Nutrition

The area of therapeutic or preventative pet nutrition may be the most dynamic and challenging area of veterinary medicine today!

Great new nutritional guidelines are just out from the American Animal Hospital Association AAHA Nutritional Guidelines

We have only one challenge to keep you pet healthier …longer!

As I like to mention in my talks, food is an emotional issue!  We bond daily with our pets through food & treats.  The melamine scare of 2007 forever changed the way we perceive our pet’s food.  At the same time, the science of nutrition is very complex and not always followed day to day by even the best intentioned pet owners.  It is your veterinarian’s responsibility to try to merge these realities.

The list of topics is long:  food quality, food safety, ingredients, type of protein, food allergies, supplements such as fish oils and joint supplements, probiotics, etc.

There is no shortage of new information!  The challenge is to be able to sort through claims and statements that often have minimal to no regulation and may not be based on facts.

Well before the concept of an Ideal Weight Center (in 4 Paws Swim & Fitness) using nutrition as to prevent disease and treat was well rooted in the Westside Family Pet Clinic’s Mission statement.

If we were to add a specific core value to our mission statement it would read “Provide evidence based information regarding pet food & supplement quality & safety to maximize the wellness and longevity of your client’s pets”

Just in the past year we have diversified our therapuetic food line to include lots of new products from Purina and Royall Canin to augment a few core products from Hills. We have daily discussions about what is best and newer foods are constantly challenging the “status quo” of pet nutrition.

By a continuous dialogue open minds and freely sharing information we can move forward to the benefit of our pet’s health! Hang on and enjoy the ride!

Drs Ken, Sarah, Dawn & Tina