Healthy nutrition, specific diets and adequate care. And perhaps in the near future, anti-aging pills. Thus man’s best friend could live longer than the average person lives today. also dog In fact, like humans, they need a balanced diet, to avoid deficiencies that may lead to imbalances and health problems. The old custom of “dog leftovers”, left to chance, raised by generations of four-legged friends, is now outdated because a dog’s meal, when prepared at home, must always observe the precise rules of food. Adequate food storage and availability of all foods for the correct growth of the animal.
According to data from Anmvi, the National Association of Italian Veterinarians, there are 8.8 million dogs and 10.2 million cats in Italian homes: overall, this is about 4.7 million animals more than in 2019. With the pandemic, more and more Italians have decided to adopt the company of a dog or Cat and interest in their health is high. First of all, we need to focus on portions: according to a survey by Anmvi, among the main mistakes made in dog nutrition are portions that are too large, so much so that a third of dogs are overweight. Many families decide to prepare meals for their four-legged friend at home, preferring them to classic ready-made foods to be sure of what they are eating and to save money, but it is necessary to measure the presence of all foods. Otherwise it is best to use commercial pet food.
“Natural nutrition – explains Marco Melosi, President of Anemfy – is always better, whether for humans or animals. But it can be very complicated to manage because you risk not giving your dog a complete meal with all its ingredients. In fact, it is necessary to ensure the presence of vitamins, amino acids and mineral salts, for example. With ready-made pet foods it is even simpler because the foods are also tailored to the needs of individual age groups: for puppies, for adult dogs, for elderly dogs or for those suffering from various diseases.
Therefore it is always better to seek advice from an expert: knowing the correct doses, based on the age of the animal, its weight and any diseases, you can cook the individual portions and put them in the refrigerator and freezer. It is necessary to respect expected temperatures and timings, as well as ensure proper hygiene even when in contact with food.
Diets
Among the most popular diets are Barf, Bone and Raw Food, i.e. bone and raw food, in which the dog eats raw meat, and Grain-Free, in which the presence of grains is excluded. Both tend to resume the dog’s original diet, which is what the animal would eat if it lived in the wild. So without cooked foods in one case, and without foods like pasta in the other. In the case of parve, it is more important than ever to know what type of meat was used, to know where it came from, and how it was preserved up to that point: it is not a cheap diet, it is meat that needs to be preserved. Carefully selected. In the case of a grain-free diet, and therefore devoid of cereals, which in some cases can act as allergens, the alternative to wheat comes for example from legumes and potatoes. Choosing the correct and balanced diet with all its components, as veterinarians indicate, has led to a longer life for dogs compared to the old habits of eating with leftovers from home.
But that’s not all: research is also trying to ensure that man’s best friend lives for longer years and in good health. An anti-aging pill, developed by California startup Loyal, is currently being tested. A dog generally lives 13 to 15 years on average, which is the minimum that can vary based on breed and health conditions. The pill in question, the first effects of which are not known (research results will probably not arrive before 2026), is part of a genetics study applied to canine species, which starts from analyzing the aging of the animal to understand it. It’s the process and then confronting it. While waiting for the anti-aging pills, all that remains is to ensure proper nutrition for your four-legged friend and allow him to live and play outdoors.
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