Search Results for: nutrition

Plant-based vs Meat-based Diets for Cats: Which is Healthier?

It hasn’t been very long since I last wrote about vegetarian diets for pets, but a new study is out that touches on the issue, so I thought it was time for an update.  Dodd, S. A. S. et al. (2021) ‘A … Continue reading

Posted in Nutrition | 13 Comments

Diet-Associated Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) in Dogs: What Do We Know So Far?

I have been following the controversy, and the research, on diet-associated dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs since the issue was first addressed by the FDA in 2018. I recently had a chance to talk with Andy Roark on his Cone … Continue reading

Posted in Nutrition | 7 Comments

Raw Pet Foods & The Death of Expertise

One of the more enlightening, and terrifying, books to come out in the last 5 years is Tom Nichols’ The Death of Expertise. In clear prose, with cogent argument and substantiating evidence, the author makes the case that the proliferation of misconceptions, … Continue reading

Posted in Nutrition | 19 Comments

The Latest on Dietary Risk Factors for Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) & Misleading Media Spin by Grain-free Diet Manufacturers

Along with many in the veterinary profession, I have been following the concerns about diet-associated heart disease in dogs since 2018. A type of severe disease known as dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) has been reported in dogs not previously thought prone … Continue reading

Posted in Nutrition | 1 Comment

Anti-science vets and COVID-19

Veterinary medicine is ostensibly a science-based profession. The Veterinarian’s Oath taken by veterinary graduates in North America begins, “I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society.”1 The centrality of science and scientific evidence is similarly acknowledged … Continue reading

Posted in General | 7 Comments

Are Unconventional and Raw Pet Diets Becoming More Popular?

One of the most popular subjects for discussion and debate in pet health for many years now has been the relative merits of commercial pet foods and unconventional diets of various types, including homemade cooked and raw diets, commercial raw … Continue reading

Posted in Nutrition | 10 Comments

New DogRisk Study Compares Risk of Allergies in Dogs Associated with Raw and Processed Foods

The subject of raw diets is a constant and controversial one in veterinary medicine. The controversy stems mostly from the fact that some people are passionately committed to the idea that raw diets have health benefits, but there is no … Continue reading

Posted in Nutrition | 6 Comments

Ketogenic Diets for Dogs and Cats

Nutritional therapies and dietary fads for humans often find their way into veterinary medicine. Sometimes, there is a plausible physiologic rationale or encouraging lab animal research to justify testing specific dietary interventions in dogs and cats, and such interventions may … Continue reading

Posted in Nutrition | 4 Comments

Dr. Marty Goldstein’s Nature’s Feast Raw Diet: A Look at the Infomercial

A client recently asked one of my colleagues for an opinion on an infomercial by Dr. Marty Goldstein for his new commercial raw cat food, Nature’s Feast. There was little new or surprising in this video, but since Dr. Goldstein has a … Continue reading

Posted in Nutrition | 87 Comments

CellBIO: Another Dubious Lab Test from Hemopet and Dr. Jean Dodds

Dr. Jean DoddsI have, unfortunately, had to write about Dr. Jean Dodds many times over the years. She has undergone a depressing transformation from a pioneer in transfusion medicine to a shameless promoter of dubious or bogus alternative medical ideas. … Continue reading

Posted in Miscellaneous CAVM | 23 Comments