Nutrition, including controlling your pet’s weight, seriously affects pet health, especially as your pet ages. Weight management is one of the most critical factors in maintaining pet health. In general, we recommend that you follow the feeding guidelines on your specific bag of dog food. During a routine exam, we can discuss the exact amount of food to add or subtract from your pet’s diet based on breed, activity level, and current weight. Remember that overweight pets are more likely to suffer from arthritis, certain cancers, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and skin problems.

Diets

There are countless different diets that you can buy for your pet. Many are well-balanced, good diets, but several are not. If you have specific questions about a good diet for your pet, please discuss this with your veterinarian during a check-up. Our clinic does carry and recommend Science Diet as a well-balanced food, formulated by veterinarians to be optimal for your pet's overall health. 

Prescription diets

Medicated diets are created to augment nutritional needs for pets dealing with illness or disease. A variety of manufacturers design pet food specifically for pets suffering from allergies, arthritis, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease, pancreatitis, and more. If you think a medicated diet would benefit your pet, contact our office today.

Supplements

As your pet ages their need for phosphorus, sodium, calcium, and protein lessen while their need for fiber increases. Dietary supplements can help meet your pet’s needs as they age. Supplements also offer therapeutic function. Vitamins and glucosamine are just some of the beneficial supplements available for your pet. Please contact your veterinarian if you think dietary supplements would be helpful for your pet.