There’s more contradictory information about pet food than about any other subject we discuss, and a great deal of it is marketing. We’re happy to talk through what you’re feeding without an agenda.
Weight Matters Most
More than half of dogs and cats in the US are overweight, and it’s the single most modifiable factor in how long and how comfortably they live. Excess weight worsens arthritis, raises anesthetic risk, and shortens life measurably. Studies in Labradors put it at around two years.
Weight loss in pets is achievable, but it needs measuring rather than estimating. We can work out a calorie target and a realistic plan, including what to do about the other people in the household who are feeding treats.
Two practical things make most of the difference. Measure with a scale or a proper measuring cup, not a mug — the usual error is twenty to thirty percent, every meal, every day. And count the treats. Ten percent of daily calories is the ceiling, and a few training treats plus a dental chew will clear that in a large dog before dinner.
Reading the Body, Not the Scale
We use a nine-point body condition score, and it’s a skill worth learning yourself. You should be able to feel the ribs easily with flat fingers, without pressing. From above there should be a visible waist behind the ribs, and from the side the belly should tuck up rather than run straight back. Ask us to show you on your own animal at the next visit — it takes about a minute and it’s more useful than a number on a chart.
Life Stage
Growing large-breed puppies need controlled calcium and energy density. Overfeeding one causes lasting orthopedic problems, and it’s one of the easiest mistakes to make with the best intentions. Adult, senior, and pregnant animals all have different requirements.
Cats are worth a separate note. They are obligate carnivores, they evolved getting most of their water from prey, and many do better with some wet food in the diet — particularly cats prone to urinary problems or kidney disease. Free-feeding dry food all day is also the most common route to an overweight indoor cat.
The Questions We Get Asked Most
Grain-free? Unless there’s a diagnosed grain allergy, which is uncommon, there’s no benefit. The FDA has been investigating a possible link between some grain-free and legume-heavy diets and a form of heart disease in dogs. The picture isn’t settled, but there’s no upside to balance the uncertainty against.
Raw? The risks are real and documented — salmonella and listeria for the pet and for the people in the house, and bone fragments. Most published raw and homemade recipes are also nutritionally unbalanced. If you’re committed to raw or to home cooking, we’d rather help you do it with a formulation from a veterinary nutritionist than have you do it from a blog.
Which brand? Look past the label and ask whether the company employs a qualified nutritionist, runs feeding trials, and owns its manufacturing. Those three things separate food companies more reliably than the ingredient list on the front, which is written to be read by you rather than by your dog.
Supplements? A few are genuinely useful — omega-3s for joints and skin, for instance. Most are not, and some interact with medication. Bring in whatever you’re giving and we’ll tell you honestly which ones are doing something.
Therapeutic Diets
For kidney disease, urinary stones, food allergies, gastrointestinal disease, and diabetes, diet is not a supplement to treatment — it often is the treatment. These are prescription foods for a reason: the therapeutic ones are formulated to do a specific job, and an over-the-counter bag with similar words on the front will not do it.
We stock the common ones and can get the rest, and they’re also available through our online pharmacy for home delivery.