What looks like a low protein or fat for example , could actually be quite high when you take away all of the other variable of the food -like moisture and starches.
Animal Nutrition Blog
A corral of information for the health of your pet.
MATH: As Fed to Dry Matter (DM) Calculation
It's important to make sure you're comparing apples to apples when looking at the guaranteed analysis (GA) of different forms of pet foods i.e: canned food to dry kibble.
Read MoreSwitching A Puppy to Raw
May 21, 2015 // Canine
Puppies will generally have healthier digestive systems than older dogs or those with health issues,
and therefore will tolerate a more rapid switch (i.e., 1 or 2 days) with no trouble.
Start by substituting ¼ raw for your dog’s current food in each meal,
gradually increasing raw dog food while proportionately decreasing the kibble until the transition is complete.
Joint Disease in Dogs: prevention
April 14, 2015 // Canine
As dogs age, many of them start to suffer from joint disease (like hip dysplasia). You may see your older dog moving around stiffly, struggling to get up, or not able to zoom upstairs or jump in the car like she used to.
And it’s not just the seniors either. Younger and younger dogs are getting diseases like hip dysplasia or elbow dysplasia and knee problems like luxating patellas or cruciate ligament tears.
And you probably think there’s not much you can do to prevent these problems from happening.
Sure, you can give your dog supplements that might slow down joint degeneration. And you can ease any pain or discomfort with herbal or homeopathic remedies …
… but if she’s destined for joint problems, you probably assume nothing you can do is going to stop them from happening.
But what if that’s wrong? What if you could help your dog avoid joint disease?
Fat in a Dog's Food
March 13, 2015 // Canine
Dietary fat continues to be one of the most polarizing and misunderstood topics in canine nutrition. Whether it’s people making their own prey model diet, which is commonly too high in protein in relation to the amount of fat, or a commercially prepared diet using carnivore-inappropriate vegetable oils, we’re headed in the wrong direction. Unfortunately for the misinformed pet owner, the cost in health terms is very high.
Read MoreHMD
February 23, 2015 // Canine, Chronic Illness Management
* Hepatic microvascular dysplasia, or HMD, is a condition in which tiny blood vessels inside the liver develop abnormally, disrupting blood flow, and compromising liver function
* HMD is a rare congenital disease that occurs in certain small-breed dogs
* Some dogs with the disorder have no symptoms and require no treatment. Clinical signs in symptomatic dogs include GI disturbances, small size, and poor muscle development
* Definitive diagnosis of HMD requires a liver biopsy. All dogs with the disease have abnormally high total serum bile acids
* Treatment depends on the severity of the condition and usually involves a reduced amount of high-quality protein in a biologically available form, and appropriate liver support supplements