Evidence-based nutrition is fundamental to canine welfare, and the proliferation of dietary fads creates risk for owners trying to make good food choices.
Nutritional inadequacy is a significant but often invisible welfare problem. Dogs fed inappropriate diets may develop deficiencies that manifest as skin problems, poor coat condition, skeletal abnormalities, or cardiac disease before the nutritional cause is identified. The marketing of premium diet products exploits owner commitment to their pets without always having an evidence base to support their claims.