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ALL ABOUT PET FOOD

Learn about pet food, how to read labels, about supplements, treats and much more.

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PET NUTRITION BASICS

All animals have basic nutritional needs that must be met for them to live long, healthy lives.

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BEST FOOD FOR YOUR PET

Determine the quality of pet foods by learning how to read and understand labels and nutritional information.

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PETS WITH HEALTH PROBLEMS

If your pet has heart or kidney disease, is overweight or has other conditions, learn how the right pet food can help.

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TOOLS & RESOURCES

We take the guesswork out of identifying evidence-based websites and tools that you can feel confident using.

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TRENDING TOPICS

Hear what we have to say about the latest trending topics in pet nutrition.

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Recent Posts from the Petfoodology Blog

What Nutrients are Essential for My Pet?

While you may have heard us say “pets need nutrients, not ingredients,” what exactly are those essential nutrients? Here’s a breakdown of all the essential nutrients according to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) that are required for foods to be called complete and balanced for adult and growing cats and dogs

What Nutritionists Wish You Knew: 5 Homecooked Diet Mistakes & Misconceptions

A common task of a Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionist® is to design custom homemade diet recipes for pets that have health issues or for pet owners who prefer not to use commercial foods. We’ve covered some general mistakes that pet owners often make with homecooked diets when they don’t work with a veterinary nutritionist, as well as some situations where cooking for your pet may not be optimal. In this post, I’d like to focus on misconceptions and mistakes about homecooked diets that my colleagues and I frequently run into with our clients – pet owners who get their recipes from a veterinary nutritionist. These issues tend to come up after the consultation, when our clients receive the completed recipe and start cooking. These misconceptions often cause frustration for nutritionist and pet owner alike. Equating volume of food with calories – after a homemade recipe is created for a pet, it is common to have the pet owner question the volume amount of the food because it looks like less or more than they expected it to be, often based on the pet’s previous diet. There may be the perception that there isn’t enough food, but more frequently, the concern is about too much food. Homemade diets are formulated to provide the amount of calories that the nutritionist feels is appropriate for the pet, either based on the pet’s diet history, or on published equations. Nutritionists are trained to think in terms of calories, not volume, and so the volume of the food rarely comes into consideration during the formulation process unless it seems particularly high. Pet owners, on the other hand, tend to think about food in terms of volume, not calories. Especially for pets that were previously fed dry diets, many owners are surprised by the amount of…

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What’s the Best Diet for Dogs with Chronic Diarrhea?

Chronic diarrhea is one of the most frustrating medical conditions for both dog owners and veterinarians (and especially for us veterinary nutritionists!) However, while it can be challenging to find the optimal diet for a dog with chronic diarrhea, it’s worth the extra effort!

Diet-associated dilated cardiomyopathy: The cause is not yet known but it hasn’t gone away

A new FDA update provides more information on diet-associated dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). While the specific cause is not yet known, the problem hasn’t gone away

Why Trust Us?

board-certified veterinary nutritionists

After finishing veterinary school, we all opted to spend another two years in residency training so that we could gain more training in pet nutrition. Read more.

advanced degrees

All 3 of us then went on to devote more years to earn Master’s or PhD degrees in nutrition and related fields from very well-regarded schools. Read more.

frequent interaction with pet owners

In our roles as faculty members at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, we spend our days interacting with veterinary students, veterinarians, and pet owners, so we know the questions that pet lovers have about feeding their pets. Read more.

Ongoing scientific research

Never satisfied with the current state of knowledge, all three of us have active research careers – investigating how we can use nutrition to enhance wellness, as well as prevent and cure disease. Read more.