Nutritional Counseling

Pet Nutrition and Diet

Good health for pets requires proper nutrition.  While advances in veterinary medicine has been able to provide pets with longer and healthier lives, there are still recommendations to help you make the right decisions for your pet(s). A healthy diet that matches your dog or cat’s age and health condition is one of the requirements for a healthier and longer life for your pet. A good time to discuss your pet’s nutritional needs or ask questions about special veterinary diets with your veterinarian is during your pet’s twice-yearly pet wellness visits.

Good nutrition also starts with making sure that your dog or cat has access to sufficient water for proper hydration. The water bowl should be available to your pet at all times and should be cleaned frequently, with the water changed regularly.

Proper Nutrition the First Step in Preventative Care for Your Pet

Good nutrition enhances your pet’s health through all life stages, maintains your pet’s quality of life, offers therapeutic support following disease or injury and elevates your pet’s sense of well-being.

Pet Obesity

Obesity is becoming a problem for pets as well as their owners and, just as with humans, obesity in a dog or cat can lead to serious health issues later in life. During your pet’s semi-annual wellness exam, we will determine a Body Condition Score. Four-Five is perfect, and anything over 6 is overweight. Nine is obese. This will shorten your pet’s life. Ask us about weight loss treatments for your pet. Many older pets are overweight.

Osteoarthritis

Joint pain is difficult to detect in most senior pets until they reach an advanced stage. Pets do not cry out in pain but try to hide signs of disease problems. There are several prescription diets designed to treat joint arthritis in pets, including Science Diet J/D, Royal Canin Mobility and Purina Proplan Mobility. Signs of pain in pets:

  • Decreased appetite
  • Decreased activity
  • Difficulty getting up and down
  • Limb shivering

The first treatment for osteoarthritis is weight loss. Ask about special diets that can benefit your pet and aid in weight loss.

We recommend:

Royal Canin 
Hills/Science Diet Prescription Food
Iams, Eucanuba and Purina Proplan

Following your pet’s annual wellness blood tests, elevations in blood values for kidney, liver, heart or intestinal disease will indicate that your pets needs a special diet. Today’s pets enjoy the best and healthiest diets ever known.

Special diets are available for:

  • Life Stage diets: Puppies small breed, large breed, Adult pets, Senior Pets
  • Heart Disease
  • Kidney disease
  • Bladder Stones
  • Dental Disease
  • Allergic problems
  • Arthritis and Joint Disease
  • Diabetes
  • Obesity

WE ABSOLUTELY DO NOT RECOMMEND RAW DIETS!!!  Call us if you have any questions about raw diets.