- Lawndale Veterinary Hospital is committed to helping you make the best nutrition decisions for your pet. Great nutrition can go a long way in preventing, treating, and managing many health conditions.
- We make nutrition recommendations based on scientific information, scientific publications, and best practices in veterinary medicine (such as the AAHA Nutritional Assessment Guidelines for Dogs and Cats, the AAHA Weight Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats, and the World Small Animal Veterinarian Association’s (WSAVA) Global Nutrition Assessment Guidelines)
- Lawndale Veterinary Hospital recommends feeding pet food manufactured by pet food companies who have a vested interest in the advancement of pet nutrition.
Consider:
- Does the company employ a veterinary nutritionist?
- Are the diets tested and formulated to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles (does the food have the AAFCO statement that the food is ‘complete and balanced’)?
- Where are the foods produced and manufactured?
- What quality control measures does the company implement to assure consistency and ingredient quality?
- Is a nutrient analysis available for the food?
- Is research on the product available? Are the results published in peer-reviewed journals?
For more information about selecting pet foods, see the World Small Animal Veterinary Association’s (WSAVA’s) Recommendations on Selecting Pet Foods.
Be aware:
- There is an overwhelming amount of pet food and nutrition information available to consumers. Some information is incredibly helpful, while other information is riddled with opinions and one-sided arguments.
- One manufacturing facility might produce a variety of different pet food brands – so the brand you are picking might not be as unique as you think!
- Be wary of pet fad diets and trends (e.g., raw diets, holistic diets, grain-free diets (including corn-free, wheat-free, and gluten-free), altered protein level diets, etc.). These diets are not necessarily healthy choices for your pet and may cause harm, nutritional deficiencies, or new health problems. For more information about the more recent (2018) suspected link between grain-free diets and boutique diets and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), visit this blog.
- Lawndale Veterinary Hospital believes nutrition should be a part of every health assessment. Let us know about any nutrition questions or concerns you may have.
~Author: Dr. C. Noureddine, DVM, MS