Canine nutrition directly affects health, longevity, and quality of life. Understanding evidence-based feeding principles helps owners make decisions that support their dog's welfare across all life stages.
Nutrition is a primary determinant of long-term dog welfare. Obesity is the most widespread nutritional welfare problem, causing chronic pain from joint loading, reducing exercise tolerance, and shortening life. Over-supplementation with vitamins and minerals can cause toxicity; under-supplementation in home-prepared diets leads to deficiency diseases. The proliferation of marketing-driven premium pet food claims has made evidence-based decision making difficult for owners. Consulting veterinary nutritionists, choosing diets that meet AAFCO or FEDIAF standards, using body condition scoring to assess appropriate weight, and avoiding unnecessary supplementation are the cornerstones of nutritionally sound dog care.