DOG FOOD And NUTRITION

Only one claim is allowed on dog food. It has to do with improved oral hygiene because of a foods positive impact on plaque and/or tartar control. (Look for a seal from the Veterinary Oral Health Council, or VOHC.) All other health claims on dog food packages are illegal. So how do manufacturers get away with such label claims as the optimal blend of calcium, phosphorus, and essential vitamins to help maintain the bone health…

Q I am doing my best to control the weight of my dog, who loves to eat. One of the treats she enjoys is rawhide.

Google corn-free diet for dogs, and volumes of information will come up on why corn is detrimental to canine health. But the claims fall far short of the truth. Indeed, corn has commonly been included in dog foods for decades, and dogs are only getting healthier and living longer. Herein, we separate the science from the buzz. …

The issue of insufficient calories becomes even more critical for a sick or injured dog than for a healthy dog. A healthy animal whos not eating enough can at least compensate for the lack of food in the short term by turning to fat stores for calories. But a dog who is ill or injured undergoes what is known as stressed starvation, meaning that instead of using fat stores for nourishment, his body keeps using protein stores from muscle, which results in a loss of lean body mass that can make him even sicker, adversely affecting wound healing, immune function, overall strength, and ultimately, his prognosis.Fortunately, a well-outfitted veterinary hospital can equip your dog with a feeding tube that allows food to bypass the mouth.

If a dog who cannot eat by mouth is sent home, it may be with either an E-tube or a G-tube, that is, a tube through which food can get to his esophagus or his stomach, respectively. But sometimes dogs who will be off their feedings only for the days they will be in the hospital are given a different type of apparatus to administer meals. …

If youre only learning while reading this sentence that a bully stick is a bull or steer penis, youre not alone. Almost half of 752 people responding to a questionnaire prepared by Tufts veterinary nutritionist Lisa Freeman, DVM, PhD, DACVN also were unaware of what bully sticks are composed of. So were almost 40 percent of the veterinarians who filled out the survey. Respondents hailed from across the United States and six other countries. …

The vet finally told us what we had known for some time but needed to hear. Franklin the border collie, tipping the scale at 62 pounds, was due for some serious dieting. Rosie the shiba inu, on the other hand, was perfectly proportioned at a svelte 28 pounds. …

Just the other day we had two brothers - a pair of Chihuahua mixes, tiny little things - who had always eaten out of the same bowl their entire lives, says Cailin Heinze, VMD, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist at Tufts. Now they were going to have to eat separately because one of them had a bladder stone that required a very special diet. The owner has come to realize shes going to have to…

Many pet owners are resistant to feed the diets prescribed to help manage a dogs kidney disease, says Cailin Heinze, VMD, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist at Tufts. They fear their pet wont eat or wont like the food, or they prefer to feed food from different manufacturers, Dr. Heinze points out. They may also feel put off by the expense. For the average owner, a therapeutic diet formulated to help manage a dogs kidney…

Its really important not to defeat the purpose of a therapeutic diet prescribed for a dog with kidney disease by feeding inappropriate treats, says Tufts veterinary nutritionist Cailin Heinze, VMD. For instance, she points out, bully sticks, pigs ears, rawhides - all of those are really high in protein, which is bad for a dog whose kidneys are failing. And the quality of the protein is poor, so its a double whammy. The poor-quality protein…

Last month we pointed out that as kidney disease progresses, a dog may no longer be able to drink enough water to compensate for the water she loses in her urine and may need to get injections of fluid at home. But to reach that point later rather than sooner, there are a number of steps you can take to make water enticing enough to your dog so that she drinks the appropriate amount. Its…

To help you in your Internet searches for reliable nutrition information for your dog, we have complied a list of the best websites out there, divided into categories. Nutrition Guidelines World Small Animal Veterinary Association Nutritional Assessment Guidelines www.wsava.org/v5.htm American Animal Hospital Association Nutritional Assessment Guidelines www.aahanet.org/Library/Nutritional Asmt.aspx Pet Nutrition - General Information for Pet Owners …