Ask the Veterinary Nutritionist

Do you have a specific question related to pet nutrition?

Our database contains nearly 1000 questions asked by other 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, please submit your question. An ACVN Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionist (PhD, DVM, DACVN) will directly respond to your questions as best as possible.

Submit Question

I have a 10 week old lab puppy I rescued from bad health. We got her at 7 weeks and currently have her on Authority Grain Free puppy food. I also add 1 raw quail egg a day, that we get from my father in law (he raises quail and chickens free range). I also add 1 tsp of coconut oil, and sardines that come canned in water only, no salt. Is this too much? What else can I be adding? Sometimes I do baked sweet potatoes or canned pumpkin purée. I also am getting a 6 week old Australian Shepherd puppy tomorrow and plan on adding things to her kibble as well. Thanks!
IF Authority Grain Free puppy food has a complete and balance AAFCO claim then you need not ADD anything.
In fact you are diluting the puppy food and unbalancing the diet and wasting your money.

Hi, I have a 12 year old lab who recently had bladder stone surgery. Our Vet put him on the Royal Canin urinary SO diet and it is quite expensive. Is there anything we can do to supplement his diet safely with something less pricey?
Adding more is not the key here, but controlling/ limiting specific ingredients in the diet.
If feeding the correct diet avoids another surgery, the food will have paid for itself.

There seems to be a lot of carbohydrates in the diets you put together for us. Why so many carbohydrates? Won't our bulldog gain too much weight?
There are 1/2 as many calories from carbs as from the same amount of fat, so in order to control calorie intake but still provide a reasonable amount of food to help the dog feel full, complex carbs - called fiber.
You select sweet potato, green peas and vegetable mix as sources of fiber, some vitamins and some protein. Additionally, if you entered the correct current wt and you feed the recommended amount food per day (minus treats), the dog is unlikely to gain weight. It is total calories in and not total carbs in that makes a dog overweight.

I have a 10 1/2 yr old female who was diagnosed last September with Hyperthyroidism. Her sister also has it. Her Sister is doing well on the Methimazole, she is not. Right now she is in crisis. Thyroid is 14, white blood count and kidney functions both high. Also dehydrated. We are giving 200cc fluids at home. I'm trying everything under the sun to get her to eat. A local Pet Retailer suggested a Raw Diet. My vet unfortunately is not very helpful with diet concerns. I don't want to feed her anything that will make this worse. I'm reading and reading and just more confused. Is it safe? One better then the other? I want an honest educated opinion from someone who isn't trying to sell me something. Any help please would be so greatly appreciated. Thank you
I understand ... and a raw diet is not recommended for several reasons but primarily because the iodine and selenium have not been specifically controlled for this condition. No over the counter food has these specific levels and shame on the Pet Retailer for playing veterinarian.

There is only one diet on the market that is specific for this condition and is successful in the majority of feline cases.

The diet is called Hill’s y/d (can and dry are available).

You will have to get the food or a prescription for an online purchase from your vet.

Hi, I have 2 8 yr old healthy mini-schnauzers. In October they started a BARF or raw diet which is 77% protein and 23% fruit and vegetable and have had no issues. My Mom mentioned the raw food diet to her Vet and he said high protein is symptomatic of causing potential liver issues. I've read your prior answers that this breed does not need more 30% but I think that was directed to kibble based food. Any data or info that you can provide would be great, I am concerned that I may be doing more harm than good and Mom's vet said to switch them to Science Diet.
The avegage healthy adult dog does not even need 30% protein in the diet but can be ok with it hence people most people the more protein - the better due to strong marketing efforts and dollars. That estimate is irregardless of the type of food fed. Your recipe is unlikely to be "77% protein" but more likely to be "77% meat" - meat is not 100% protein - it could be ~50% protien though and that is most definitely not necessary, in fact, is unsustainable.

I have been feeding the DIY recipes from justfoodfordogs.com for a while now but am not certain about their nutritional value as the amount of carbohydrates is fairly high.
What percentage of carbohydrates should the dog be fed on a daily basis to reach a properly balanced diet?
Thank you
Healthy dogs do very well with 50-60% digestible carbs in the diet.

My 5 month old female Bernese Mountain Dog was just diagnosed with Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy. There is some research that shows that diet may contribute to this because of high protein diets. My vet suggested taking my dog off large breed puppy food and switching to large breed dog. Is there a good food to switch to? Could I keep her on puppy food and introduce other supplemental food? Do you recommend any low calorie treats?
Dietary protein is not part of that problem ..... that controversy was put to rest 10-15 yrs ago after a series of very good research studies.

I would NOT change to a large breed adult dog food, b/c the actual intake of calcium will most likely increase in doing so. I would suggest getting professional nutrition advice from an ACVN boarded diplomate in your area (www.acvn.org) after they have reviewed your case and/or dog.

I have two dogs that are eating Natural Balance Vegetarian dry dog food. Is this food all encompassing in terms of their nutrition? Or do I need to supplement with anything?

Both my dogs are between 70-80 lbs.
You can answer this nutrition questions yourself by simply reading the product label.

Either the label says: 'for intermittent or supplemental feeding' OR it will say 'nutritionally complete and balanced for adult dogs'.

I have been feeding my French Bulldog K9 Cravings Frozen Raw Duck patties for a few years now. Recently, a new vet of mine said she is not a fan of raw diets for 2 reasons: concern over salmonella and insuring nutrional value. K9 Cravings and the pet store I purchase it from have said K9 Cravings is AAFCO certified and provides a complete and balanced diet but of course I feel they may be biased. How can I be sure my dog is getting all of the nutrients she needs?
AAFCO does not certify any foods, so whoever said that clearly does not understand AAFCO's place in the pet food market.

You can answer this nutrition questions yourself by simply reading the product label.

Either the label says: for intermittent or supplemental feeding OR it will say nutritionally complete and balanced for adult dogs.

What the pet store clerk, vet or web site says is irrelevant.... what does it say on the product label?

What is the best food to give miniature schnauzer? I give her Blue Buffalo
Each dog is different and in order to make food recommendations, I would have to know much more about your dog.
Please consider a nutrition consult with us if you have concerns. You may begin at: https://www.petdiets.com/Consultation/Owner at any time.