Food & Nutrition

Air Dried Dog Food versus Kibble: What’s the Difference? With so many different types of dog food available, including kibble, fresh, raw, gently cooked and air dried, it can be confusing to know which option is best for your dog. When comparing air dried dog food vs kibble, one of the biggest differences is how each food is made. Kibble is generally produced using high...

Celebrate your Dog with this Easy Dog Birthday Cake Recipe Celebrating a dog’s birthday or Gotcha Day has become increasingly popular - and why shouldn’t our dogs have their own special celebration with a safe and tasty dog birthday cake? However, while it can be tempting to spoil them with a cake made from human ingredients, sudden dietary changes and rich foods may lead to...

Want to change dog food without causing tummy upsets? Changing your dog's food might seem straightforward, but switching diets too quickly can lead to an upset stomach, vomiting or diarrhoea. Whether you're changing brands, moving from kibble to a fresh, gently cooked or air-dried diet, introducing wet food for the first time, or simply changing life stages, taking things slowly when you change dog food...

Superfoods for Dogs: Are they really good for our pets? Superfoods for dogs have become increasingly popular in recent years, with everything from blueberries and turmeric to spirulina and green-lipped mussels being promoted as the next miracle ingredient. But do dogs really need superfoods, or is it simply clever marketing? As a pet nutrition specialist, it's one of the questions I'm asked most often. The...

Why is Complete and Balanced Pet Food so important If you've ever looked at a bag of pet food and seen the words "complete and balanced", you may have wondered what they actually mean. Whether you're feeding your dog or cat a raw, home-cooked, gently cooked, air-dried, canned or dry diet, the most important question isn't simply what type of food you're feeding - it's...

While dogs technically don’t need carbohydrates in their diets to survive, there’s been a lot of research showing just how beneficial adding fruit and veggies, which are carbs, to our dog’s diet can be. Clinical Naturopath and herbalist, Narelle Cooke, from Natural Health & Nutrition explains how to improve a dog's diet with fruit and vegetables.  How fruit & vegetables improve a dog's diet Phytonutrients,...

Dogs with Chronic Kidney Disease are often put on dry or canned food prescription diets by their Vets, but there is an alternative approach that can be taken for owners that want to provide their dog with the best nutrition available by choosing a complete and balanced raw food diet. We talk to Clinical Naturopath and herbalist, and pet food nutritionist, Narelle Cooke, about her...

As a dog trainer, one of the areas I consider when treating dogs with behaviour issues, particularly anxiety and aggression, is their diet and other factors that could be impacting on their gut health. This is because we now have a much greater understanding of the gut-brain axis and how signals run both ways between the digestive and central nervous system. How poor gut health...

When it comes to knowing what to feed a dog at each life stage, it's important to recognise that a dog’s nutritional needs are complex and change with age, just like ours do. Simply giving your dog some meat, veggies and rice just isn’t enough -  they need a complete and balanced diet appropriate for their life stage. Feeding puppies Puppies require a diet rich...

With so many treat options available for dogs, the Dog Treat Naturals Superfood Sticks are great for anyone looking to give their dog a tasty treat that is full of nutritious ingredients. Plus, one of the most important considerations I always urge pet parents to check when choosing a treat, is that real meat is always the first ingredient listed! The Dog Treat Naturals Superfood...