Glucosamine and chondroitin are naturally occurring nutrients which are involved in the production of cartilage within joints. Cartilage is continually being broken down and rebuilt in the body, and these nutrients are essential to ensure that he building process continues and the breakdown is not excessive. In most healthy adult dogs there is sufficient produced by the body however, in some dogs additional supplementation via the food is necessary. Most of the Cagatay dog foods contain both nutrients, with raised levels in the food for large breeds, Whilst additional supplementation with pills and powders is not necessarily harmful, as excess is excreted in the urine, it can be a waste of money.

Some dogs do prefer wet food however, dry feeding can be more convenient and cost effective. To introduce your dog to dry food for the first time it is advisable to do so very gradually by mixing a little dry food in with the wet food. It is often the texture of the dry food that the dog can find unusual, so do not be worried if it rejects the dry food at first. You can also soften the food with a little warm water, never milk because by adding milk to a nutritionally complete food, it will add fat, sugar and protein and so will potentially unbalance the diet and some dogs, have an intolerance to lactose contained in particularly cow’s milk which causes loose faeces and sometimes vomiting. You can also offer one or two kibbles by hand as a treat before its main meal. Once it has accepted a few kibbles you can increase the proportion of dry to wet food over a period of around a week, until dry is the only food offered.

Puppy and HE Puppy both contain more protein and energy than the adult foods. They are perfectly suitable for adult dogs however, they can cause excessive weight gain if the dogs does not require these extra nutrients. If your dog is exercising intensely or does not tend to maintain a regular weight, the Puppy and HE Puppy might be more suitable however, generally the adult foods are more suited to dogs over 1 year old.

Both Cagatay poultry and lamb based foods are nutritionally complete, and so provide all of the nutrients that our cats need on a daily basis. It is not really correct to say that lamb or poultry is more suitable for a cat, it is more important to recognise that a good quality food is always better than a poor quality diet, regardless of the meat type. And its also possible to switch between meet types for our cat to taste different foods without any problems.

Dogs can cope perfectly well with the same food for the whole of their life if that food is nutritionally balanced and of good quality. However, some dogs naturally prefer a variety of flavours. This does not mean that there is anything necessarily wrong with the food. It is extremely rare for a dog to develop any sensitivity or allergy to a good quality food but by introducing a variety of flavours to your dog when they are young will generally also make them more tolerant of changes in later life.

Using dry food throughout a dog’s life is perfectly suitable so long as the food is correctly formulated. Dry food has been available on the market for over 40 years and there is no evidence to suggest that it causes any problems at all. A good dry food is certainly far better than a poor wet food. It is also good for maintaining healthy, clean teeth, which can be a particular problem for dogs. It is also more convenient and cost effective than most wet foods.

Skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema can be quite common in dogs, and can be caused by a variety of nutritional, environmental, and genetical influences. Nutritional causes include feeding unbalanced foods or over-adding supplement and, on some occasions sensitivities or allergies to particular ingredients can occur.

The most common dietary sensitivities are to ingredients such as wheat, beef, dairy and soya, but it has also been found with artificial colours and preservatives.

Despite some suggestions that sensitivities to rice and chicken meal are common, this has never been demonstrated.

Many incidences have been connected to other environmental conditions.

With regard to environmental factors, temperature changes, parasite bites, cleaning materials, seasons, hormones, stress, pollen, and infections can all have significant effects on skin and hair condition.

Also, as with humans, genetics can have an influence on breeds and individuals, making them more or less likely to develop skin problems.