"What food do you feed your own dog?"

What do you feed YOUR dog?

Teya

I am often asked this question by clients.  As a veterinary hospital we have access to all of the many the therapeutic diets that are available.  Several years ago, the staff and I decided that we wanted to try and simplify choices for ourselves and our clients and we made a conscious decision to carry the Medi-Cal brand (soon to be Royal Canin Veterinary Diets).  

We made this decision for several reasons:  

1. The company is Canadian

2. The product is guaranteed i.e. if your pet doesn’t like the diet, you get your money back

3. We receive phenomenal support from the company in terms of continuing education seminars, and consultations with specialists such as nutritionists and specialists in internal medicine

4. Only the highest quality ingredients are used.  If a shipment is rejected at the plant it is returned and purchased by another company with lower standards

Most of you know I own “Teya”, a 3 year old Golden Retriever.   I fed her Development Puppy formula as soon as I got her at 7 weeks.  Unfortunately, she had a “sensitive stomach” and had diarrhea several times a week.  After doing multiple checks for internal parasites and doing blood work to make sure there were no underlying problems, she was switched to the Puppy Gastro formula.  She did very well on this diet: normal stools with only 2 bowel movements per day and a lovely coat.  At about 20 weeks she transitioned to Adolescent formula (now Puppy Large Breed) and stayed on that diet until she was 14 months.

Dental disease is a huge problem that we frequently encounter in veterinary medicine.  Pets are living longer lives and sometimes their teeth are not well cared for.  I do not have time to brush Teya’s teeth, so I wanted her on a diet that would do that for me!  Dental Diet works in 2 ways: (1) it has a mechanical scrubbing action; (2) each piece of kibble is coated in an enzyme that helps to reduce plaque as it mixes with saliva.  I have been extremely pleased with this diet: Teya is now 4 years old and her teeth are perfect!  I also know that the diet is highly digestible and is supplemented with Vitamin A, biotin and Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids to promote healthy skin and a luxurious coat, both of which are important to me.

Barbara Drewry