All the latest info on caring for your pet

We’re living in strange times. Never in living memory have so many people been asked to ‘stay home’ for so long. There’s a lot of focus on the bigger negative effects of being indoors for so long: mental; physical; social; and so on. A less obvious downside of lockdown that recent news reports have brought to our attention is vitamin D deficiency. Health experts are concerned many people are becoming deficient in this crucial vitamin because of a lack of going outdoors in the sun. As Britain doesn’t get great sun at the best of times, they are recommending certain groups of people should be taking vitamin D supplements to top up. Naturally, as a nation of animal lovers, questions have arisen as to whether our four-legged friends, who may also be indoors more than usual, should be given vitamin D supplements as well. So today we will be answering the question ‘do dogs need vitamin D supplements?’

In the first of a new series on “controversial topics”, we asked vet student Joe Dunne to review the evidence on Grain-free foods for dogs, and the potential health issues. Here’s his take on the situation!

Pet food manufacturing is a big industry. Every day there are more products on our shelves, more adverts featuring cute dogs on TV, and more recommendations on social media. It can certainly make us feel a bit clueless while shopping for kibble. While choice is always a good thing, an increased consumer appetite (pun intended) for ‘exotic’ pet diets, such as grain-free diets, may be causing unintended health issues in our dogs. One of the most talked-about is a potential link to these diets and heart disease in dogs. Today we will be discussing these unusual diets and their potential risks. You can make an informed decision on what your dog devours daily.