Winter changes your pets nutritional needs

By Dr Shatanu Kalambi

New Delhi, Dec 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) Feeding your pets the proper foods in the right amounts is crucial. Pets need a specific balance of protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water each day to maintain their normal physiological functions. Like different individuals, many dogs have distinct dietary requirements. The needs of adult pets differ from those of newborn and young pets.

Pets who are expecting, nursing, or have diabetes have special dietary needs. An adequate diet is essential to prevent or treat health diseases like obesity, diarrhoea, arthritis, thyroid, and other conditions. The majority of pet diets do not meet nutritional needs and must be supplemented with nutritious toppers like Henlo. The immune system and metabolism of your pet are supported by these nutrients.

Like other seasons, winter can have an impact on your pet's appetite. Because they require a little more fat to stay warm and prevent freezing, pets eat more during the winter. Pets will move less and exercise less when the temperature drops. Their metabolism slows down as a result, and they eat fewer calories. In this situation, individuals should eat fewer foods that are low in calories and carbs and high in fibre, protein, vitamins, and minerals.

Here are some tips by Dr Shatanu Kalambi, chief vet, Supertails.com

For dogs, increase the calorie nutrition in their diet

Even though dogs love to play and go outside, during winter even they become lazy. According to research, dogs exposed to cold temperatures require two to three times the calories that dogs exposed to more moderate temperatures require. The increased calorie intake produces greater fat storage and insulation while minimising and balancing for the calorie loss caused by shivering.

Always serve warm food to aid in digestion

Aren't you warming up for your food multiple times during winter? Well, dogs are no different. Dogs digest food similarly to humans, therefore, we should infer that warm meals help them similarly to how they benefit us.

Consider giving supplements or a nutrition topper

If you haven't already understood the gist of how similar your dog is to you. Here is another important factor which will make you understand the similarity even more. Just like humans need some extra supplements since we're not always on top of our diets, as the weather changes, many pets' eating habits change as well. To ensure that they are getting the proper amount of nutrition, you can add supplements to their diet or top up their meals with nutrition topper.

Keep an eye on their coat and behaviour for signs of nutritional deficiencies

You know how your knees ache and back ache, how you have spots on your body due to deficiency. Similarly, pets, like humans, can exhibit indications of malnutrition, such as dull, brittle coats and dry, flaking skin. Check for these symptoms and make the necessary dietary modifications.

Since most pets don't drink much water in the winter, be sure to include it in their meals so they keep hydrated and always have access to fresh water.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)

Source: IANS