There are currently many diets available for pets and deciding which one is best can sometimes feel overwhelming. As part of your pet’s healthcare team, we are here to guide you as to which diets are balanced and complete at any stage of life.
All animals have basic nutritional needs that must be met to help them live long, healthy lives. Every animal requires certain essential nutrients in their diets. Inadequate or excessive amounts of these nutrients can cause health problems, so it’s important to make sure that your pet’s diet contains nutrients in the appropriate amounts for your animal’s species, breed, and life stage. The easiest way to do this is to feed a commercial diet made by a reputable manufacturer with an AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) feeding trial statement. The AAFCO statement is generally found at the bottom of the nutrition label. It indicates the food is complete and balanced for a particular life stage like puppy/kitten formulas, adult/maintenance formulas and senior formulas. Please see this handout from the Global Nutrition Committee to further explain how your pet foods are formulated and labeled: Recommendations on Selecting Pet Foods
We encourage pet owners to bring any diet and nutrition questions to wellness visits with your pet. Our veterinarians have completed extensive medical training which includes animal nutrition; and keep up to date on the current research through continuing education. Our goal is to ensure our patients receive the best healthcare, which includes their diet.