Good Nutrition for Your Pet’s Health, Inside & Out

Good nutrition is essential for maintaining a healthy life. It is important for pet owners to understand that a pet’s nutritional needs often differ from their own. Nutritional needs of dogs differ from those of cats. And different lifestyles and life stages also have varying nutritional requirements.

Knowing that good nutrition is vital to your pet’s good health, our veterinarians and trained staff are happy to discuss your pet’s nutritional needs with you and answer your questions. A good time to discuss concerns about your pet’s nutrition with one of our veterinarians is during your pet’s regular wellness care examinations.

Nutritional concerns for your pet to keep in mind:

• Water is very important, and you should provide your cat or dog with a bowl of fresh water every day.
• Watch the calories and your pet’s weight. There are guidelines for daily calorie intake for both dogs and cats based on their size and stage of life.
• When choosing food for your cat, make sure it is rich in meat and protein, as cats’ bodies rely on meat as the only source of proteins and other essential nutrients.
• Meat and fats are important in your dog’s diet as well, but vegetables can also be a source of nutrition in his or her diet. However, seek guidance from our veterinary staff before increasing the amount of vegetables offered to your dog or putting your dog on an all-vegetarian diet.

Obesity is a problem veterinarians are noticing much more frequently, and it can lead to more serious conditions such as diabetes and arthritis. We can recommend changes in your pet’s diet and exercise activity, as well as other weight management programs to help him or her shed excess weight to help avoid problems later in life.