Banfield, The Pet Hospital® Offers Pet Nutrition Tips For March Pet Nutrition Month

In light of difficult economic times, many Pet owners are looking for ways to trim their budgets. While it may be tempting to switch to lower-cost Pet foods, Banfield, The Pet Hospital® reminds Pet owners about the long-term cost-efficiency of feeding their Pets higher-quality diets. “Nutrition is the foundation of good health, and a quality diet can actually decrease your Pet’s chance of developing costly health problems in the future,” says Karen J. Johnson, DVM, Banfield. High quality food tends to include less fillers. As a result, more nutrients are directly absorbed and utilized by the Pet’s body. Additionally, feeding Pets a high quality diet decreases the amount he or she needs to be fed. Banfield, The Pet Hospital urges Pet owners to consider the following tips:

• Feed your Pet foods that are made by companies known for ongoing nutritional research. Make sure your Pet’s food is fresh by minimizing the time period food is stored. Feed your Pet the right amount according to your Pet’s weight, and avoid feeding Pets as much as he or she wants, or feeding large amounts at one time.
• Maintain a consistent daily feeding schedule to help your Pet keep normal elimination habits, as well as avoid indoor accidents.
• Pay close attention to the first three ingredients on the label of your Pet’s food. The most nutritionally-rich Pet foods contain whole ingredients in the top ingredients, instead of “meals” or ground skeletal meats, organs or connective tissue. By-product “meals” do have nutritional benefits, but are more beneficial to your Pet when not among the primary ingredients of the food.
• Avoid feeding your Pets “people” food. Your Pet’s digestive system is simpler than yours and can be easily upset by feeding table scraps.
• To keep your Pet healthy, follow the simple diet guidelines above and see your Banfield veterinarian at least twice per year.

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