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My cat has diabetes since aug 2013, she has been on insulin since oct 2013 but stopped insulin on march 2014 when Vet gave me a food list that contains 7 carbs per serving in cat food you buy at the store. She loves dry food but it contains too many carbs. Any tips on dry foods she can eat? Thanks
The carb content is generally higher in dry food than canned food if you buy over the counter cat food. You can buy specially formulated low carb dry cat food from your vet. Purina DM dry is one example.

A lot of people who feed pre-made raw diets seem to believe that the high pressure processing (HPP) makes raw food safer for their animals. Listeria and salmonella recently were the subject of recalls of raw pre made food, so I'm wondering if the process itself is not as safe as some believe. In addition, it would seem that HPP would not address other potentially problematic microbes such as parasites or fungi. Is it true that HPP makes raw food safer for our pets?
You are correct in that HPP does not make raw food 100% safe all the time. It might be "safer" than feeding raw or using grape seed extract .... but it is not 100%.

Hello. I'm a veterinarian but not currently in general practice. I have a question about my own dog, an 11-yr-old golden retriever. He is receiving 2400mg EPA/DHA daily for joint health (he weighs 26kgs). I recently read in a vet magazine that supplementing with PUFAs increases vitamin E requirements and for canine osteoarthritis (which he has), 400 IU/day of vitamin E is also recommended. I also read that alpha-tocopheral is the type of vit E recommended. Looking at various fish oil supplements, many seem to list tocopherol under "other ingredients" and don't specify exactly what type or the amount of tocopherol. Should I still supplement 400 IU daily vit E, in addition to whatever might be in the fish oil he's getting? Also, some fish oil supplements include Vit D, too. I've always avoided this extra supplementation but do I need to worry about whether a supplement has Vit D or not? Thank you so much!
Correct there are 8 different forms of Vit E but only Alpha is biologically active. When products add Vit E as a "natural" preservative it is the gamma or delta or both (listed as "mixed") forms which cannot be used to meet the pet's Vit E requirement. So yes, you should be giving 400 IU of the alpha form b/c yes as you increase PUFA intake, Vit E as an antioxidant should also increase. The Vit D in supplements is not needed if feeding a complete and balanced diet. I am not clear why one would add or put Vit D in a fish oil supplement more likely it simply came in with the fish oil. If Vit D is not stated in the ingredient list, then they did not add it but are telling you it is in the oil.

We have been feeding our small, young, diabetic cat the Royal Canin canned diabetic formula. However, I'm completely shocked at the ingredients - it's full of wheat. Personally I don't understand how this formula is beneficial for diabetes - I simply can't justify the wheat in it at all. It makes no sense to me as wheat increases blood sugar. I'd like to be feeding him a grain-free diet, not only to improve his glucose level, but because I've read that grains, vegetables, fruits, etc are simply not species-appropriate for a cat. Cats are carnivores. What are your thoughts about this? (PS. His diabetes has not improved on the canned diabetic formula.)
When I look at the Royal Canin Diabetic product guide, I see in the dry chicken meal first, then corn gluten, barley and then wheat gluten so a wheat product is 4th on the dry list and fifth in the canned ingredient list. The amount of wheat is not high and it is NOT the carbohydrate part of the wheat in the product. Most lay persons reading the ingredient list do not understand how to read the ingredient list (b/c thousands of web site have it wrong) and do not realize that 'gluten" is a protein. The amount of readily available carbohydrates in these products is relatively low (36 g/Mcal in canned and 66 g/Mcal in the dry) and only 14-25% of the total calories which is well within the carnivore preference and current recommendations. This is how pet foods should be compared ...not easy to explain and takes practice.

Now, if this diet is not working for your cat … there are other products designed for feline diabetics but the next best options depends on how long you have been feeding this food exclusively and what the blood glucose levels look like and whether or not you are given insulin or not. So I will not name product names until I know more about your cat.

How do you pick the best kibble for your pet rather than just the most expensive?
See http://www.wsava.org/WSAVA/media/Arpita-and-Emma-editorial/The-Savvy-Dog-Owner-s-Guide-to-Nutrition-on-the-Internet.pdf

What should I feed an adult Great Dane? When should I switch her from puppy food to adult food?
Unless there are some specific issues, I would suggest feeding a Large or Giant breed adult food from a company that has done the most research in this area ... that would be Purina or Hill's. This may not be the most popular thing to say but it is the most realistic and well-grounded advice at this point.

Hello, I am getting a Great Dane puppy. I am wondering if feeding her Science Diet Large Breed Puppy food would be ok. I'm not sure if I should be looking at the guaranteed analysis or the dry matter. The dry matter has 30.1% protein 13.5% fat, 1.17% calcium, and 1% phosphorus. Also when is a maximum calcium of 1.4% too much for a puppy? Thanks!
The current recommendation is for a calcium of about 1% on a dry matter basis until the skeleton has matured. You have to wait at until she is 8 months of age or better 18 months before feeding a higher calcium content. I think the Science Diet product is some very good research data backing up their nutrient profile.

We brought home a 10 week old Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. Breeder was feeding Royal Canin Giant Puppy Food since weening. When we picked up the puppy we noticed her bending her leg at the wrist and her leg shaking. We thought she was nervous, unsure or what was going on. We brought her home and began feeding her raw food - ground turkey, beef, chicken neck sometimes, occasionally adding an egg or a bit of rice and vegs. Slight leg tremors continue. The breeder said this is common in large breeds and that if we take her off protein and fat for a few days by feeding her Pedigree Adult Maintenance the tremors will stop. Then we should go back to Royal Canin Puppy and try raw again at 6 months. The vet wants to watch the joints because she is growing so fast and could be a problem. Of course suggested we go back to kibble. We have been feeding our Swissys raw for years but have never had a tiny puppy before. I believe in raw or homemade cooked food and have seen many benefits from it. But now am confused-vet has the medical training and knowledge, breeder has twenty years experience raising big dogs. I want to be sure this puppy grows up healthy and sound. Any insite?
Yes .... Developmental orthopedic diseases are well characterized and the nutritional management of the conditions have also been well deciphered. The breeder is out of date as the problem been shown to have nothing to do with the protein content of the food. That urban myth was laid to rest nicely about 15-20 yrs ago by some very well done published clinical studies in various large breed dogs. Raw vs. cooked food has nothing to do it. The nutrients of concern are calcium, phosphorous, the ratio, fat and caloric density. The feeding method, rate of growth and BCS are the key parameters. There are very specific feeding instructions that most of time, depending on the age of the dog and severity, resolve the issue by the time they are 18-24 months old. Pedigree adult maintenance would not be my diet of choice in a young dog already showing signs.

The company that has published the best work in this area is Purina ..... I might suggest you consider the Purina Large Breed Puppy (either Pro Plan or ONE) and feed the dog to maintain a BCS of 4/9, slow the growth rate, until 18 months of age. Do not feed an adult dog food. Search anywhere online for the Purina Body Condition Scoring Chart then assess and weigh your dog monthly. Now is your last and best opportunity to help silent the undesirable genetics in this dog. You can't change the genes but you can minimize their expression with proper nutrition. And the breeder should not be doing that bitch and sire pairing again ... clearly one or both are carriers at least.

My cat just had kittens she's not yet a yr I will be keeping them. By the time they are ready to be weaned she will be a yr, do I continue feeding her kitten food Iam not sure what to do.
Yes feeding the queen kitten food free choice available at all times to her. When the kittens are ready to eat solid food, they can then eat the same thing.

Have a Sheltie that is over weight. Looking for advice on a proper diet to bring her weight down to a reasonable weight. She is a picky eater and wife has been making food available all day. Know this is not productive for weight loss. Will feed twice daily.

Thanks in advance for the help,
Chris
You can use a commercial or HMD diet for weight loss ... depends on your choice and dog's diet history. An overweight "picky" dog ususally means too much food is available too often.