can all be signs of irritated skin.	If your pet has sensitive skin, only use diets that state that on the bag, diets billed as 'natural' may be no better than ordinary ones.

Sensitive stomach

• Many animals have sensitive stomachs, and are prone to bouts of diahorrea or vomiting, sometimes after eating unusual foods or treats, but not always.
• For these animals ordinary cat and dog foods can be too rich, or contain too many additives for their digestive system to cope with.
• There are prescription diets available for the worst affected individuals but sometimes just changing to a diet designed for sensitive stomachs can help.
• These diets tend to contain highly digestable ingredients, such as high quality proteins, which are more easily absorbed by th body, higher levels of fibre to encourage solid faeces and added nourishment for the cells of the intestines, so they function correctly.
• Animals with sensitive stomachs also often benefit from being fed several small meals in a day, rather than just one large one.

There are several diets designed especially for pets with sensitive stomachs on the market, but sometimes a premium food of any kind can be beneficial, as they are such high quality	Animals with sensitive stomachs can benefit from little and often feeding	Good quality diets will help pets with sensitive stomachs have healthy, solid stools

Weight control

• Some animals are prone to weight gain, this may be because they are less active, they are of a breed which is at risk of weight gain, for example Labradors or Staffordshire Bull Terriers, or they have been neutered, which slows the metabolic rate.
• Animals who have gained weight are at risk from many diseases, including arthritis, heart disease and diabetes, and recent studies have proved that animals who are over weight do not live as long as their thinner pets.
  
• It can be difficult to keep some animals at the right weight while feeding normal food, without them becoming very hungry.
• Weight control diets are generally just lighter versions of the normal diets, they tend to be higher in fibre and lower in fat, so your pet feels full but takes in fewer calories.
• Always take the advice of your vet before starting your pet on a diet, they will be able to advise you on the best way to go about it, and on the correct amounts to feed.
  

There are many different light diets on the market for pets, always ask your vet for advice on which will be best for your pet, and how best to feed it.