Ask the Veterinary Nutritionist

Do you have a specific question related to pet nutrition?

Our database contains over 1200 questions asked by pet owners and veterinarians. Enter a search term, then use the "topic" filter if you would like to narrow your search further. If you don't find an answer here, submit your question and a nutritionist will respond to your questions as best possible. Email responses will come from Info@PetDietsNutrition.com.

We believe pets make us better people.
Donations provide nutritional consultations to disabled military and seniors citizens with sick pets.
If you wish to make a contribution for the information you have received, please click to donate.

Thank you for your contribution!

I have owned two German shepherds in the last twenty plus years and have a new puppy coming. With my second shepherd I bought into the marketing hype of the high priced designer dog foods and spent tons of money on the like of EVO, Wellness Core and others. I couldn't shake the belief that if I fed my dog a less expensive food like Iams or Pro Plan that he would get sick or get cancer. I am slowly coming around.

May I ask though, do I need to be concerned with quality of ingredients? For instance If turkey or chicken is the meat source do I need to be concerned with where the meat source is raised or if it is human grade? Do dog food companies like Science Diet use diseased or dying or dead animals in their foods. I would love to feed a less expensive food and not have to worry that I am killing my dog/ Thanks
You cannot in any way "assess" the ingredients by reading the label....
Only the manufacturer can do that at the time they decided to accept or reject the ingredient delivery.
So you have to investigate manufacturers and not ingredient lists.

See: http://www.wsava.org/WSAVA/media/Arpita-and-Emma-editorial/WSAVA-Global-Nutrition-Toolkit_3.pdf

My collie has had bouts of pancreatitis and the vet has recommended Hills I/D Digestive Care Low Fat dry food. I purchased a small bag at the vet and looked at the ingredients on the bag and they have by products. I have been feeding him Blue Buffalo Chicken and Brown Rice. Have been doing research online and a lot of places say that Hills is junk food and the vet pushes it to make a profit. Would like to know what the best food for him would be, so that I can purchase at my local pet store. Thank you for your time and expertise. Elaine
Blue Buffalo also has been using by-products but saying otherwise. See Blue Buffalo vs Purina 2016 Pet Food Lawsuit.

It sounds more like you have been "reading" not "researching" and unfortunately have not been going to web sites with accurate info.
When reading online, you are responsible the detecting who and who is not qualified to make a statement about pet food formulation.
I have no issue with feeding by-products has they can be the most nutritious parts (liver, kidney, heart, etc).
If your dog needs a low fat diet with ~6% fat on a dry matter basis then you should be feeding Hill's, Purina or Royal Canin as they produce the lowest fat diet available

I have a 28-month-old Chihuahua that is on Fromm Small Breed Adult dog food he's the perfect size. I just purchased another Chihuahua puppy she is now 12 weeks old I'm having a very hard time feeding them the adult wants the puppy food the puppy wants the adult food My vet suggested I just switch the adult Chihuahua to the puppy food as it will only be for a few months my fear is he may put on weight and I know a few ounces to a Chihuahua can be serious. The company that makes the dog food Fromm suggested that I switch them both to their four star all stage food. I don't understand how one dog food can give a puppy the nutrients and vitamins it needs without making the adult dog overweight
Any suggestions would be most appreciated
You are correct on both issues. "all stage foods" over feed the adult dog.
If you adult is at an otipamla body wieght, you need to protect that.
I would suggest simply feeding the puppy in a crate (separtate but nearby) until adulthood.

Is Rimidyl safe to buy online. My vet will have me sign an Internet waiver to do so
Her bottle $139 for 60
Internet $36.50 for 180
That does sound ridously cheap for the real thing at the same dose.

I suggest only buying from an online pharmacy with Vet-VIPPS Accreditation
Vet-VIPPS Accreditation Program

The Veterinary-Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites program (Vet-VIPPS) was developed to accredit online pharmacies that dispense prescription drugs and devices for companion and non-food producing animals and assure customers that they are purchasing drugs and devices from an online pharmacy that is properly licensed and complying with state and federal laws and regulations. Pharmacies displaying the Vet-VIPPS Seal comply with Vet-VIPPS criteria, which address a customer’s right to privacy, authentication and security of prescription orders, adherence to a recognized quality assurance policy, and provision of meaningful consultation between customers and pharmacists.

Soon to be:

The .Pharmacy TLD Program – Taking Consumer Reassurance to the Next Level

In 2014, NABP launched the .Pharmacy Top-Level Domain Program to provide an even easier and safer way for consumers to identify legitimate online pharmacies and pharmacy-related resources. .Pharmacy is a TLD like “.gov” or “.edu,” but only legitimate internet pharmacies and pharmacy-related websites are allowed to use it. In today’s digital environment, .pharmacy is the way to turn the tide against sophisticated criminals who build authentic-looking sites and can easily duplicate verification logos to trick unsuspecting consumers into thinking they are visiting a legitimate online pharmacy. With .pharmacy, the “seal of quality” is built into the web address.

As with all NABP programs, vetting for .pharmacy applicants is thorough and requires those seeking approval to prove that they are operating safely, legitimately, and in accordance with program standards. And once NABP has granted approval, the Association continues to monitor registered sites to be sure that they adhere to program standards and operate legitimately.

Hi, concerning dry food for cats - if a cat is known to not like drinking water), would you recommend canned food instead of dry for that cat. Thanks very much
I would not say cats do not like drinking water .... they drink water as they need it.
Personally, dry foods fit the GI physiology of the cat better ... they will drink more water if fed dry food and drink less if fed canned which is not a comdenation or promotion of either type of cat food - just a fact.
Healthy cats will not become dehydrated.

Do you have a holistic approach to your recommended diets without white rice, corn, soy and wheat, leaning toward a natural ancestral diet, whether cooked or raw, for dogs and cats? Also, do you support prescription diets containing fillers and by-products?
We are not confined by such hot button marketing hype but will consider all options in the best interest of the patient.

We formulate a homemade recipe or recommend commercial first based on the patient needs and then take into consideration owner preferences or beliefs. If the two interests collide, we then explain the difference to the owner and have then make the final decision. Usually in a direct one on one conversation, the pet owner is not really sure why they were anti-this or anti-that and so those demands often fade and they see a way forward best for their pet.

Yes of course we take the whole patient into account - most vets do. Treating in a vacuum will fail every time.

Some patients that require low or ultra low fats, and therefore must be fed a diet containing carbohydrates as an energy. Although starch is starch, there are many different sources of carbs. For those who are anti grain sources of carbs, we can usually use a tuber, pea, or bean starch depending on the medical condition(s) of the patient.

There is no legal food definition of "fillers" so it is not clear what you are referring to ..... some call a carb source like corn a filler while others call the fiber source a filler .... It is a bogus term coming from a marketing ploy to confuse. Yes if the client wants a commercial option, and the patient needs more fiber to help manage a disease (such as diabetes and colitis), we do recommend more fiber and help find the best type, amount and combination of fiber types that will work for the patient.

There are many different type of "by-products" if you checked out the AAFCO definitions and to simply say no to all is foolish. By-product legal definition is simply a "secondary" product; organs meat and bran are nutritious examples. And yes we do not shy away from organs meats when it is in the best interest of the patient, such as for cats, or bran if a patient would benefit from that type of fiber in their diet.

I have 7 cats and 1 female that will not eat or touch ANY of the cat foods that's out on the market. She only eas cooked chicken I know that she needs more nutrition and vitamins but I'm unsure what I need to give her could you please help little Miss Piggy
It appears that the diet as you have described it is not complete or balanced. If your cat has no medical issues, we have an automated module for owners to obtain a balanced diet for their healthy cats.

Go to www.petdiets.com. You begin the process by logging into your account or opening an account for you, your pet and link it to your Vet info, then click on 'Services:’ drop down to “Homemade Diet Recipes’. Select the “See all ingredient options” to see all of our food options or one of several specific diet types (high or low calorie, etc.). You may select ingredients similar to those you are now feeding. The software will re-balance your diet properly and suggest vitamin & trace mineral supplements. The cost is $25 for the first recipe and $12 for each thereafter purchased at the same time. Recipes are available for immediate download after payment.

Thank you for visiting PetDIETS.com!

I have a Yorkshire terrier,male 5 yrs,7.2 lbs,I want to put him on a homemade raw cooked diet.But I don't know where to start.His liver enzymes elevated ATL.Now he has a bladder infection which indicated bladder crystals.What protein foods do I give him and how much?example chicken .What foods do I give him daily due to these health issues, without causing any more harm?How much?protein, which foods in each category of nutrients,carbs,fats,protein,minerals,vitamins? how many slices of apples?how many blueberries?Can he eat fruit daily? Which fruit in his condition?Can he take supplements and vitamins?I am trying to balance without more harm.
If the dog already has an infection I would not be feeding a raw meat diet.
If the dog has liver disease, he should not be on a raw meat diet.

I cannot help you further without much more information.
Please consider a Nutrition Consult with us starting at: https://www.petdiets.com/Consultation/Owner.

My 4yo female standard Goldendoodle just had surgery to remove a struvite stone. As per the recommendation of the lab, she should be put on a Rx diet such as Hill's c/d multicore or w/d. I would prefer not to feed this food as I've read that it contains higher levels of fat due to low protein and higher levels of sodium to encourage more water consumption. She's is still on antibiotics for another week, and the stone is gone. Since the struvite stones are a result of UTI, is the Rx diet necessary? I would prefer to feed her a more natural diet and supplement with cranberry extract. Would like to get your thoughts on that. Also, would changing her water from tap water to filtered or even distilled water make a difference?
Correct the initial issue is the UTI - manage that well and struvite stones will not form in 99.9% of dogs.
Yes diet can help significantly in preventing or dissolving such stones but again struvite stones are a deficiency in antibiotics - not nutrients.
Diet helps but is not the total answer.

The low protein statements of c/d and w/d are not correct yes they do contain some sodium to help produce a dilute urine and increased urination - common tactic for all stones of any kind.
Yes a homemade diet for struvite prevention is possible.
'Cranberry' does not cause a sufficiently low enough urine pH consistently to be used in these cases.
No you do not need to drive yourself crazy with filtered or distilled water to prevent these stones.
Most tap water does not contain phosphorous or magnesium in significant amounts relative to the dietary intakes to justify changing.

I'm a cat owner. I'm used to feed my cat with commercial foods complete and balanced (wet and dry, 80% daily intake kcal) and plain meat or fish (cooked, incomplete and unbalanced, 20% daily intake kcal). Is it safe to feed 20% of the daily calories in the form of cooked plain meat or fish?
What is the suggested limit?
Thanks in advance.
That all depends on the commercial food fed.... most become unbalanced when more than 10-15% are diluted by a topper or add-on single food item.

Ask the Veterinary Nutritionist

Do you have a specific question related to pet nutrition?

Vet-VIPPS Accreditation Program

The .Pharmacy TLD Program – Taking Consumer Reassurance to the Next Level