What Foods These Morsels Be:

Nutrition in Practice

Dr. Bartges and Dr. Raditic shared nutrition insights with a presentation that helped practitioners navigate through the ever-changing pet nutrition landscape. Through real-life case discussions, questions and evidence-based lecture, the session provided veterinarians with information to assess pet nutrition options to make confident and practical nutritional recommendations to their clients. It has been reported that more than half of the US pet population is overweight. Prescribing veterinary-exclusive diets with known kcal/kg density along with exact feeding plans help prevent excess weight gain in at-risk pets.

We also use veterinary-exclusive diets – especially those formulated for GI disease, orthopedic disease, and adverse food reactions — for patients who are “at risk” for chronic disease states. For instance, we have used veterinary-exclusive diets in breeds of dogs at risk for developmental orthopedic disease, obesity, and immunologic adverse food reactions. We use veterinary-exclusive diets in cats at risk for obesity and urinary tract disease because of neutering and environmental conditions.

As veterinary-exclusive diets have become more complete and known nutrient profiles, along with company support, we encourage practitioners to recommend these diets for adult maintenance and growth. In our opinion, better quality control, fatty acid balance, and reported higher digestibility of veterinary-exclusive diets make these foods better nutrition for pets.