FAQs
Why does it matter which food I feed my dog? Aren’t they all basically the same?
All pet foods must meet similar regulations from the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) including minimum nutrient levels if the food is sold as being “complete and balanced”, meaning that it is the only food that your dog needs. However, some foods have nutrient levels that are more optimal rather than minimal levels. Foods vary in ingredients and digestibility and some pets will do better on some foods than others. Some companies have excellent quality control procedures in place while others focus their money on marketing rather than on product quality and safety. Price isn’t always a good way to distinguish the best foods from the worst.
What do I do if my dog does not eat the recommended food options?
In most situations, there will be multiple high quality commercial foods that will be appropriate for a healthy animal. There may be more limitations for animals with health concerns. If your pet has a poor appetite, we recommend working with your pet’s veterinarian as many times appetite is related to underlying health concerns and not just diet choice.
What does it mean to be a Board-Certified Veterinary Nutritionist? What are the qualifications?
To be able to use the term Board Certified Veterinary NutritionistTM, an individual must be a veterinarian who has completed at least two years of additional training (called “a residency”) in pet (or livestock) nutrition. During a nutrition residencies, a veterinarian works in a veterinary teaching hospitals seeing pets both healthy and sick who needed help with their nutrition. Residents must publish a nutrition research project in a scientific journal and complete several vigorous case write-ups to quality to sit for a 12 hour exam. Passing that exam gives a nutritionist status as a “Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition (DACVN)”. The ACVN® is an organization of veterinarians dedicated to improving the nutrition of animals of all types.
Should I share my dog’s analysis with my primary veterinarian?
Yes, it will be helpful for your veterinarian to know exactly what you are feeding your dog
Does knowing my dog’s breed make a difference in what food is best for him/her? Is it helpful to have a full genome test done or can I just tell you what I think the breed is?
There are certainly some health issues that are more common in some breeds than others, as well as other factors such as energy needs that often vary with breed. However, in most cases not every dog in the breed is affected equally, so breed is just one small part of your pet’s nutrition picture. As an example, while many (the majority?) of Labrador retrievers have lower calorie needs relative to other breeds, not every Labrador has the same calorie needs and some may actually need more than the average non-Labrador, so it is important to look at the individual dog and not just assume all Labradors have very low calorie needs. Our recommendations for healthy pets focus on your pet’s weight, age, activity, and body condition as well as their current food intake much more so than their breed. As such, a genome test is not likely to alter our recommendations much. For pet’s with health issues, nutritionists base their recommendations more on your pet’s health history, their lab work, their medications, and how they are doing. While breed is another factor that may be taken into account, it is not usually critical. Until we have more research into breed-specific needs, especially for mixed breeds, breed testing is mostly a curiosity and isn’t crucial for good nutrition recommendations for healthy or sick pets.
My dog eats pretty much everything, from dry food to treats to human food and table scraps. And he/she seems fine and healthy enough. As long as my dog is not overweight or getting sick, isn’t that all that matters?
Commercial pet food is designed to ensure that a pet with average calorie needs gets appropriate amounts of nutrients when they eat the amount of food recommended on the label (or close to it). While your pet may be at an ideal weight, if he/she is eating much less than the diet recommends because you are providing him/her with lots of human foods and treats that are not nutritionally balanced, then you could actually cause a nutrient deficiency or other imbalance. Two rules of thumb: 1) any foods other than the main dog food should be kept to less than 10% of daily calories and 2) if you are feeding less than 75% of the recommended amount for your ideal weight dog then you are increasing the risk of nutrient imbalances, even if you are not feeding more than 10% of calories from treats. If you are feeding less than 75% and it’s not because of too many treats, you should look for a lower calorie food.