WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Wellness is at the forefront of social media posts, pushing healthy hacks for diet and exercise. Caring for yourself is just as important as members of your family, even the furry ones.

There is a lot of confusion about healthy food choices for your pets. Dogs and cats may struggle with skin problems that you just can’t seem to get to the bottom of.

Pet expert Kate Woods with Whatcom Veterinary Hospital says that some pet owners attribute skin problems to the food the animal is eating. Some influencers may promote grain-free food options as a way to prevent or get rid of those problems.

Grain free foods have been directly correlated with dilated cardiomyopathy in pets, meaning heart failure.

The common misconception that feeding grain free is better for your pet is causing people to lose their pets earlier in life than they would like because they believed they did their dog a favor by feeding grain free. Truth is, their bodies are not meant to take in all the additional fillers that are used in place of grains on a regular basis.

“If you believe your pet has a food related allergy, please make a plan with your veterinarian before switching foods to ‘help’ your dog’s undiagnosed skin issues,” Woods said. “Food allergies should be discussed in depth, and allergy tests would be a more suitable path than hastily changing food out of suspicion. Food allergies are far more common in humans, which is typically why owners will gravitate toward a food allergy when their pets start having skin and coat issues. More often than not, your pet may have an environmental allergy contributing to the condition of their skin and coat.”

Making sure you know what will be good for your lil buddy is not necessarily going to be found on the internet from someone that claims they know the right answer.

When in doubt, call your local veterinarian to make sure you’re giving your pet the nutrients they need to live a long and happy life.