Appropriate nutrition is foundational to dog welfare — yet common feeding mistakes including overfeeding, inappropriate foods, and poor-quality diets cause preventable suffering.
Canine nutrition is a welfare issue that is often misunderstood due to the enormous amount of misinformation in the pet food market. Obesity — caused by overfeeding and insufficient exercise — is the most prevalent nutrition-related welfare problem and causes joint pain, respiratory difficulty, and reduced lifespan. Toxic food exposure causes acute welfare harm. Poorly balanced diets — whether commercial or home-prepared — cause nutritional deficiencies that manifest as skin disease, bone problems, and immune dysfunction. Evidence-based nutrition from veterinary-supervised diets, combined with appropriate portion control and regular body condition assessment, supports optimal dog welfare.