Typically discussed when a pet's lifestage changes, from puppy to adult to
senior, or when the pet develops a specific medical condition, veterinarians say
pet nutrition is now being more regularly incorporated into check-up visits as
nutrition becomes increasingly important as a form of preventative pet care.
“There are a lot of important factors in keeping a pet healthy, and many are
interdependent,” says Richard Hill, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, professor of small animal
internal medicine at the University of Florida in Gainesville. “Nutrition is
very important in this respect, as it affects other aspects of overall health.
For example, vaccinations are important to help prevent certain infectious
diseases in pets. In order for vaccinations to be most effective, the pet needs
to have a healthy immune system. Certain nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin E,
lutein and taurine act as antioxidants and help reduce damage to the cells of
the immune system, improving function. Thus, nutrition plays a role in disease
prevention.”
Veterinarians say that although therapeutic diets can be misused if fed to a
healthy pet, they can be effectively used as a non-pharmacological means to
managing specific diseases or conditions in pets.
“Some therapeutic diets have a nutritional profile that would not be ideal
for a healthy pet, but since they are only used under the supervision of
veterinarian, misuse is not common, in my opinion,” Dr. Brent Mayabb, manager of
education and development at Royal Canin, says. “As far as being overused, I
think it’s the opposite. While vets are good about recommending diets, pet
owners don’t always understand the benefits and as a result, don’t take the
recommendation. Sometimes they take the recommendation initially, but don’t
continue on the food, causing a compliance issue.”
In addition, these therapeutic petfoods typically cost more than grocery
store maintenance diets because of the extensive research behind them, which can
also deter pet owners from following a vet's recommendation.
Therapeutic pet food diets can prove very beneficial in managing a condition
such as pet obesity, but owners must recognize the health risks associated with
their pet's obesity to stick with the new therapeutic petfood regimen.
“The incidence of obesity in pets is high in the US,” Mayabb says. “I’m not
sure owners always recognize the health concerns associated with obesity. The
incidence and severity of many conditions–joint disease and diabetes, as
examples–increase with obesity. But I believe some owners only view obesity as a
cosmetic issue, instead of the serious health issue it is.”
