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I currently feed my 4-1/2 year old tabby (13.5 pounds - stable at that weight for almost two years) 1/2 can of Wellness Core canned food per day, a few supplements (approx. 10 calories), a CET pet chew (dental) and 3 tablespoons of Natural Balance Green Pea and Chicken dry food (grain free). It is 30% protein, 12% fat and about 4% fiber. I used to feed her Wysong Vitality (36% protein, 16% fat and 5.5% fiber) but switched because I kept reading grain-free is better. But, now I'm wondering if I should switch back to Wysong because of the higher fiber count (maybe it'll make her fuller?). She won't eat pellet type food (tried Blue Buffalo, Core and the new Wysong Optimal Vitality (50% protein). She exercises and gets rest and all other things seem to be fine. Should I keep her diet as is or switch to Vitality? Should I cut the dry food down to two tablespoons? FYI - her evening treats are freeze dried turkey or chicken (for cats) - minimal calories. Thank you.
I think either diet is fine if the cat is not a diabetic. Feeding grains does NOT cause the cat to become diabetic. There is a common misconception on cause and effect on this point. And when you feed 'no grain' diet you are still feeding a diet with carbohydrates from some other source. True more fiber will help the cat maintain her weight and obesity is the number one problem at this point you should be aiming to prevent.

I have a 3 year old male Bishon named Bently that recently had a bout of Pancreatitis. The vet wants him on a 8-10% fat diet. I've tried the Hills ID, wet and dry, and many other high end low fat dry foods with minimal success. Right now he's on a mixture of Dry Wellness Core and Wet Science Diet Beef Stew with savory vegetables. He picks out the wet food as best he can leaving some of the dry to throw away. Not being an expert I calculate the total fat content is within the range specified.I want to look at making my own food but need some help. He loves chicken but not that fond of rice. I'm thinking about chicken, broth (fat and sodium free) and some carb maybe potato also need a supplement that wont kill the taste of the food. Any suggestions would be helpful....also proportions. Thanks
We are most willing to make appropriate nutritional recommendations or formulate a HM diet for your dof with pancreatitis. In my experience the low will need to be lower if this is not his first episode. You may begin the consultation process yourself online at any time. If necessary, we can send you forms to complete and return to us instead. I will need more information about your particular pet, dietary history and current medical data to make specific suggestions. Diets for pets with a medical condition are done individually.

What's in the "Balance IT® Canine (black cap)"?
Vitamins, macro and micro minerals and a selected few amino acids. No proteins, carbs or fat. The amount in the recipe is no more than what is needed to complete the nutritional profile of the diet to meet the current recommendations for the adult dog.

I just started feeding my Collie people food. I need to know how much Calcium is required. she gets a multivitamin and there is 330 mg of calcium per serving, I give her 1 serving in the AM with her breakfast. She is 65-68 lb female/spayed. I am feeding her a mix of oatmeal, lentels, black or kidney beans, brown rice, chicken, a green (spinach or kale) sweet potato and carrots. I add yogurt also.
Please advise if this is a good mix for her and any recommendations are appreciated. thank you,
Sorry, the current diet is not nutritionally complete or balanced for several essential nutrients. Calcium is not the only essential nutrient that is deficient in your recipe. I would suggest the most efficient and least cost way for you to get a guaranteed nutritionally complete recipe is to use our HOMEMADE DIET module for HEALTHY PETS. Go to www.petdiets.com and select ‘Homemade diets’ (upper left) dog and cat picture. You begin the process by opening an account and complete your information on your pet and vet. Select the “all options” to see all of our ingredient options. You may select ingredients similar to those you are now feeding. The software will re-balance your diet properly and suggest the correct type and amount of a vitamin & trace mineral supplement. The cost is $25 for the first recipe and $12 for each thereafter purchased at the same time. You can download the recipes, print, save, etc immediately after payment. Please let me know if you have trouble ordering online.

What alternatives are there to Royal Canin GI diet? My vet suggested this as my miniature American Eskimo (7 years old) has loose stools. However,, the vet office is a long drive and it is not convenient to get the food (plus it is quite expensive).
Royal canin makes 5 different products (with 5 distinct features) all under the GI diet line. Which one specifically did the vet recommend (high fiber, low fiber, low fat, high energy, etc)?

Our 11 yr old llahsa opso has been diagnosed with a severely damaged left kidney, probably due to kidney stones. He had stones removed from his bladder last January that were calcium oxalate. His recent blood work is normal and according to a recent UA and urine culture, he has small stones in his bladder that are struvite. We understand that Royal Canin Urinary SO food is supposed to help prevent oxalate stones and dissolve struvite stones. In your experience, is that true? We have found recipes for making his food ourselves and would like to know what recipe you might recommend, along with supplements to round out his dietary needs. Can you help?
Thank you.
Royal Canin and Hill's have different ideas on preventing oxalate reformulation so their products are formulated slightly different. SO is a relatively new diet compared to the Hill's u/d and so I have had more experience with Hill's u/d delaying oxalate formation than the SO. There is no diet that will prevent oxalate reoccurrence 100%. Please be very careful about trying recipes recommended by other pet owners. A recent study (JAVMA 2013) of 200 homemade diets available on the internet and books, found that only 5 (3%) were nutritionally complete and those 5 were formulated by veterinarians with advanced training in nutrition.

I am a vegan, and I hear of many vegans who would like to feed their cats & dogs vegan diets. I know it's possible, if you're careful, with dogs, but it is very iffy for cats, as they're obligate carnivores.Do taurine supplements really fulfill the cat's need for taurine? Are there any other supplements one would have to add? Can you provide some good research resources on this topic? I want to write an article for a vegan web site because I am afraid that many vegans may not be feeding their cat(s) adequate nutrition. Thank you so much.
Taurine supplements are as good as the company ensures. There are other essential animal based nutrients that must also be reconciled if making a feline vegan food. Because it is difficult and requires experienced nutritional expertise, there are no general "how to" sources for clients by nutritionist to the best of my knowledge.

My 11 pound morkie rescue is on Hills U/D because of a documented 1 cm. calcium oxalate stone. I took him to my bet about a week after rescuing him and his urine showed struvite crystals. We will repeat the U/A next week. In light of these facts, what can I use for treats besides his dog food? What treats might be contraindicated?
Thank you. I want to provide good nutrition but miss being able to treat.
I would not change the diet due to the struvite crystals but I would check the dog for a UTI struvite crystals indicate a bacterial infection and there is no need to change the diet - just treat the infection. Low oxalate treats are very limited to those made with rice (rice cakes), wheat, white potato, corn, egg or meat jerky treats.

What alternatives are there to the canine c/d diet and is there any food that I can make at home that can support this diet.
Please know that struvite stones and crystals in dogs are caused by a urinary tract infection. Once the infection is eliminated, the crystals there is rarely another problem. Some infections are difficult to treat but the presence of crystals indicates the staphylococcus or proteus organisms are most likely still present. In some cases, additional diagnostic work (urine culture, Ultrasound) is needed to find the source of the infection. Some times the infection is actually in the kidney which then seeds the bladder. In difficult cases to resolve, the dog is placed on an appropriate antibiotic for 6 months a 1/3 the therapeutic dose. Rarely but plausible is a sterile struvite stone, hence the stone(s) removed from the dog should be cultured along with a sample from the bladder wall.

We can certainly formulate a homemade diet recommendation for your dog with a low urine pH but these (and commercial) diets will not solve the origin of struvite crystals if they are caused by a urinary tract infection. Only the appropriate antibiotic given at a therapeutic dose for several weeks will resolve this type of crystal problem. Once the struvite stones have been removed and the urinary tract infection has been resolved, you may feed any diet you wish.

If your dog truly has sterile struvite, you may feed a high meat (reduces urine pH) canned (provides excess water) diet of your choosing. I suggest checking the urine pH and sediment and then adjusting the urine pH down if needed using a urine acidifier.

Please indicate how you want me to proceed with your consult request.

Several dog food manufacturers make over the counter dog foods that "target" specific issues, such as "sensitive skin and stomach," "mobility," etc. Is there any advantage to feeding these foods if for instance, the dog has frequent loose stools, or, the dog has flaky, itchy skin, or the dog is a little stiff in the morning? Reading the "testimonials" from dog owners who have used these foods, would lead one to believe that they are miracles in a bag. What do you think? Is it all just marketing hype or is there a grain of truth in some of it? Thank you.
The claim on the bag is usually based on some specific ingredient added that is in general related to some vague medical condition but it is rarely ever at an effective dose if there is a real problem. So yes there is usually a thin grain of truth to the general association made between the named ingredients which contain some nutrient(s) known to be related to that vague medical condition, e.g., zinc and skin, glucosamine and joints. It is a marketing ploy to differentiate their product from the others. Testimonials should always be suspect but you have to ask what diet was the dog on before you switched to this bagged miracle? You might find a good reason how the last diet was lacking. The claims have to be looked at on a case by case basis. You can ask the company for data if indeed you need some particular help for your dog.