Different animals have different nutritional requirements at various stages of their life. While a pet is very young, they need adequate nutrition to support their growth and development. If your pet isn’t eating enough or not eating the right things, he may not develop as he should. If you have a female pet that is pregnant or nursing, they will require additional sustenance to nurture their young. As your pet reaches his senior years, his body is almost certainly beginning to slow down. This may mean that he needs less food to sustain him but requires a specific diet to support any developing medical problems such as arthritis.

Unfortunately, many owners don’t take the changes in their pet’s age, activity level, and health into account when it comes to feeding them. Instead, they tend to stick with a tried and tested brand of food. While there may not be technically anything ‘wrong’ with this diet, it may not be the best one for supporting the health and wellbeing of your pet. This is where nutritional counseling can prove extremely valuable.

What is veterinary nutritional counseling?

Veterinary nutritional counseling is not all that dissimilar to that given to humans who want advice and support with their diet. As we know, what your pet eats is extremely important. A veterinarian who is trained in nutritional counseling will be able to help you determine the best diet for your pet based upon his age, activity life, and medical status.

Some of the different topics relating to pet nutrition that we can discuss with you include:

• Basic nutrition

• Feeding practices

• Nutritional recommendations for your individual pet

• Determining your pet’s daily calorie requirements

• Interpreting food labels

What medical conditions can nutritional counseling help with?

Nutritional counseling has been shown to be beneficial in helping to deal with a wide range of medical conditions. In most instances, these are problems that are directly related to obesity. Unfortunately, it is not just humans that are prone to putting on weight. A large percentage of domestic animals are also overweight or obese and this is playing havoc with their health. In fact, obesity has been cited as the leading cause of premature death in humans and animals’ countless times. Perhaps unsurprisingly, weight-loss diets are one of the most common reasons for a pet owner to visit a nutritional counselor.

Some of the obesity-related health problems that nutritional counseling can help with include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and kidney disease. It can also help with arthritis, gastrointestinal problems, lower urinary tract disease, skin problems, and more.

By adjusting your pet’s diet to suit their age, life stage, and health, you are taking responsible steps towards ensuring that your furbaby lives a long, healthy, and fulfilled life. If you would like to discover more about veterinary nutritional counseling, or if you would like to schedule an appointment to meet with our experienced team, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.