Companion Animal Nutrition

22/02/2025

09/02/2025

The answer to this question depends on the breed of dog and the individual food. Adult foods often contain higher levels of calcium and a different calcium to phosphorus ratio than puppy foods. Feeding large or giant breeds on an adult food with higher calcium levels can cause musculoskeletal problems. Additionally there are requirements for puppy foods to contain nutrients such as arachidonic acid and DHA that adult foods are not required to contain. Puppies have a recommended upper limit for the amino acid lysine, which in excess can cause poor growth, whereas adul dogs do not have this limit and therefore adult food may contain high levels. So whilst it is possible to feed the same food to all lifestages, you would need to know the full breakdown of the adult food to see if it were safe for a puppy to consume. I think it's also fair to point out that we shouldn't compare puppy growth to human growth as the rate is so different.

06/02/2025

Meatly is the world's first meat supplier to offer cultivated meat for pets.

Plant-based dog food brand The Pack has incorporated some of this cultivated meat into their new product, which will be available for the first time at Pets at Home in Brentford tomorrow, 7th February. (Pets at Home were an early investor in Meatly.)

What are your thoughts on this? From an animal welfare perspective, it’s a significant step forward, but do you have any concerns about safety? If you’d like to learn more about this aspect, you can watch this free webinar recording or visit the Meatly website for further details on the process.

https://thewebinarvet.com/videos/meatlys-cultivated-chicken-for-pet-food-safety-regulation-nutritional-quality-digestibility-palatability-and-feeding-trial-overview

26/01/2025

Observe Don't assume - talking about the importance of dropping the labels when talking about dog body language and how that skill can give you the route to succeed with your dog.

Monday 27th January at 8pm UK time with Emma Johnston

Emma Johnston - Dog Trainer and Behaviourist Speak Dog

Veterinary recommended Training and Behaviour. Using only kind and ethical methods to help facilitate fun whilst learning for both humans and puppies or dogs. humbled to share her life with 11 working Siberian Huskies and pound hound rescue, Lettie the Lurcher. Wants make a dog's lives happier and easier in a confusing human world and takes a holistic approach to every case to ensure we look at all the pieces of the dog's puzzle.

If you're not already a member of Succeeding together then you can sign up here https://succeedtogether.online/register/speak-dog/ and get access to all our future online Q&As, short courses and private facebook groups. Q&As include discussions on behaviour, training, holistic grooming and nutrition.

21/01/2025

Lovely post about the nutritional needs of rabbits. 🐰🐇❤️

14/01/2025

Following on from the last post, here's a bit more info on human-grade ingredients in pet food.

What is human-grade meat in pet food? Is this a meaningless statement for UK-made food?

09/01/2025

Daniella is a holistic groomer, so she takes behaviour, nutrition, other conditions and so much more into consideration! She's now produced a great guide for owners of curly coated dogs, get your copy below.

Whether you’re a proud owner of a Poodle, Doodle, Bichon, or any other curly friend, this book is packed with essential tips, grooming advice and health care to keep your furry companion happy and healthy.

08/01/2025

Flatulent cat, windy dog? Let's discuss 🐈🐕💨

Flatulence, wind, farts, t***s or trumps! This video is for you if you've just changed your dog or cat's diet and they are producing some noxious gas.

03/01/2025

For those interested in small animals, this virtual conference includes a lecture on rabbit nutrition by the fab Nicola Lakeman.

Rabbits and Small Furries Congress is a one day virtual event that explores the care of rabbits and small furries in veterinary practice.

30/12/2024

Drinking more after a diet change?

Some cats and dogs may drink more after a change in diet; find out why and if you should be concerned.

17/12/2024

Why do dogs vomit bile?

Why do dogs bring up bile? And is there something dietary we can do to help?

09/12/2024

I will be chatting all things food next week with the lovely Sam from Suceed Together. This is only available for members of Suceed Together, so why not join?

Suceed together is a group of canine professionals that work collaboratively to help you and your dog. For a small annual fee you get: Fortnightly Q&A with a different professional, all the talks and backlog of talks, all our short courses and access to our facebook group with all professionals. You can join here: https://succeedtogether.online/register/k9confidential/

13/11/2024

Nutritionists are always looking for more sustainable ways to feed pets, such as insect protein or lab grown meat. If you're interested in this area, Meatly who have just finished feeding trials with their cultivated meat are running a free webinar:

Pet food is responsible for around 20% of global meat consumption, and cultivated meat (also known as lab-grown meat) is a promising alternative protein source to address

24/10/2024

Just because something is natural, doesn't necessarily mean it is safe.

If you are adding herbs to your pets diet, please consult with a holistic vet about the correct dosage. Turmeric especially is often given to dogs, but in this article it is one of the more common causes of herbal-induced liver disease in humans.

https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/widespread-use-of-dietary-supplements-linked-to-liver-damage

Millions of Americans are taking herbal remedies that may be toxic to the liver.

25/09/2024

Did you know it's guinea pig awareness week? ❤️

Did you know that guinea pigs need Vitamin C in their diet 🧡🍓🥦👀
This is because guinea pigs lack the enzyme that can convert glucose to Vitamin C. Guinea Pig pelleted food has added Vitamin C and vitamin c is also contained in many vegetables. Vitamin C can also be supplemented in the form of tablets or liquid to add to the water. 🤩 Guinea Pig Awareness Week

*Please note the original post above is a short post to highlight the forms that vitamin c comes in, not the best way to administer vitamin c. Due to the confusion and criticism more information has been provided.

The preferred method of vitamin c provision is through the pellets, veg or tablet. However, water supplementation is an available option. It is the least preferential method as it may taint the flavour of the water (unsupplemented water should always be offered as well), the vitamin c also degrades over time (the supplemented water should be changed frequently) and it can be hard to know how much the guinea is getting. Pelleted food that contains vitamin c can also degrade overtime. Food should be kept in a sealed container, ideally out of direct sunlight and shouldn't be open for more than 6 months.

Vitamin c requirements in a healthy guinea pig is 10mg per day. This is normally achieved with pellets and veg alone without the need for supplementation. In times of ill health requirements can rise to 30mg per day. It is important not to over supplement as this can lead to some health problems too.

19/09/2024

This is a virtual event with an interesting range of topics.

25/07/2024

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) have just published a very interesting document regarding dog and cat diets, link in the article below.

Officials insist they support “informed choices” by clients on what to feed their pets, but admit work still needs to be done to maintain and enhance owner