Dog Food and Health

Daniel Wagstaff
Aug 6, 2024
6 min read

Updated: Jan 9

What do you feed your dog? Do you know the impact it can have on their health?

Let’s face it, our treasured pooches often feel more than just a dog to us. We want to look after them as we would any other family member and we do the best we can with the knowledge we have. But as I have learned over Roscoe’s 9 years with us, the default way we are taught is not always the best for them.

Section #1: The Problem with Dog Food

Section #2: My Experience

Section #3: Some Solutions

Section #4: Recipes

Section #5: Supplement Links

The Problem with Dog Food

When we first got Roscoe, we did what a lot of people do and just fed him store-bought dog food, either the tinned meat jelly or the dry biscuits. As the years go by, you see them grow up and mature into an adult, behaving normally and probably thinking nothing of what their standard diet is doing for them.

As it normally goes, it was a slow progression of small ailments with Roscoe that led us to the vets one day. Having gone in to treat itchy ears and paws, we also found out that he was quite overweight. Roscoe’s ideal weight range is 15-18kgs, and the vet weighed him at 22kgs! That’s around a third of his ideal body weight heavier. Looking back on photos now, it is clear to see he was quite big, but as is so often the case, these things creep up without you noticing.

Image by freepik

Having been given a list of drugs to treat his various conditions, some of which were lifelong repeat prescriptions, we decided to look deeper into natural treatments for him, and this is what led us to change his diet. Don’t get me wrong, medicine has its place, but in my opinion, it should only be used as a temporary measure when necessary.

Leaving the vets with some medicines and a bit of a telling-off, I decided to approach these problems the same way I do with my own health: find out the root cause of each problem and correct it. My mum and I both have a keen interest in natural health, so we began a joint project to improve Roscoe’s health as well.

Having looked into standard store-bought dog food, I found that there was so much rubbish in them, it was no wonder he was overweight. Preservatives, fillers, meat by-products (the unwanted, sometimes diseased bits of animals), excessive carbs, sugar, and salt. We had to make a change and get him off this food. This is where we decided to start making him his own food so we knew exactly what he was getting from his diet and we had control over refining it to best suit his needs and tolerance.

My Experience

Sure enough, over the coming months, he began shedding his extra weight and before long looked like a whole new dog! He was down to 15.5kgs and maintaining it consistently. He has so much more energy throughout the day, which is lovely to see. Gone are the days of him struggling to get up Beacon Hill (our local hike); he now strides up there without any problems. Usually waiting for us might I add.

The final part of Roscoe’s daily diet is a midday muffin! When we first introduced his new diet, we found that he didn’t seem quite satisfied enough, and his weight dropped a little under 15kgs, so we introduced a lunchtime snack to top up his intake. We have found that feeding him 500g per day of this food, plus one muffin per day, has kept him right where he should be.

Image by freepik

You may remember that on our trip to the vet, we initially went in for his itchy ears and paws. Again, since changing his food, we have seen an improvement in both of these symptoms. Roscoe used to suffer from ear flare-ups roughly every 6 months, but this has improved a lot, and in fact, as I write this, I can’t recall the last time he suffered with itchy ears.

In terms of his paws, the vet informed us that this could be an allergy to something either inside the house, like carpets, or one of the many substances from outside, grasses, and such. The pleasure of trying to find out would be a very expensive blood test that may or may not reveal something concrete, and could end up being something unavoidable anyway! With this information, we decided to put the blood test on hold and persist with diet a little further. We removed chicken in an attempt to help his paw licking, and that made a small difference, but not much. What did help noticeably were some tablets we introduced. From the brand Pick Peanut, we use their Better Blend Pre & Probiotics. It did take a few months to make a difference, but he seems a much more relaxed dog now rather than chewing his feet all the time.

If you can relate to any of the problems that I have spoken about and feel that your dog could benefit from these home cooked meals, then why not give them a try? Thanks to my mum, who cooks all of Roscoe’s meals for me, I can share that with you all in the hope that it can make an improvement in your dog’s health, giving them a healthier and happier life. Of course, some dogs have their own special requirements and ailments that need specific attention, but in general, I think all dogs can benefit from a home-cooked diet.

Some Solutions

Firstly, find out from the vet what your dog’s ideal weight should be and their approximate calorific intake per day if possible. You can then keep track of this using your weight scales at home by weighing yourself holding your dog, then again without and calculating the difference. You can adapt our recipe amounts to suit your dog’s required intake but be sure to introduce new foods and amounts gradually to allow their bodies to adapt.

We have created some downloadable recipe files for the food stated in this blog, which you can find at the bottom of this page, and we will endeavour to bring you some more as the site progresses. One thing to note, I have noticed that Roscoe drinks less than he used to, and I have put this down to the high percentage of water in the recipes. He always has a bowl of water available but also seems to prefer puddles and streams while out walking too…

In addition to the raw ingredients in these recipes, you will also find some supplements.

As with my own health, I make sure I get as much of the nutrients as possible from a balanced diet and only supplement the ingredients I can't get enough of through my food.

You can find a brief description of each supplement below and further details on the product pages. The nettle leaves and turmeric can even be incorporated into your own diet to benefit your own health. There are many studies that show the power of turmeric and its benefits for inflammation, which is thought to be the root cause of a lot of illness and disease. I take turmeric daily in capsule form and although I lead an active lifestyle with a good diet, I rarely get ill and have continued in good health for many years now.

If you have found some value in this blog, then leave some comments and keep me up to date on whether any of these suggestions have made a difference to your dog. Lastly, consider following my social channels and subscribing to my website emailing list to keep up to date with the book and any other blog releases.