Did you know that most Vets are NOT trained specifically in canine nutrition? Like human doctors, this is a specialty that requires additional traning. 

In fact, most of the information that is on the web can be dangerous to your pet’s health. 

Jennifer Larsen, an assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at UC Davis and lead author on the study.

“The results of this study, however, indicate that most available recipes for healthy dogs, even those published in books by veterinarians, do not provide essential nutrients in the quantities required by the dog,” Larsen said. “It is extremely difficult for the average pet owner — or even veterinarians — to come up with balanced recipes to create appropriate meals that are safe for long-term use,” she said.

“Homemade food is a great option for many pets, but we recommend that owners avoid general recipes from books and the Internet and instead consult with a board-certified veterinary nutritionist,” Larsen said. “These specialists have advanced training in nutrition to help formulate customized and nutritionally appropriate recipes.”

Overall, 95 percent of the 200 recipes examined resulted in food that was lacking in the necessary levels of at least one essential nutrient, and more than 83 percent of the recipes had multiple nutrient deficiencies.

“Some of the deficiencies, particularly those related to choline, vitamin D, zinc and vitamin E, could result in significant health problems such as immune dysfunction, accumulation of fat in the liver and musculoskeletal abnormalities,” Larsen said.

Although I am not a board-certified veterinary nutritionist, I am a certified canine nutritionist.  Dr. Angelique Barbara has been giving recognized certification courses since 2009. Her instructor, Jennifer Thackery has been active in the veterinary nutrition arena for over 27 years. Working as a veterinary technician, teaching at the local business college in their veterinary assistant program and teaching small animal courses. She studied Naturopathy and Holistic Nutrition in graduate school long after her Bachelors Degree in Biology with an emphasis on pre-veterinary science.