Nutrition

Nutrition is the single most important thing you can provide for your pet. Many foods are full of filler material and fiber, which generates a lot of feces in the yard or litter box, without providing much in the way of vitamins and minerals. They also contain many artificial ingredients and chemicals. Anybody can make a commercial pet food, with no research and no quality control. Most commercial foods are never developed by feeding animals and monitoring their health over time… the manufacturer relies on marketing, a pretty package, and buzzwords like “natural” which often don’t mean what you expect. The ingredients in any one bag may change over time, depending on commodities prices. In general, the more you pay per pound, the better the food quality.

Yes, you can cook for your pet, but ask us for advice, so that you may provide adequate nutrition, as home diets require proper supplementation. Raw diets require even more attention to the details. Please do it right, or not at all.

Can you feed table scraps to your pets? Yes and no. It is fine, and recommended, to give your pet some cooked meats, and fruits and vegetables, (no grapes, raisins or chocolate). Give the same parts you eat, not the scraps you would discard. Pets benefit from a varied diet. Reduce the amount of commercial foods to avoid obesity – these “treats” should replace some of the dog or cat food.

Natural nutritional supplements & herbs should be given to every pet.  We often tailor these to help arthritis, specific diseases, or general health. These are especially helpful with chronic diseases and cancers.

Diets we recommend and feed our own pets:
Royal Canin therapeutic diets (including the former Select Care, Waltham, and IVD labels)
These are formulated for specific medical conditions.

Hills Prescription Diets
These are formulated for specific medical conditions.