Tailored Tummy Co.

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Tailored Tummy Co.

Canine Nutrition Consultant
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11/11/2024

✨Calcium is an absolutely critical nutrient to ensure you are feeding enough of. Calcium deficiency during growth can at the very least cause growth deformities but it can also cause a very painful death. I have actually talked with multiple vets who have witnessed the latter.

✨Blood calcium testing is not an accurate indication of dietary calcium levels. Your dog requires a certain level of calcium in their blood to perform bodily functions. When there is not enough dietary calcium to keep levels within this range, PTH will stimulate bone resorption. This means that you won't see signs of a nutritional deficiency until there is no calcium left to resorb.

✨In the past month alone, I have provided formulations for 3 dogs eating a homemade diet that provided less than 10% of their daily calcium requirements. It is extremely important to note that multivitamins will NEVER meet these requirements unless they are formulated as a meal completer. All 3 of these owners assumed that a multi would balance their meals. (They are all thriving now!)

✨Cottage cheese, goat's milk, bone broth and leafy veggies are all foods that I commonly see recommended for calcium. While they do provide some, the amount needed to meet a dog's requirements is not feasible. Better options include calcium carbonate, eggshell, seaweed calcium, raw bones, and bone meal. Of course, these all must be balanced with the entire meal!

11/11/2024

A common misconception about homemade dog diets is the belief that adding a commercial multivitamin will fully compensate for any nutritional gaps in the food. Unfortunately, this is far from accurate. Multivitamins are specifically formulated to supplement commercial dog foods, which are already designed to meet a dog's daily nutritional requirements. The vitamin and mineral levels in these supplements are typically low, intended only to boost an already balanced diet—not to fill in major nutritional deficiencies.

To test this, I reviewed several homemade dog food recipes, sourced from public Facebook groups and online searches, and compared them against the NRC Nutritional Profiles for Dogs. As expected, each recipe showed significant nutritional shortfalls, and some even had potentially harmful nutrient excesses. On average, each recipe was deficient in 11 key nutrients, with the minimum being 8 deficiencies. In this post, I'll highlight the most concerning nutritional gaps found in these diets.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be going into more detail on each essential vitamin and mineral- what they do, good sources and signs of deficiency and excess (if applicable). Be sure to follow along!

You can find the entire blog post including charts for each of the 10 diets analyzed here: https://tailoredtummyco.com/multivitamins/

11/04/2024

Canine nutrition is such a vast topic that I love talking about but because it’s so big, I struggle with what to post. I want to share what’s actually interesting.

What are you actually interested in learning about? What questions do you have for me? Please let me know!!!

Reminder: If you want to continue seeing this content, be sure to react with the post in some way. Sharing the page/post with your friends also allows me and my business to grow without costing you anything 😊

11/02/2024

Did you know that fresh food has a high moisture content, which means serving sizes are significantly larger? Check out the difference between these bowls: both contain 905 calories, but the fresh food bowl is 2.5 times the volume!

Does your dog constantly beg for food? Do they scavenge for anything they can get ahold of outside? Do they need to lose weight but you can't imagine decreasing the food even more? A fresh food diet may be just the answer you are looking for.

A fresh food diet with adequate carb and fiber content can leave a dog much more satiated than the smaller volumes of kibble while not increasing calorie intake. Higher moisture intake is also beneficial for their well-being and of course the fresh ingredients have their own benefits as well.

Have questions on if this type of diet may be beneficial for your dog? Let me know!!!

11/01/2024

In honor of National Cook For Your Pets Day I'm resharing an important blog post on the red flags to look for in online recipes.

While I am obviously a huge proponent for homecooked food for our pets, when done incorrectly you are risking serious health complications which may not be seen until much later in life.

Please be extremely careful with where you get your recipes for your dogs. Be sure to share this post with your friends. More information to look out for can be found here: https://tailoredtummyco.com/redflags

In addition to full recipe formulations I also offer diet analysis if you are curious about how your dogs homemade diet stacks up to their requirements. I also have a handful of instant download recipes for purchase.

10/28/2024

It’s Milo’s 8th birthday! There was a point in time where I was unsure whether he would make it to his senior years. I truly believe the combination of medication, supplements, rehab and FOOD made the difference. He is arguably doing better now than he did in his younger years believe it or not!

Milo may not understand the difference between today and any other day but we celebrate no matter what. Do you celebrate your dogs birthday(s)?

Milos birthday wish is for you to invite your friends to like this page so I can continue to help other dogs thrive into their senior years.

10/23/2024

While I fully back fresh food diets, I have never been one to state the potential benefits as fact. The truth is that true studies are lacking- most of what is available actually focuses on how detrimental they can be if not done correctly.

Over the past few years, with the rise of fresh food diets, we’re beginning to see more research which is SO EXCITING!! A recent study published last month took a look at how 167 healthy and sick dogs reacted to a homemade diet. The coolest parts of this study (besides the results)?
1. These diets were customized to each dog which highlights how individual dogs are and generic recipes may not always be beneficial
2. The study specified that these were nutritionally balanced diets using FEDIAF nutritional guidelines

Are you ready to switch your dog to a homemade diet? Are you already feeding a homemade diet but want to make sure it’s balanced? I would love to help you and your dog succeed!

Study: mdpi.com/2306-7381/11/9/438

10/22/2024

Reshare of Charlie Jo’s amazing transformation in honor of Pet Obesity Awareness Month!

Charlie Jo is a Mini Dachshund who became a little too chunky after he was neutered. His mom wanted a healthier diet than the prescription weight loss diet he was on but still wanted to make sure he lost the weight he needed. He is loving his new homemade food and is starting to have a defined waistline again!

Reminder that an overweight dog is not healthy. While I don't want anyone to be embarrassed about how or why their dog is overweight, it is a health concern and should be addressed ASAP. Being overweight shortens a dogs life by at least 2 years and puts them at a high risk of many health conditions such as joint disease, cancer, heart disease, etc. Please reach out if you want help with either a homemade diet or even help with determining a commercial diet that may help your dog lose weight!

10/09/2024

Happy Pet Obesity Day! It's time to focus on your furry friend's health and make sure they are at a healthy weight.

As pet owners, we should be mindful of the serious health risks associated with obesity in our furry friends. In dogs, being overweight can reduce their lifespan by up to 2 years and increase their susceptibility to life-threatening ailments like diabetes, heart disease, joint problems, cancer, bladder infections, and more. It's crucial that we take measures to prevent and manage obesity in our pets to ensure their overall health and well-being.

It's easy to miss when your dog is overweight because of how common it has become but a BCS over 5 out of 9 indicates they are. Reducing their weight can lead to many more healthy, happy years with your pet and reduce those pesky vet bills.

Are you ready to help your furry friend lose some weight? Consider a homemade diet instead of commercial kibble. Not sure where to start? A weight loss formulation service can provide you with personalized meal plans and nutritional guidance for your dog's weight loss journey. Let us help you give your pup the healthy and happy life they deserve! https://tailoredtummyco.com/product/weight-loss-formulation/

10/05/2024

I almost never use canned sardines in a formulation. Why? There are more nutrients dense options!

Oily fish is typically the go-to for both omega-3 and vitamin D. In order to meet vitamin D requirements, a huge amount of sardines has to be used which means a lot of calories are taken up. The average 50lb dog eats only 950 calories per day. Taking up 200 of that with sardines is going to reduce the amount of room left to meet other nutrients with whole food ingredients

A few notes:
1. It's rarely recommended to sit right at the RDA for vitamin D especially when using whole foods. Other foods do contain small amounts.

2. Healthy dogs can handle large amounts of sodium with no problem, therefore, I am not concerned with sodium levels in canned fish for most dogs

3. High levels of EPA+DHA may prove to be useful in many cases. It is important to balance omega-6 with omega-3. Therefore, only looking at RDA is inaccurate and only used as an example.

10/04/2024

What benefits have you seen in your dog since starting a homemade diet?

Interested in seeing some of these in your dog but unsure of where to start? Let me know!

09/29/2024

Just a quick bowl share, client spotlight, cost breakdown, etc! Ollie is such a cool dog that there's so much to share!

Meet Oliver the (non-picky 😳) husky mix. He is quite the active boy who does canicross, bikejor, agility and swimming. Due to the high price tag of his activities and physical therapy, cost was a huge factor when creating Oliver's diet. We had a fairly strict budget of $100 per month which proved to be a little tricky to meet but I was able to do it and the diet is still full of high quality, nutritious ingredients.

His mom does everything she possibly can to keep him in the best shape possible but was always wondering why his muscle tone didn't reflect all of the work they both put in. Ollie's only been transitioned for a few weeks but he is already starting to build visible muscle mass! I truly can't wait to see where he is next year when activities start to wind down.

09/12/2024

If your dog were diagnosed with a health condition tomorrow and you learned that their diet could help manage it, would you begin preparing their meals yourself?

If your answer was yes, I’d strongly suggest getting ahead of the game and making their food now, before any health issues arise.

Although a homemade diet doesn’t ensure your dog will stay healthy, providing a diet rich in fresh, nutritious ingredients, when properly formulated, will always be advantageous.

A homemade diet, whether cooked or raw, doesn't have to be difficult to prepare and you can often use ingredients found in your grocery store.

If you'd like more information on diet formulations, send me a message and we can chat!

08/26/2024

It's National Dog Day! Show me your doggos!

08/02/2024

Milo Update!

He’s doing amazing! I am so incredibly grateful that he is back to his normal self after only 48 hours and the cyst was indeed just a fatty growth and not cancer. Recovery is going infinitely better than anticipated.

As a reminder, all formulations and instant download recipes are 15% off through tomorrow 8/3.

07/29/2024

For the past several months, Milo has had a cyst growing between 2 of his toes. His vet team and I have kept a close eye on it hoping it would not cause further issues but the time has come that it has to go. This is going to be an expensive surgery even with insurance and closure and recovery are expected to be difficult due to the location. To support his care, I’m hosting a flash sale of 15% off all formulations and instant download recipes from now until August 3rd.

Discount will be automatically applied at checkout. No code needed!

Every purchase you make will not only help me with the cost of his surgery and rehab afterwards but also give your dogs the benefits of a balanced homemade diet.

Please share with anyone who has been thinking about trying a homemade diet. Thank you so much for your support during this time. It means the world to me and Milo. If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

07/27/2024

Why don't I recommend beef liver as training treats?

These 4 pieces of freeze dried beef liver (quarter for scale) equate to a 50lb dogs daily requirement for copper. If this was the dog's only source of copper, that would be fine, however, assuming your dog is on a nutritionally balanced diet, they are already receiving more than their minimum daily requirement. I took a look at 7 different kibbles from 7 different brands and all different proteins. I used a 50lb dog as the example and calculated theoretical copper intakes using the least amount of food intake recommended for the weight. 6 out of the 7 provided over 150% of a dogs daily requirement for copper and some were close to 250%. These numbers alone are NOT alarming nor should they necessarily be cause for concern. However, using liver as a training treat can easily push these levels upwards of FIVE TIMES your dogs daily requirement for copper.

Copper storage disease is becoming more prevalent in dogs. Historically, this disease has been thought to be caused by a gene mutation in certain breeds that inhibits the dogs liver from being able to process copper adequately which leads to a build up of copper in the organ leading to damage and even failure. It can also be caused by a dog eating a diet with high levels of copper in the diet. Recently, more and more dogs are being diagnosed with this condition but nutritional requirements for commercial foods have not changed so the likelihood of diet as a sole contributor is low in my opinion.

So, what has changed?
Freeze dried and dehydrated liver are being incredibly popular "high value" treats and most pet owners unknowingly fly through them. I get it- most dogs will do just about anything to eat these. In this example, giving just 10 pieces of liver would push these dogs copper intakes over 400% in some of these examples.

There are other issues with high copper beyond just the risk of copper storage disease but I'm out of room here.... would anyone be interested in a longer form blog post?

Edit to add: This doesn’t mean dehydrated or freeze dried liver should be avoided altogether, just that you should be very mindful of how much and how often you give it!!

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http://www.tailoredtummyco.com/

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I may have missed Black Friday and Small Business Saturday but I’m going to make up for it with a quick Cyber Monday Sale! All formulations* are 20% off for today only with the code: CYBERMONDAY2023 Rather than lots of toys and treats, give your dog the gift of a healthy diet! Formulation services can be purchased today and used at a later date. View the different formulation packages at barksnbowls.com/services *sale excludes budget formulation services