What kind of food do you recommend I feed my pet?
All pet parents want what’s best for their furry friends. Since they rely on us for food, it’s important to feed a diet that fulfills their nutritional needs. There are a variety of options available and whatever we choose to feed them should promote a long, healthy lifestyle.
We recommend feeding a diet from a brand that has veterinary nutritionists on staff, or feeding a diet that has a nutritional adequacy claim on the bag or can. Food that has been WSAVA (The World Small Animal Veterinary Association) certified has been “formulated to meet or exceed the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO nutritional profiles”. AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) performs feeding tests on recommended diets to “substantiate that the pet food provides complete and balanced nutrition” during the life stage of your animal. Food that has been certified by the AAFCO and recommended by the WSAVA offers an extra bed of protection.
Your pet’s nutritional needs depends on their age, breed, size and health conditions. Food formulated for young dogs or cats shouldn’t be fed to older dogs or cats. Small dogs have different needs than bigger dogs and their food should reflect that. Dogs that are more active should be fed a different food than dogs that are less active. Cats with longer hair might require a diet different from cats with short hair. It’s important to feed a diet that correlates with your animal and their genes.
New research has recently been released that indicates there is a correlation between grain-free diets and dilatative cardiomyopathy, a serious heart condition that leads to the heart muscle being less able to contract normally and effectively. We recommend feeding a diet that does contain grain and is WSAVA/AAFCO certified. There are 5 brands in which most, if not all, of their diets fit these criteria: Eukanuba, Hills Science Diet, Iams, Purina and Royal Canin.
Do you recommend any websites in case I want to research medical conditions at home?
You have likely heard the warning “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.” The world wide web can be a great resource when you want to learn about a specific disease or health condition. But among the millions of websites that offer health-related information, there are many that present myths and half truths as if they are facts. To avoid unreliable health information when you’re surfing the web, ask yourself the following questions:
Where did this information come from?
How current is this information?
Who is responsible for the content of the website?
Health-related websites published by the US government (.gov), non-profit organizations (.org) or colleges and universities (.edu) are often the most reliable sources of health information because they are usually supported for for-profit companies, such as drug or insurance companies. Sites with .com addresses usually represent a company that uses the internet to sell products or services. You may want to be more careful about believing the information you read on these sites.
We highly recommend visiting the website www. veterinarypartner.com to learn more about your pet’s health. This website has accurate information that has been written and published by veterinarians, so it’s information that is accurate and trustworthy.