Spot On Canine Nutrition

02/07/2024

People can sometimes seem a bit disappointed in simple diets. I guess the assumption being that a diet to address disease/inflammation would require lots of special food ingredients.

In reality, proactive diets tend to have more ingredients because healthy dogs can tolerate the variety, there is no disease process and there are no meds being given.

Simplicity with a plan- using tolerated foods and 🎯targeted supplementation can be more effective for reducing inflammation. As inflammation is reduced and gut health improves, we have the opportunity to slowly introduce new foods.

28/06/2024

Cuteness overload from Down Under!

🦘Meet Henry & George, they are corgi x scottish terrier x toypoodle, sibling brothers from Australia.

George is already on a kidney supportive diet as he has an underdeveloped kidney and now his mom booked Henry to start his proactive diet at the end of July.

Even though George needs a health supportive diet to address an issue and Henry doesn't, we can still use some of George's foods for Henry's plan. This keeps things a bit easier for their mom.

You can have two very similar diets in regards to ingredients but overall they can be very different in terms of macro and micronutrients. Ingredients on their own never tell you the whole story.

27/06/2024

I'm curious...
Does your vet support your decision to feed
a fresh food diet?

26/06/2024

I love broccoli sprouts and add them to my salads, smoothies and love them on 🥑 toast.

They are really mild in flavour, so I used to easily mix them (hide them) in Audrey’s food. Broccoli sprouts are one of the highest concentrated sources of sulforaphane- a potent antioxidant.

Sulforaphane has powerful anti-inflammatory properties, supports heart, brain and skin health and has very good evidence of strong anti cancer properties.

From the article that is linked in comments-
“𝘏𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺.”

❗️reminder❗️ if you enjoy my posts you need to interact with them - like, comment , Share etc -if you want to keep seeing them in your feed.

25/06/2024

𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗞𝗶𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝗻.

Kidney disease affects a lot of dogs as they age and unfortunately by the time many people reach out for help, they’ve already been trying to adjust their dog’s diet on their own.

🔹When feeding a raw or cooked diet people will reduce the meat portion of the diet and increase the veggies. Example, If the diet was 60-80% meat, they'll reduce to 50% or lower. The idea being that phosphorus needs to be reduced and meat (and bone) are the primary sources. That IS true…but by reducing meat and bone you are reducing ALL nutrients, not just phosphorus. The additional veggies/grain don't make up those lost nutrients.

🔹Magnesium, iron, zinc, B vitamins plus more - all get reduced and are so important! You are also reducing protein (thus, amino acids) and if the diet is already higher in fat (lower in protein) you have to be very careful not to reduce protein (amino acids) by too much.

🔹If feeding kibble, a similar strategy has usually been tried- reducing the kibble and adding veggies. We have the same problem…the commercial food is providing nutrients your dog needs- we don’t want to reduce all of them. Dogs who are easy keepers (often seniors and less active) and are already eating small amounts of food are affected to an even larger degree.

🔹You might see initial positive changes in kidney values on bloodwork when you make a general reduction but this is not a good long term plan as there will most likely be nutrient deficiencies over time. Remember that bloodwork isn't telling you about nutritional insufficiencies.

🔹A proper diet to support kidney function should be implemented as soon as lab results show issues. Kidney disease has various stages and diet can be altered to support the stages. A kidney diet does not have to be restrictive in protein (lab results are what drive this and it is relative to the current diet) - by formulating a diet specific to your dog - the foods they tolerate, and their health history- we can quickly act to support kidney health.

𝗪𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮 𝗵𝘂𝗴𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.

24/06/2024

Jicama also known as Mexican potato or turnip is a turnip shaped root vegetable that has a crisp, juicy white flesh. I don’t see it often here but when available it’s usually where the more “exotic” veg are in the grocery store. Our local farmer's market also has it when in season.

Jicama is high in soluble fiber and low in calories and carbs with a fair amount of Vitamin C. What makes this vegetable unique is the high inulin content, which means it has prebiotic effects even when eaten in very small amounts. Because soluble fiber is fermented by the good bacteria in the gut, it can also produce gas – which is why we always go slow when adding foods with these properties. A food with health benefits can still cause issues in very sensitive dogs. Jicama can be very helpful for dogs with loose stools who need some firming.

🌮We often eat jicama raw and peeled (I often see it shredded on my favourite food- tacos!) but with dogs we can start with it cooked/peeled and mashed like you would a turnip. Small dogs can start with ¼ tsp or even less…build up as it is tolerated until you find stool improves.

21/06/2024

🚀𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗱𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘄𝗹! 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘃𝗲𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵, 🥦 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲!

✅ microbiome friendly 🦠
✅ anti cancer / anti tumor properties
✅ ⬆️vitamin k
✅ ⬆️ vitamin c
✅ beta carotene
✅ anti inflammatory
✅ support detoxification
✅ contains flavonoids kaempferol and quercetin which can help reduce allergy impact
✅ lutein and zeaxanthin for healthy 👀

🛒Wow, right?? Time to add this amazing veg to your shopping list! This veggie is a great addition to any commercial diet whether you feed kibble, frozen raw, freeze dried or dehydrated or % based meat/bone/organ blends.

🥦Choose tightly packed, uniform floret clusters without yellowing - those yellow flowers mean they are over mature.

🔪Very finely chop or pulverize the raw florets and mix into the bowl. If you let the raw broccoli sit before feeding 30- 90 minutes, it increases the anti cancer benefits. If your dog is new to fresh food or tends to get gassy with raw veggies, chop and then steam and there are still many benefits. Even if you can't let it sit there are many benefits to broccoli - you're still better off feeding it immediately than not at all!

The stalks can be trimmed/peeled and fed raw as a great crunchy snack or finely chopped and steamed.

📌 oz for oz, stalks and florets contain almost identical nutrients but the florets are where you find all the wonderful antioxidants and thus the cancer protection.

20/06/2024

Woke up to this email this morning so thought I'd share it. 🥰

Meet Hunks (previously known as Chunks 😆) and RAD!
Their mom was really great to work with - I love enthusiastic clients!

𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘑𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘦𝘴! 𝘐’𝘮 𝘴𝘰 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘨 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦. 𝘉𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘦𝘴.

𝘊𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘳 7 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘭𝘣𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘵. 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘌𝘙 𝘷𝘦𝘵 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳, 𝘐𝘝𝘋𝘋 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩. 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘬𝘪𝘣𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳.

𝘚𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴, 𝘊𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘞𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸! 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘮𝘢! 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳! 𝘏𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺!

𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘬’𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘙𝘈𝘋 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘨 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 2-3 𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘝𝘌𝘚 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥! 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨! 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺!

𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘑𝘰𝘥𝘺’𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘸𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘵, 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺. 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘰𝘥𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨.

𝘑𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘑𝘰𝘥𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘧𝘶𝘭!

19/06/2024

This sweetheart is Bryn! ❤️

We worked together last year addressing allergies and some needed weight loss. He was 34lbs and being a Cocker Spaniel was prone to ear infections, he also had itchy skin and has a heart murmur.

We reconnected again a few months ago and have been able to add more foods into his diet and he’s now 28lbs which is much better for his arthritic joints! He gets a little bit of kale in his diet and before his mom bakes or dehydrates kale chips he likes to nibble on it raw. Isn’t he adorable??

🥬We don't need to feed much but I like a rotation of leafy greens in a dog's diet. Kale is higher oxalate but is a great source of lutein and zeaxanthin for eye health support. The antioxidants make it a great anti cancer food. You can feed it cooked or pulverized raw. Many dogs, like Bryn, love to share kale chips!

18/06/2024

These are easy additions that work with both raw meat/bone and kibble diets to support gut health:

✅ veggies 🥦🥬🥒🫑🍠
✅ berries/fruits 🫐🍎🍌
✅ bone broth 🍖🥣
✅ yogurt/kefir
✅ unpasteurized sauerkraut

Do you add any of these to the bowl?

17/06/2024

𝗕𝘂𝘁...

They're overweight
They're unable to gain weight
They have frequent gas
They often have loose stools
Frequent mucous covered or hard stools
They eat dirt after meals
They regurgitate or vomit frequently
They get frequent skin infections
They are constantly itchy
They are prone to ear and eye infections
They have brittle nails and/or cracked pads
They have dry or oily skin
They have trouble focusing
They shed excessively
They have poor muscle tone
Lethargy, Hyperactivity
Frequent musculoskeletal injuries

These indicate your dog isn't doing 'great' on their food!

🕵🏻‍♀️Even one of these issues would prompt me to look into the current diet.

Remember that our dog's bodies are amazing and constantly adapting - but there comes a tipping point. Seemingly new symptoms, with no diet changes, can be due to a long underlying issue including chronic nutrient insufficiencies (and disease processes). Genetics and breed predispositions can also play a role and this is why proactive, optimal nutrition is so beneficial.

🎯A targeted approach - where we ensure nutrients are being supplied specific to your dog, and supplements are used for support - can be powerful and help your dog replenish and then repair.

15/06/2024

14/06/2024

I haven't always fed a NRC balanced diet.

I've fed percentage based homemade (many spreadsheets), unbalanced cooked and raw recipes from books, unbalanced commercial raw, and various versions of raw diets based on balance over time. I've fed lots of different proteins and I've fed too many rmbs and recreational bones (ie slab fractures). In my defense, I did have a dog store full of frozen meats and body parts, so it was pretty difficult not to. 😬🦴

If I seem a bit 'ranty' (I prefer to call it passionate 😆) on certain topics it's not coming from a place of judgement, it's coming from a place of experience, new knowledge and wanting to help you, so you don't make the same mistakes!

So, please know I don't judge - I do understand there's a lot of information / misinformation / marketing out there to sort through - which is very frustrating.

I started feeding fresh foods in my mid 20s, now I'm 52 and I have never felt such peace of mind about what I feed. A homemade, balanced diet via NRC was a game changer for me, and my dogs. I know everyone has to go through their own journey, I hope my posts provide some insight to help you on yours.🙂

PS not sure what a NRC diet is? I'll link 🔽

11/06/2024

If your dog is prone to gas, vomiting, regurgitation or other GI upset, try feeding more frequent, smaller meals.

Although there are likely other issues to address as well, I see many client dogs improve by dividing the daily meals into smaller portions. If they eat 2x a day try dividing their daily portion into 3 equal meals, or 2 plus a snack.

Many GI sensitive dogs are on low fat, fresh food recipes -these diets often have more volume of food to make up the fat calories. Dividing the daily calories into more manageable sized meals can help these guys a lot!

Because smaller meals are easier to digest, senior dogs also often benefit from them.

🧩If your dog gulps their meals, try a slow feeding puzzle and see if that helps.

⚠️Remember that a change in frequency of meals can affect bathroom habits.

07/06/2024

🥭I've been on a bit of a mango tear lately - every one I buy is perfectly ripe and juicy and I just can't stop!

Mango was also Audrey's absolute favourite fruit and I have to say it's hard to eat them and not think of her and the huge pile of drool that I'd have to wipe up after we shared one. 🥹

Mango is a low histamine, low calorie fruit and contains many polyphenols with mangiferin garnering the most attention as a super antioxidant!

🥭If you have a 'meat only' kind of pup and they don't typically like fruits, give mango a try!

🤓Nutrition Tidbits
100gm, peeled
60 calories
168mg potassium
36mg Vit C
640mcg Beta Carotene !

Let me know if your pup likes 🥭 as much as Audrey did. ❤️

06/06/2024

I've decided that all clients need to have social media pages just for their dogs so I can stalk them forever...
Too much? 🤣

06/06/2024

Anyone overwhelmed with all the health info and what we are doing wrong? 🙋🏻‍♀️

I hear ya! But I wanted to share this because it's an easy fix. I tossed out a very old wooden cutting board last year and never replaced it so have been using my plastic one. It's easier to clean and store but...

Although I think about microplastics in the food/water supply etc I wasn't considering the cutting board.

🥕🥦🥒🍠So, if you're chopping lots of veggies for you and your dog, this is something to consider.

Full link to study👇🏼

05/06/2024

Meet (r to l) Tig, Lacey and newest pup, 17 month old Sadie!

I worked with Tig and Lacey three years ago and now Sadie is in need of a personalized diet for IBS.

Just sharing this because I loved the little update on Tig and Lacey. It's a great reminder that although it can be scary when a dog's health status changes - in this case kidney disease and mitral valve disease -an optimistic mindset combined with action like addressing diet, potential meds, supplements and/or herbs gives your dog the best opportunity to have a wonderful quality of life.

"Happy to hear you can help us, again. Tig will be 13 soon. His mitral valve disease has not progressed and he still acts like the big man on campus. Lacey is 8 1/2 and still competing in agility. Lacey earned her AKC MACH 2 in April"

05/06/2024

"From an AAFCO public notice: “On May 30, 2024, the Pet Food Committee reviewed the findings and the proposed voluntary language from the original expert panel, the notes from the copper workgroup, and feedback from veterinarians, animal nutritionists, consumer groups, and the general public but ultimately failed to reach a consensus and voted “no” on the proposed voluntary ‘Controlled Copper’ claim language. AAFCO will continue to monitor new scientific literature as it becomes available and may consider the topic again in the future if additional data warrants another review.”

"The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine participated in all previous AAFCO discussions on copper levels in pet food, the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine is the federal authority on pet foods/pet food safety. But…when it was time to take a stance on an issue that consumers and veterinary nutritionists were in favor of…they refused to take a stance. Instead, the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine chose to do nothing."

Denying consumers and veterinary nutritionists controlled copper levels in pet food.

04/06/2024

Senior dog reminder! 🗓️

As a dog ages, many changes can occur within six months and often there are very minimal signs that anything is 'off' - if at all.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲. 𝗦𝗲𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘃𝗲𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝘅 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝗯 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 - 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗺 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲.

I suggest adding the SDMA test to your vet recommended chemistry panels as it is a sensitive indicator of potential renal function issues.

Reach out for dietary help at the first sign of a possible health issue - seemingly small, but strategic changes can make a bigger difference than you think.

01/06/2024

So proud of Jane and her unanticipated new dog 😊

“𝘎𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 3 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 (𝘍𝘦𝘣. 29). 𝘉𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦’𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦, 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦. 𝘈𝘵 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 15.5 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘵 31.8𝘭𝘣𝘴.

𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘈𝘵 31.8 𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱, 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘯𝘰 𝘱𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘷𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘳, 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘩𝘪𝘮 (𝘶𝘯𝘷𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥) 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘺𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘦 .

𝘈𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘺 𝘰𝘧 3 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘎𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 24𝘭𝘣𝘴.

𝘏𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯. 𝘏𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘏𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘷𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺. 𝘏𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥.

𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘢𝘳𝘥. 𝘏𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘺 2 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘐 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘵 … 𝘎𝘪𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦!”

31/05/2024

𝗜'𝗺 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁, 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀, 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗡 𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗢𝗡/𝗜𝗡 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗴𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰!

This service allows me to meet you and your dog(s) in the comfort of your own home, where we can discuss all your nutrition questions and concerns.

These in-home consultations are tailored to suit you and your dog(s). Here’s a summary of what you can expect from my in-person consult:

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗔𝗱𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Wanting to take that next step with the addition of small amounts of fresh food toppers to your commercial food, but unsure what that looks like? I’ll help you with ideas on how to incorporate and prepare fresh foods to boost the bowl using ingredients you already have in your fridge and pantry.
𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗘𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Do you have a drawer full of supplements and treats and are unsure how to give them or if they’re even needed? I can provide helpful feedback and information.
𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:Are you considering making some of your dog’s food- 25%, 50% or even 100%? I can give you an overview of the process and what's involved for preparing partial or complete homemade meals for your dog.
𝗪𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Would you like honest feedback on your dog’s weight? I’m VERY straightforward and can give you honest feedback on your dog’s weight and current feeding regimen.
𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻:Let’s address all your nutrition questions and concerns. Please understand that each diet I formulate is customized so I am not able to formulate diets or give specific suggestions regarding the balance of your own homemade diet in person. This would be a separate consultation.

I’m very excited to bring this personalized service to your home! Whether you want knowledgeable, general advice or a simple meet and greet to get to know each other and see if we are good fit going forward, it’s all welcome.

𝘐’𝘮 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘺𝘱𝘦. 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥, 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘩𝘶𝘨𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘨’𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥. 𝘓𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘵!

Up to one hour $150, within a 20km radius of Acadia
Extra mileage charge for further distances.
Limited spots per week. Email or DM to inquire.

30/05/2024

You may have noticed that I don't promote oily fish, liver, raw meaty bones, dried chicken/duck feet, heart, lung or other organs (treats or raw) as regular bowl boosters for commercial foods. These foods get a lot of social media attention but they aren't the best choice for regular kibble toppers (or training treats).

Why do I focus on lean meats/poultry, fruit, veggies and leafy greens as main daily bowl boosters?

👉🏼Because kibble is highly fortified with vitamins and minerals and all manufacturers vary widely in their amounts. AAFCO has set minimums, but rarely maximums -and that is the concern. If your dog eats on the high end of recommended feeding guidelines then this is extra important.

👉🏼Most commercial raw companies also use AAFCO guidelines and you then have even higher bioavailability and nutrient absorption, with the same lack of maximums in place. On top of that, remember that All Life Stage formulations must meet puppy/growth (higher) requirements!

Do I worry about water soluble vitamins that aren't stored - no. But fat soluble vitamins like vitamin D, A and minerals like copper - yes. It's untrue that you can't overdo nutrients if you feed whole food vs synthetics.

🦴Do dogs on kibble or commercial raw need more calcium from raw meaty bones or eggshell- no! Not only does it throw off calcium:phosphorus ratios but mineral interactions come into play. 🦷For oral health choose proper recreational bones if your dog tolerates them.

They also don't need extra iron and copper from dehydrated or freeze dried beef liver, heart and lung. These treats are being fed in high quantities without the knowledge that these minerals should not be fed in high amounts, particularly if you have a breed prone to cancers or liver disorders.

🔃Remember how I've posted that high calcium can impair zinc availability? Well, zinc and copper also work as antagonists, meaning that when levels of one decrease the other increases and vice versa. Zinc should be provided in a proper ratio with copper and excess calcium impairs this. ⚠️Given the recent attention to excess copper levels in commercial foods we don't want to affect zinc absorption.

🐓🥚What most kibble could benefit from is a protein boost! This is when lean muscle meats like chicken or turkey breast, lean ground beef and eggs can work well. Using lean meats and cheese can work great for training treats.

🫐🥬🥦Kibble and meat/bone diets are greatly lacking in antioxidants - this is where various veggies and berries come into play. Not only do you get the wonderful anti cancer benefits but prebiotic fiber has important benefits for your dog's gut.

🐟Oily fish is nutrient dense and most people over feed it as an addition vs a sporadic topper. Sardines are a wonderful food but people tend to be of the 'more is better' mindset when feeding it. It's also a source of a lot of extra calories. Nutrient dense foods will make up the base of homemade fresh diets but other foods make better toppers.

⚠️So, be mindful of what your base food is providing and what it's lacking.

Regular additions of nutrient dense foods are best as part of a properly formulated fresh food diet. (BTW, I use NRC not AAFCO guidelines) not as regular additions to kibble.

Enhance with some fresh foods like I've mentioned above that are easy for you to find - also include probiotic rich foods like fermented veggies, yogurt or kefir and you will truly be boosting the bowl.

28/05/2024

So many people who reach out for help for their dog's food intolerance have been feeding just meat and bone because they're avoiding carbs.

It is normal for a dog's skin to have yeast, but when there is an allergy there can be an overgrowth (various disease, being immune compromised, parasites like mites can also affect it).

🥩Most dogs have a protein intolerance when there is a food allergy - if you keep feeding the protein they are sensitive to, it doesn't matter if you cut out all the carbs because they aren't the trigger!

🥔Some dogs might have a sensitivity to a carb like rice or potato, but not all yeast issues are because of carbs. Avoiding them to prevent yeast issues means also avoiding proteins because any food can be a trigger. It's unique to each dog.

🌳Dogs can also have environmental allergies (or a combo of both food and environment). Avoiding carbs isn't going to solve the problem if birch pollen is a major contributor to your dog's allergies.

If by eliminating all carbs you were able to 'starve yeast', then all the dogs on meat/bone diets with yeast overgrowth should be fine - but they aren't.

🔬🦠You need to find the main source and you need to rule out underlying bacteria concerns that can lead to opportunistic yeast overgrowth. See your vet (or dermatologist if recurring ) and get a culture (and sensitivity) test when you've been struggling. You should have a definitive diagnosis because yeast issues can be secondary to other skin issues. Microscopic evaluation is needed for a diagnosis.

🥦Stop avoiding all carbs because you're trying to prevent yeast overgrowth. Broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts are all carbs and they are a wonderful source of antioxidants!

27/05/2024

I've posted previously about excess copper in commercial foods and using caution with beef liver treats. My breed is more susceptible to Copper Storage Disease and there has been a rise in it the past years.

Veterinary scientists acknowledged that there is a need to implement a SUL (safe upper limit) on copper.

⚠️Breeds that are more susceptible are Dobermans, Westies, Bedlington Terriers, Dalmatians, Skye Terriers, and Labrador Retrievers. I've seen Copper Storage Disease in mixed breeds as well as purebreds.

"𝘋𝘰𝘨𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘧𝘶𝘭. 𝘈 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘷𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘸𝘰-𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦-𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘨𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘴. 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘴𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦."

“𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘖𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘴 (𝘈𝘈𝘍𝘊𝘖), 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘹𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳. 𝘚𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘈𝘈𝘍𝘊𝘖, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯. 𝘐𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦𝘴.”

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24/05/2024

𝗜 use salmon in diet formulations a lot more often than sardines. Why?

The amount of sardines you need to feed to meet Vit D and EPA/DHA requirements, vs salmon is quite unrealistic most of the time.
Sardines can work well for a dog that needs a lot of calories for their body weight, and they tolerate higher fat levels.

Clients will occasionally ask if they can rotate sardines with salmon. Here's why that's not a good idea.

𝘈 20𝘭𝘣 𝘥𝘰𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 16.47𝘮𝘤𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘝𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯 𝘋 𝘢𝘯𝘥 1.1 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘗𝘈/𝘋𝘏𝘈 𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬

That means you’d need to feed 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝟯𝟰𝟯 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸- 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝟲𝟯𝟱 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, which is a lot of a 20lb dog’s overall caloric requirements.
An average daily calorie intake for a 20lb dog is 500-550 per day. So, a whole day’s worth of calories/food is used just to meet vitamin D requirements! In trying to avoid a supplement for Vit D, you end up needing other supplements because you are feeding less of other nutrient dense foods.

Alternatively, 𝗶𝗳 𝗜 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝗻, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝟵𝟬 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝟭𝟱𝟬 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀. Still, lots of room to feed other lean, nutrient dense foods.

It's a 🚩 when recipes allow interchanging of nutrient dense ingredients.

Jody Zesko works with dog parents who value unbiased, experienced, professional nutrition guidance.