What I Now Do as a Canine Nutritionist that I Never Did as a Pet Parent
I use to look at a bag of dog food and see the colourful images, veterinary endorsement and the expensive price tag implying quality. When I would prepare meals, I would just see an ingredients list and not think much more of it. Since becoming a Canine Nutritionist, I really began to take the finer details seriously. Every diet—whether commercial or home-prepared—comes down to nutrient availability, balance, and digestibility. How ingredients are cooked or prepared can change everything. Even considering nutrigenomics, sustainability and ethics are priorities now, as these also have impact on the nutritional value of the meal.
The questions I ask now may not be obvious to the average pet parent, but they are critical in determining whether a diet truly meets the needs of a dog.
Ingredient Quality
The word chicken or beef on an ingredient panel tells us very little about its nutritional quality. Ingredient quality refers to several key factors:
Freshness – Nutrient content declines as ingredients age. Oxidation of fats, for example, reduces essential fatty acid content and can create harmful by-products.
Human grade vs. pet grade – Human-grade ingredients must meet stricter processing and safety standards. Pet-grade meats can vary widely in quality and may include parts unsuitable for human consumption.
Supplier discernment – Not all suppliers hold the same standards for sourcing, handling, or sustainability. Choosing a trustworthy supplier is essential for consistent nutrient profiles and food safety.
A diet may look balanced on paper but still underperform if the ingredient quality is poor.
Sensitivities and Allergies
In my own dogs, I have observed how dietary sensitivities can influence health. Food intolerances, while not the same as allergies, can still cause skin irritation, digestive upset, or chronic inflammation.
Food intolerances often involve difficulty digesting specific proteins or compounds.
Histamines, which accumulate in aged or poorly stored meats, can trigger reactions in sensitive dogs, leading to itching, gastrointestinal disturbances, or restlessness.
True food allergies involve the immune system and are less common, but they must be considered when evaluating any diet.
For this reason, ingredient origin and freshness matter just as much as nutrient content.
Nutrient Coverage and Essentials
Not all nutrients are easy to cover, especially in home-prepared or minimally processed diets. Key examples include:
Vitamin E – Rapidly depleted in fresh or raw diets unless supplemented or provided through specific ingredients.
Magnesium – Often low in boneless meat-based meals, requiring careful balancing with organ meats, seeds, or supplementation.
Zinc and Iron – Both are essential for growth and immunity. Puppies in particular are at risk if these minerals are not adequately supplied through animal tissues or balanced supplementation.
These nutrients are easily overlooked but are fundamental for metabolic stability and long-term health.
Digestibility and Bioavailability
Not all nutrients are absorbed equally. The form in which nutrients are supplied—plant, animal, or synthetic—affects how well a dog can use them.
Animal-based nutrients (such as heme iron or taurine) are generally more bioavailable to dogs than plant-based equivalents.
Plant-derived minerals may be bound to compounds like phytates, reducing absorption.
Synthetic supplements can fill gaps but vary in quality and digestibility depending on the form used (e.g., zinc oxide vs. zinc chelate).
Digestibility is not simply about whether food can be eaten, but whether its nutrients can actually be absorbed and used by the body.
Why This Perspective Matters
These are things I never use to prioritise until I researched and learned more about their importance. Meeting requirements on a label does not guarantee optimal health. By considering ingredient quality, sensitivities, nutrient coverage, and bioavailability, we can move beyond “adequate feeding” and work toward diets that truly support a dog’s health, resilience, and longevity.