PETS ▲ YOUR PETS ARE WHAT THEY EAT ts not ust hu ans that suffer ro eating too uch unk ood. Many et oods don t contain enough ua ity eat and are bu ked out with ers ike bone ea grains which aren t good or cats and so e dogs are into erant to and ani a derivatives those undesirab e ow- ua ity e overs ro the eat industry . Many oods a so contain arti cia reservatives and co ourings. ver ti e this kind o diet can affect your ets we being and vita ity. enrietta Morrison ounder o i y s itchen i yskitchen.co.uk akers o ro er ood or ets says Many eo e nd switching their et to a hea thier diet eads to a dra atic a in the nu ber o tri s to the vet. ore natura diet with a high eat content es ecia y or cats and ewer additives can ead to better digestion resher breath a hea thier weight shinier coat stronger i une syste . e take a ook at the rob e s our readers ets are dea ing with and how diet cou d be affecting the 'MY DOG HAS ITCHY, FLAKY SKIN' oth dogs and cats can strugg e with dry skin itching dandruff and infla ed cracked skin. his can be caused by arasites such as fleas or ites a ergies to grasses dust ites flea bites or certain oods a edica condition such as hy erthyroidis or overgroo ing due to stress. owever skin rob e s are o en caused or ade worse by a oor diet. ne o the ost i ortant re uire ents or hea thy itch- ree skin is a diet rich in high- ua ity ingredients and acked ALWAYS CHOOSE with essentia atty acids A 'COMPLETE' CAT ex ains enrietta. n e ine ea thy FOOD FOR ALL THE NUTRIENTS YOUR KITTY NEEDS. CATS CAN BE FUSSY EATERS SO FIND A FOOD HE ENJOYS articu ar o ega- and atty acids ound in sh oi s and flax oi as we as borage oi sa ower oi and vita in E he to kee skin hea thy. n y own dog i y changing her to our natura ood was the on y thing that c eared u her itchy skin condition. 'MY CAT IS OVERWEIGHT' ust ike hu ans our ets have an idea hea thy weight says enrietta. eing overweight can cause serious rob e s inc uding heart disease diabetes oint rob e s arthritis and i ited obi ity. eight gain can be caused by a edica issue such as an underactive thyroid so get your et checked out by a vet but as with hu ans the cause is usua y too uch ood and too itt e exercise. ith dogs you can increase their activity with ots o ong wa ks but its not so easy with cats! More re uent and energetic ayti es with toys they can chase around can he to get the oving ore. or both cats and dogs diet is crucia or he ing the ose the excess at and aintain a hea thy weight. ho eso e ba anced reci es ade with resh y re ared eat wi he says enrietta. void atty or nutritiona y use ess ers and harder-to-digest eat ea . der cats with oint rob e s nd it harder to exercise and burn ca ories so a diet rich in o ega oi s to su ort their oints is i ortant. Never starve your et its not good or the to ose weight too uick y. ook or ean hea thy eats such as duck and turkey. our vet can advise you and onitor their rogress. 'MY DOG HAS DODGY DIGESTION' rob e s such as diarrhoea excess wind and consti ation can be caused by in ections co itis wor s and other rob e s so ake sure your vet ru es out any edica issues. owever diet a so ays an i ortant ro e in your ets digestive hea th. Every dog owner is in tune with their oochs digest hea th because they re the one who has to dea with the end resu t! says enrietta. resh natura ingredients are ore easi y digestib e than over- rocessed stuff u o eat ea or ani a derivatives . hoose ood ade ro resh y re ared eat and vegetab es. or cats a high- rotein high eat diet is i ortant without any grains. o e dogs a so strugg e with grains so ook or grain- ree reci es. > www.athomemagazine.co.uk AUGUST 2017 | 281http://www.athomemagazine.co.uk