John Burns argues a diet too heavy in meat can harm pet health
By now many humans who even attempted a January detox have fallen back off the wagon and landed in a chocolate cake or pint of beer.
But while reaching for the biscuit tin can wreak havoc on our waistlines, even a “small” treat can harm your dog’s health and lead to weight gain.
A dog chewing one biscuit is equivalent to a human scoffing 10.
The Burns Pet Nutrition pet census found that 89% of dog owners think their pet’s weight is normal, while vets sat at least a third of pooches are packing extra pounds.
- It also found a common misconception of what dogs of healthy weight look like.
- Many believe a visible rib cage means their pooch is too skinny, but the rib cage should be easily felt and the belly tuck inwards from the middle.
- John Burns, vet and founder of our company Burns Pet Nutrition, argues dogs should be fed on brown rice, meat and vegetables in equal proportions, inspired by the macrobiotic diet.
The Channel 5 documentary, The Truth About Your Dog’s Food, questions whether commercial dog food is a major cause of the obesity crisis in dogs. It delves into the history of dog food, homecooked and vegetarian diets, natural versus commercially prepared food, and the controversial raw or BARF diet, which argues dogs have the same digestive systems as wolves.
…only select pet foods which list each individual ingredient, and avoid foods that use vague descriptions such as “cereals and animal derivatives”
This makes it easier to identify and avoid ingredients to which your pet may be allergic or intolerant.
Antioxidants
Antioxidants are used in dry pet foods to prevent fats from oxidising and going rancid.
Burns Pet Nutrition uses vitamin E and rosemary oil as natural antioxidants rather than highly chemicalised BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin. This is a trend which has been adopted by many other manufacturers.
