Dog Nutrition Basics

Water is an essential nutrient, as it’s required for normal body functions and survival. Exactly, how much water a dog needs depends on several factors, but clean fresh water should be readily available to your dog. Water makes up more than 50% of a dog's body weight. However, they still are limited in their ability to store water, and lose it via normal daily activities (panting, walking, relieving themselves) — thus it is critical that they regularly consume enough water each day.

Sugar means many things to many people. To most of us, it’s how we sweeten our coffees and bundt cakes. To scientists, it’s the carbohydrate that all living things need to function. To dogs, sugar is both a necessary part of their diet and a mouthwatering danger.

From raw, fresh leaves to hard candies, asking can dogs eat mint? is sort of like asking can people eat mint? It depends on the mint, and how it’s ingested.

How is your dog, truly? Use our handy dog age to human years chart to see how old your dog is based on age and size.

Wondering why your dog is not eating? Nom Nom reviews possible reasons from behavior issues to medical conditions and discusses treatment options.

Your dog’s poop can indicate whether he needs a trip to the vet. There are four main characteristics to consider when evaluating dog poop.

Fiber is a component of food that most animals cannot digest, but their gut bacteria can. It is linked to numerous health benefits but it also plays an important role in keeping the microbiome happy and healthy.

Your dog’s specific caloric and nutrient needs will vary widely based on age, size, breed, activity level, overall health, and other factors. While all commercially-produced dog foods have to meet or exceed benchmarks for nutrients to be labeled as “complete and balanced foods” by the AAFCO.

Meat is crucial to your dog’s overall health for a myriad of reasons. A reliable way to ensure that your pet is gleaning all he can from the meat in his diet is to feed a high-quality meat source. High-quality meat sources like muscle meats are highly digestible and serve as excellent sources of protein, a crucial aspect of your dog’s diet.

Dogs have approximately 300 million receptors in their noses; in contrast, humans only have six million. The section of the dog’s brain that works in tandem with these receptors analyzes the scents dogs encounter.