Podcast #12: Doggy diets: fulfilling your pup’s nutritional needs

Written by Napo HQ

23rd Sep 2022

24 mins listen

Available on

Nearly half of dogs in the UK are overweight or obese, and yet 80% of us believe our dogs are a healthy weight. So how can we better ensure our pups are eating right?

Trusted by millions for his veterinary advice on

This Morning

Joe Inglis

has founded two successful pet food brands, making him the perfect guest for this nutrition-based episode of The Pet Perspective.

We break down how to evaluate your dog’s weight needs, the role of nutrition in long-term health, which diets could be best for your pup, and how to encourage the more fussy eaters.

This episode of The Pet Perspective covers:

How a dog’s food affects their behaviour
Methods to tell if your pup’s the right weight
Alternative feeding habits, like raw bones and vegan diets
Where to find quality food, and whether to consider homemade meals

Episode highlights

0:50 - Joe Inglis

“I think it's certainly true to say that dogs are what they eat, in the same way that people are what they eat, so really, diet is fundamentally essential to the health and well being of our dogs.”

2:40 - Joe Inglis

“People shouldn't be too focused on the type of food they're feeding, but more on whether the food within that type is providing all the nutrients that my dog needs and, crucially, the right number of calories to suit their lifestyle.” -

6:10 - Joe Inglis

“If your budget just runs to a supermarket own-labelled dry food, as long as it's well made to all the relevant regulations (which they all will be to be honest), , it will deliver all the nutrients your dog needs, and it will be perfectly adequate. You shouldn't feel bad about feeding that, if that's your budget.”

8:55 - Joe Inglis

“People get very anxious about the idea of home cooking for their dogs, forgetting that we cook for ourselves and our family and our children all the time, and very rarely does it go wrong. So bear that in mind and don’t get too worked up about it, but there are some pitfalls.”

12:05 - Joe Inglis

“In terms of calcium, providing raw, meaty bones is a great way of providing calcium because that's akin to the way our dogs' distant ancestors would’ve got their calcium. But there are risks with sharp, pointy bones and bacterial diseases like salmonella.”

15:25 - Joe Inglis

“Increasingly, modern vegan diets are able to provide all the nutrients a dog needs, and there’s research that says they are safe, they are healthy, and there's some really good ones out there delivering really healthy nutrition, but without meat. So I think for dogs, it's absolutely something that can work.”

17:15 - Joe Inglis

“There's two schools of thought on fussy dogs. There's the harsher approach of leaving it down till they eat it - if he's going to be fussy, well he won't be after two days of not eating. Probably most modern pet parents don't want to take that approach. I'm not necessarily recommending it, but sometimes it is a behavioural thing, and you have to be a bit firm.”

20:15 - Joe Inglis

“All dogs generally will survive on adult food, and generally they will be okay. But we can do better than that nowadays, and I think the rise of food tailored to different life stages and different health conditions is really positive and can play a really important role.”

23:20 - Joe Inglis

“Ingredients such as omega three oils can play an important role in reducing mental decline, improving skin condition and heart condition. So there are lots of ingredients that get phased into senior foods as dogs get older, and that can be done with homemade foods as well. ”

Tell us what you think

If you have a topic you'd like us to discuss in a future episode of the podcast, or if you have any questions for our guests, let us know on Instagram or Facebook