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Has DARWIN'S natural pet products ever been evaluated by a veternary neutritionest?
Not my me or anyone else with a certification in Veterinary Nutrition is my knowledge.
Beware of the Dog Food Advisor and similar self-claiming expert opinions.

I have a diabetic very finicky 12 year old poodle. It is very difficult to feed him. I am making him food, but he won't eat what is best for him like barley or rice. I've tried everything. I can't get him to eat anything with bone meal in it. What is a reasonable substitute for it, or do tablet exist? I give him two pet tabs plus per day as recommended in a diet the vet gave me.
Sorry we do not recommend bonemeal or Pet Tabs as they are not needed in a homemade recipe. It sounds like a very old outdated homemade recipe.
We are most willing to make appropriate nutritional recommendations or formulate a HM diet for your dog. You may begin the consultation process yourself online at any time.

My 12 year old cocker spaniel (female) was recently diagnosed with Cushing's disease after many tests to rule out other things that could be causing her high blood pressure. A tumor of the adrenal gland was ruled out via an abdominal ultrasound so her Cushing's is believed to be caused by the pituitary gland, although she had taken a low dose of predinsone for her chronic bronchitis during the past year and 1/2. This medication was stopped due to the Cushing's diagnosis and in its place we are using an inhaler for a month to get her coughing under control before starting medication for the Cushing's. Emmie has had one episode of pancreatitis, last September, before she was diagnosed with Cushings. Are there any special diets recommended for dogs with Cushing's? I have been making homemade dog food for both of my cocker spaniels for a long time. But, if I can alter the ingredients to give her a boost I would like too. My other cocker spanel, Abbey, is 10 and does not have Cushing's. She has allergies and some food intolerences though (gluten, a sensitive GI, etc). Thanks
If the dog is at an optimal body weight and condition then there are no specific dietary changes for Cushings.

A constant source of debate on a yorkie forum involves coconut oil and I'm hoping you can shed some light on this hot topic. I searched your FAQs and have not seen any info on this topic. Thank you in advance. It is alleged that since coconut oil is a mostly a medium chain triglyceride, it does not require pancreatic enzymes for digestion and is therefore well tolerated by dogs with chronic pancreatitis, EPI and other fat malabsorption disorders. It is also alleged that MCTs can help absorb fat-solubme vitamins for dogs who can't tolerate other fat in their diets. Is this true, and if so, is it true for Coconut oil specificaly. If dogs with pancreatitis can eat coconut oil without the pancreatic enzymes secreted, is there any other potential problem with adding this to the dog's food? Also, are you aware of any anti-oxidant effects of coconut oil with regard to canine eye health or any other disorder for that matter? As part of the almost unending list of reported miraculous effects, we have heard that there are dogs with better vision, better coats, better tolerance to allergies and inflammation, and even one person who swears it has dissolved bladder and kidney stones in dog with liver shunt. Clearly you can see why so many are jumping on the coconut oil bandwagon. Finally, the dosage of coconut oil seems to vary. Generally, people are feeding up to 1 tsp per 10 lbs of body weight, added on top of regular dog kibble. Assuming the only down side of adding coconut oil is the addition of calories, what is the dose you would recommend being added to a dog's kibble diet per body weight?
MCT are fatty acids with 8-12 carbons. LCT are 16-24 carbons. Hence MCT are digested and absorbed faster than LCT. MCT does require some lipases and bile acids for digestion just less than LCT because there are fewer carbon-carbon bonds that need be broken before gut absorption can occur.

Here is the most important difference: MCT are smaller more soluble in water hence they can be absorbed in the blood circulating around the gut. LCT are fat soluble and cannot be absorbed into the blood, they must be absorbed into the lymph circulating around the gut. Eventually, the both get to the liver (MCT much sooner than LCT).

Coconut oil is mostly C6 and C8 - about 70% of the fat in coconut oil is in the MCT form and about 20% is LCT but it is 100% fat. Fat is Fat and they all have the same caloric density (9 Kcal/g or 120 kcal/tbsp).

How much to give? There is no one dose for all cases - in each case someone should be calculating the dose based on the reason of giving the coconut oil and what effect you want in the dog. If you need to add fat for calories to the diet for weight gain, then figure out how many more calories you want to give in a day, divide by 9 and that is the dose.

What is the dose you would recommend being added to a dog's kibble diet per body weight? I would not be recommending coconut oil to normal healthy dogs … could give it but there is no specific reason or advantage to doing so …. Anyway 1 tsp per 10 lbs of body weight = 45 kcals to a dog needing 260 kcal/day is increasing the caloric intake by 17% - which should increase weight if that’s needed. But you could do this with any vegetable oil and save some $$.

Pancreatitis - the pancreas is stimulated by how much fat is in the stomach chime: less fat lower stimuli. The type of fat has little effect on whether the pancreatitis is stimulated or not. Hence most pancreatitic diets have low fat and the calories have to come from the “dreaded” carbs .... MCT or coconut oil still requires lipase and bile acids so there is some stimulus to the pancreas and liver.

EPI - the veterinary enzyme replacement products are so effective (and expensive) I have never had a case where I had to change the type of fat in a well management EPI case. Now there are enzyme replacement knock-offs and so if you go cheap on the meds, you might be able to make up for by paying $$ for an MCT oil – but why??

Anti-oxidant effects of coconut oil with regard to canine eye health? No not heard or read of it.
Anti-oxidant effects of coconut oil in anyway? That does not make any physiologic sense – in fact quite the opposite given it is a fat and contains double bonds. Fat with double bonds need protection from oxidation – do not provide protection.

Coconut oil dissolving stones – ??? No fat of any type has been implicated in any type urinary stone formation, dissolution or prevention. Acting as anti-inflammatory compound defies the mechanisms of action as we know them today – I think someone is confusing this with the effects of EPA and DHA.

Better coats – sure increasing the fat content of any diet makes the coat better…. Does not matter what type of fat is used.

Other fat malabsorption disorders – too vague ???
Lymphangectasia - YES here is where the carbon length matters. Feeding MCT gets more calories into the dog using the portal blood supply and lowers the stimulus to the lymphatics. Feeding LCT fat stimulates the lymph and makes protein losses into the gut worse. Always try to get MCT into a Lymphangectasia dog.

Fat soluble vitamins do need fat for absorption but they require micelle formation in the gut, and MCT being more water soluble than LCT, make very poor if any micelles. Fat soluble vitamins are better absorbed with LCT.

Downside to feeding MCT – nothing is perfect …..
1. Poor palatability – diet rejection
2. Vomiting
3. Osmotic diarrhea
4. Expensive
Coconut oil as a source of MCT – has had a better track record and is usually (not always) accepted by the dog.

I've been more conscious about reading labels lately, and I've noticed that glycerin is a common ingredient in a lot of dog treats. I know it's also commonly used in skin care and moisturizers, so I'm wondering what it's doing in dog food? Is it just a filler or does it carry any health benefits? Am I better off finding dog treats without it? Thanks!
It is listed as a "generally recognized as safe" in the AAFCO manual. The usage is not stated. I would guess it is used as a binder type additive. I have no evidence that it should be considered a health benefit.

I realize vets and vet hospitals receive funding from several of the dog food manufacturing companies. When planning a diet for dogs, do you consider the very best food for that dog regardless of the manufacturer?
I would not compromise my personal integrity, a excellent 20yr professional reputation, the veterinary oath I took at graduation nor jeopardize my state or federal licenses to practice medicine by offering you anything less than what I would be feeding my own dog under the same conditions.

R Remillard, PhD, DVM, DACVN

We have a 12 year old cat diagnosed with hyperthyroidism about 6 months ago. After several months on a strict Hills y/d diet (dry), her thyroid tests are normal, but she has lost weight from 7.2 lbs to 6.4 lbs. Ten days ago we switced to the wet (canned) y/d but I am concerned about articles that suggest this food is too high in carbohydrate and too low in animal protein (with too much soy protein). I'm also concerned about long term effects of an iodine deficient diet. Can you please comment on these issues? Thank you!!
The y/d canned is made of mostly animal not plant products. The canned product contains 31% carbohydrates which is right close to the cat's preference - from a study where cats were allowed to select various protein, fat and carbohydrate combinations on their own. The canned product is higher in fat than the dry so this should help with weight gain. In order to gain weight to 7 lb, I estimate the cat should eat 1 1/3 to 1 1/2 cans per day. Will she eat that if you offer it?

I am looking into starting my two dogs on a homemade food diet. I am having problems finding recipies that I know are balanced without supplements. I know supplements are very important to keep a homemade diet healthy, but they are very expensive. I was planning on keeping some commercial dog food in my animals diet for that reason. Is that an acceptable alternative to the expensive supplements and is there any websites with reliable information and recipies?
You cannot balance a homemade diet according to AAFCO or NRC recommendations without a synthetic supplement.
Yes they are relative expensive porudcts because they contain vitamins and minerals in highly concentrated forms. They are many and by far most are over priced and do not complete the balance of a homemade diet. There are only a few that can balance most homemade diets but you will need a help is obtaining them. You can feed commercial food + an unbalanced homemade diet but you must fed at least 80-90% commercial in order to meet the dog's nutrient requirements. Commerical diets are not designed to be diluted by adding more than 10% human foods.
R Remillard, PhD, DVM, DACVN

My 5 year old intact male rough collie suffers from scaly, *somewhat* itchy skin that develops lesions (with some accompanying hair loss within the lesion.) His doctor said that it is staph and the dog has been on cephalexin from time to time. I also bathe him every 7 to 10 days with Virbac hexadene shampoo. The bathings keep the problem at bay, but do not completely stop it. I can always feel at least a little scaly patch here and there, nothing serious, but persistent. My question: do you think that an omega 3 fatty acid supplement would benefit this dog? If so, which brand, what dose (dog weighs 65 pounds,) and can omega 3 supplementation do any harm either in the long or short term? Thank you.
If the secondary infections are because the dog is itching, you have to find the cause of the itch.
If food is the problem source, then you have do a 12 wk food trial.
If not food, but air borne, then changing the diet will not help.
Yes you can give EPA/DHA fatty acids at about 25 mg/lb of dog to stop the itch, but you do not want to use immunosuyppressive EPA/DHA when the dog has an infection.

i have a 4 year pld shitzu-bijon with airborne allergies. we are older owners and have spoiled her with mixing table foods and treats with her food. she was on wellneww low calorie and did pretty good on it. i would mix a beef jerly treat i cut up and warmed to mix it with her food. she like balony. i am so confused to help her. she does not want to eat the wellness i mentioned. i got wellnes lamb, same problem. i had her on a raw diet, ok for a bit. i cooked her chicken and turkey. this also was temporary. she is a dog that does not like the same food ongoing. she will not eat dry food. i do not know where to go from here.
IF the dog has food borne allergies, then you can feed her any diet you wish because the problem proteins are not coming from the diet but from the air.
R Remillard, PhD, DVM, DACVN