Pet Nutrition
Achieve the right nutritional balance.
Diet is an often overlooked part of a pet’s overall health and wellbeing. It should come as no surprise that what your pet eats, as well as how much they eat, directly impacts their health. Achieving the right nutritional balance will allow your pet to better manage any existing medical conditions and significantly improve their quality of life.
Making the Best Decisions for Your Pet
One of the biggest issues when it comes to maintaining good nutrition for pets is the amount of confusing information being presented to owners. The sheer number of pet food brands promising to be the best option for your pet can make anyone feel overwhelmed or exhausted. In addition to that, information about what does and does not constitute a healthy weight for an individual pet isn’t always readily available.
What’s great about having the support of a team who doesn’t believe veterinary medicine should be one-size-fits-all is being able to seek recommendations unique to your pet. Our veterinarians and veterinary technicians have training and firsthand experience dealing with various aspects of pet nutrition.
At Washington Square Vet we encourage our clients look for the VOHC seal. Veterinary Oral Health Council. VOHC exists to recognize products that meet pre-set standards of plaque and calculus (tartar) retardation in dogs and cats. Products are awarded the VOHC Seal of Acceptance following review of data from trials conducted according to VOHC protocols. The VOHC does not test products itself.
We do not recommend "Raw or Freeze dired diets or treats" They are not nutritionusly balanced or regulated. The label may not relfect the ingredients, but most importantly, they are a source of potenital contaimation for not just your dogs and cats (Salmonella, E. Coli and Listeria bacteria) but for humans who live with pets fed a raw diet. Bacterial pathogens can be picked up directly and indirectly from contaminated food ie the pets bodies and food bowls.
The feeding of raw diets can contribute to resistant baceria in humans treated with antibiotics.
We recommend diets that are evidence-based to be 100% nutritious, that are regulated by AAFCO and are NOT grain free.The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) has been guiding state, federal and international feed regulators with ingredient definitions, label standards and laboratory standards for more than 110 years, while supporting the health and safety of people and animals.
The top 5 brands that meet this requirement are Purina, Sicence Diet, Iams, Eukanuba and Royal Canin.
BCS (Body Condition Score) is based on a visual assessment and palpation of each pet and is on a scale of 1 to 9, with 5 being ideal, 1 being extremely underweight, and 9 being extremely overweight. BCS is commonly used as an indicator of health status in stray dogs and cats and as a prognostic indicator in animal cancer.
Whether you need pet food recommendations or you’d like us to create a personalized exercise plan to assist your pet with weight loss, we can help.
If you’d like to schedule a pet nutrition or weight loss consultation, call us at (707) 778-1011 or schedule an appontment online.
