Dog Nutrition Needs – Love Your Pet
Love and Learn Your Dog Nutrition needs
Must know tips and information to educate yourself with.
🐶 Understanding Your Dog’s Nutrition Needs
When you welcome a dog or puppy into your life, you’re making a long-term commitment. Along with love and companionship, you are now responsible for every aspect of their wellbeing — including their dog nutrition needs.
Dogs rely on us completely for their health, happiness, and proper care. That includes making informed choices about their food, exercise, grooming, and overall lifestyle.
🏡 Choosing the Right Dog for Your Life
Before you bring home a puppy or dog, it’s essential to plan wisely.
✅ Start with a Reputable Breeder
If you’re buying a puppy, consider only registered breeders who care about the dogs’ welfare and future homes.
They typically:
🧬 Provide information about vaccinations and breed-specific health issues
🐾 Ensure pups stay with their mum and siblings for at least 8 weeks
💬 Offer guidance on nutrition and early care
Removing a puppy too early may lead to developmental and behavioural issues later in life.
🔍 Research the Breed Before You Decide
Different breeds have very different needs — especially when it comes to energy, nutrition, and exercise.
🐕 High-Energy Breeds
Working breeds like Border Collies or Kelpies are highly active and require:
🏃♂️ Daily physical exercise
🧠 Mental stimulation
👫 Early socialisation with other dogs and humans
🛋️ Low-Energy Breeds
Other breeds are more relaxed, but they may:
🍽️ Eat more or have specific dietary requirements
💰 Cost more in food and healthcare
✂️ Need regular and breed-specific grooming (e.g., Poodles, Malamutes)
📝 Always consider your lifestyle, schedule, and resources before choosing a breed.
🥩 Fulfilling Your Dog’s Nutrition Needs
Nutrition is not one-size-fits-all. Meeting your dog’s nutritional needs is just as important as meeting their social or emotional needs.
🐕 Puppies need high-calorie, growth-supportive food
🐶 Adult dogs require a balanced diet based on age, activity level, and breed
🧓 Senior dogs may benefit from specific supplements or joint-support formulas
For optimal health, consult your vet or a canine nutritionist to tailor your dog’s diet to their needs.
🚫 The Cost of Poor Planning
Sadly, many dogs are surrendered or abandoned because their owners didn’t think ahead.
😔 The Emotional Rush vs Long-Term Responsibility
Far too often, people bring a puppy home in a moment of emotional excitement. However:
🍼 Puppies grow — fast
💩 They require time, patience, and consistent care
🧾 They come with lifelong responsibilities and costs
When reality hits, some owners walk away, leaving innocent dogs:
🏚️ Homeless or abandoned
🐾 Confused and traumatised
😢 In shelters, possibly facing euthanasia
🐾 Be a Responsible Pet Owner
Before you make the decision to bring a dog into your life:
🧠 Think through the long-term commitment
💬 Talk to experts — breeders, vets, trainers
📚 Research breed, food, grooming, and exercise requirements
❤️ Your Dog Deserves the Best
By taking the time to plan ahead and fully understand your dog’s nutrition needs, behavioural needs, and breed-specific care, you give them the best chance at a happy, healthy life.
And in return, you’ll receive a lifetime of love, loyalty, and companionship.
Our Gallery
Our gallery images.
DOGS AND CATS ARE CARNIVORES
- Teeth designed for biting, ripping, tearing, crunching meat and bones.
- Jaws structure allows large gulping acNon, they don’t chew
- Saliva has no amylase enzyme to break down plant mader, carbohydrate and starch
- Highly acidic gut designed digest raw meat, fat, bone and organs
- No bacteria to break down cellulose and starch. Pancreas does not produce enough amylase enzyme
- Dogs and cats naturally choose to hunt and eat a raw wild prey diet high in protein from raw meat and organs
- Dogs closely resemble the grey wolf and cats are descendant from the Africa wild cat
Testimonials
We used to feed Kita, our Husky x Kelpie, normal dog food, or sometimes rice with meat etc that we usually got from the supermarket. She is 6 and……
🥩 Dog Nutrition Needs: Carnivores at Heart
From the smallest Chihuahua to the largest Mastiff, all dogs share one essential trait: they are carnivores by nature.
While some claim that dogs are omnivores, this theory is yet to be definitively proven. What we do know — based on science, biology, and behaviour — is that dogs thrive on a carnivorous diet.
🐕 What Do Dogs Eat in the Wild?
Domesticated or not, dogs are descendants of wolves.
In the wild, wolves are opportunistic feeders, meaning they’ll eat whatever they can find to survive.
🍖 Survival vs Diet Type
If prey is scarce, they’ll scavenge.
If nothing is available, they may face starvation.
This doesn’t make them omnivores — it makes them adaptable carnivores.
Dogs will eat many things when food is limited, but biologically, they are designed to digest meat.
🦴 Carnivore Traits in Dog Anatomy
To understand why dog nutrition needs should be met with a carnivorous diet, we must look at their anatomy.
🐺 Skull & Jaw Structure
The shape of a dog’s head may differ slightly from its wolf ancestor, but its jaw mechanics remain identical:
🔗 A hinge joint allows the jaw to move in a scissoring motion
🐴 Unlike herbivores (e.g. horses, cows), dogs cannot chew in a circular motion
🦷 Their teeth are designed to tear flesh, not grind plants
💧 Saliva & Digestion
Another sign of carnivorous adaptation:
🧬 Saliva in dogs lacks digestive enzymes
Its primary role is to lubricate food, not break it down.
True digestion begins in the stomach, not the mouth
⚠️ Why It Matters: Feeding Dogs Properly
Understanding the biological and evolutionary makeup of dogs helps us make better nutritional choices for them.
🚫 Risks of Omnivore Diets
Feeding your dog like an omnivore — with grains, carbs, and fillers — can result in:
⚖️ Weight gain
🧠 Behavioural changes
🩺 Allergies or digestive issues
✅ Benefits of a Carnivore-Appropriate Diet
When dogs are fed according to their natural carnivorous needs:
💪 They maintain strong muscle and energy levels
🐾 Their skin and coat stay healthy
🧬 Their body functions remain balanced and disease-resistant
🐶 Respecting the Nature of Dogs
Domesticated dogs still carry the instincts and biology of their wild ancestors.
Respecting their true nutritional needs as carnivores is key to ensuring a healthy, balanced life.
Your dog may eat bread, vegetables, or even sweets if offered, but that doesn’t mean they’re suited for it.
🐾 Conclusion: Feed Your Dog the Way Nature Intended
In conclusion, your dog’s nutritional needs are rooted in their carnivorous biology.
Whether you have a teacup Poodle or a giant Mastiff, feeding a meat-based, biologically appropriate diet supports optimal health, behaviour, and longevity.
Dogs: The Omnivore-Carnivore Question
by Dr. Jeannie Thomason & Dr. Kim Bloomer
The teeth
Look in your dog’s mouth. “Those huge impressive teeth (or tiny needle sharp teeth) are designed for grabbing, ripping, tearing, shredding, and shearing meat” (Feldhamer, G.A. 1999. Mammology: Adaptation, Diversity, and Ecology. McGraw-Hill. pg 258).
🦷 Understanding a Dog’s Teeth: Designed for Meat
When considering proper dog nutrition, it’s essential to look at their anatomy — specifically, their teeth and jaw structure. Unlike omnivores, which have flat molars for grinding plants, dogs have teeth designed for tearing and crushing meat.
🐺 Carnivores vs. Omnivores: What’s the Difference?
Omnivores, such as humans or pigs, have:
🦷 Flat, chisel-like incisors for cutting plant stems
🦷 Large molars designed for grinding fibrous material
In contrast, dogs as carnivores have:
🐾 Sharp front teeth and long canines for puncturing and slashing
💪 Premolars and molars (aka flesh teeth) for tearing and shearing meat
🦴 The ability to crush small bones and cut through tendons
🍖 What Are Carnassial Teeth?
One of the most distinctive features in a carnivore’s mouth is the carnassial pair:
🔪 The fourth upper premolar and the first lower molar
🦷 Specialised to act like scissors — slicing meat, bone, and hide efficiently
Compare this with the flat molars of omnivores (e.g. bears, pigs, and humans) — built for grinding, not slicing.
Dogs lack these flat grinding surfaces, which clearly indicates their natural diet is not plant-based.
💪 Powerful Jaws Built for Prey
Dogs aren’t just built to eat meat — they’re built to hunt and process it:
🐶 Strong jaw and neck muscles help bring down prey
📐 Their jaws open wide for gulping large chunks of meat
🔒 The mandibular fossa (jaw joint) is deep and C-shaped, allowing only up-and-down crushing motion
🔄 Unlike herbivores and omnivores, dogs cannot chew side to side
These anatomical features leave no doubt: dogs are evolved meat-eaters, not veggie-grinders.
📚 Scientific Insight: What the Experts Say
“Teeth are highly specialized and structured specifically for the diet the animal eats…”
– Feldhamer, G.A. 1999. Mammalogy: Adaptation, Diversity, and Ecology.
In species like canids, felids, and mustelids, we see:
🦷 Greater tooth and claw development
🐾 Enhanced carnassial teeth
🏃♂️ Cursorial locomotion (adapted for hunting prey)
These traits support a diet that consists primarily of freshly killed meat.
🍽️ Our Recommendation for a Balanced Carnivore Diet
With over 40 years of experience in biologically appropriate canine nutrition, Cause for Paws recommends feeding your dog a diet that reflects its evolutionary needs.
✅ We proudly support the raw feeding philosophy and recommend:
🔗 Raw & Fresh – Natural Dog Food
A trusted supplier of fresh, balanced meals — made to meet your dog’s true carnivorous nutritional needs.