All About Our Pets(Pics, Advice, Etc)

[WildZoo]

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Do weight management kibbles actually work or are they more of a marketing scheme? A veterinarian told me they're a marketing scheme but I'd like to hear some more opinions. My boyfriend's cat is sensitive to wet food (easily gets diarrhea) but has exploded on dry food only. The other issue is his other cat is a grazer and the tubby one will just finish what she doesn't. I'm going to see if my boyfriend will pay for the Purina EN wet food but getting him to spend money on his cats is like pulling teeth (extremely frustrating as you can imagine). Open to hear any suggestions! Thanks!

The basic idea of weight management diets is that they are less calorically dense, so your pet can eat more of the food and therefore feel more full and still get fewer calories. So it tends to work better than just cutting the amount of a more calorically dense food. It's the same idea behind feeding fat kitties wet food rather than dry food - still fills their tum and satisfies the munchies, but it's a lot of water content and fewer calories. It gets more complicated than that with some of the prescription stuff - specific nutrient balances that are supposed to make them feel more full and all that (RC Satiety is voodoo magic, but hey, it works).

All that said, yeah, you still have to limit how much they eat, otherwise it's pointless.

 

[WildZoo]

If you can't separate them for meal times at all, I'm a big fan of RFID or microchip automatic feeders, but that's gonna be $$ too. You could try a baby gate between them instead of a closed door if they want to eat together. But basically leaving food out where the tubby one can get it whenever it wants is not gonna work.

 

[amsweeney]

If you can't separate them for meal times at all, I'm a big fan of RFID or microchip automatic feeders, but that's gonna be $$ too. You could try a baby gate between them instead of a closed door if they want to eat together. But basically leaving food out where the tubby one can get it whenever it wants is not gonna work.

I love these things too. I might be able to convince him to if it's a cheaper investment in the short term and not spend more on food in the long run, or the cat having more medical issues that will be costly because he won't lose weight. Any suggestions on ones?

 

[VetofHearts]

I am having a super hard time deciding what to do with my mare... I bred her - 8 years ago to be my future eventing/competition horse she is a 3/4 WB, 1/4 TB mare. However life afte vet school and working on my career has left her sitting in a paddock and being wasted.
My 32yo Pony has been with her this time, however unfortunately he is starting to show his age and due to his arthritis I don't want him to go through another winter. And It is not fair to have this beautiful mare in a paddock being wasted.

I have a friend from vet school who her and her husband compete regularly and train and breed some beautiful performance horses.
I had pretty much made the decision to give her to them, knowing she would have a good home where she is looked after and possibly has the potential to end up competing - this is what I had originally bred her for. Knowing that there is also a chance they will train and sell her, or use her as a broodmare (her breeding is pretty awesome).

Right when she gets in touch with me to say they will take her on, I get a message from a young guy that has heard about her and is looking for a project horse. Now I haven't spoken price with him (I don't particularly want to give her away to someone I don't know) given that my friend got back in touch.
I was reasonably comfortable giving her away knowing she had a good home and could possibly end up not being wasted. However now I am worried I am being stupid? She might just be sold on anyway and should I be trying to make some $$ selling her now?

All the while I am sad that this is meaning the end is near for my wonderful little pony - my first ever horse.
Now to top everything off my dog is sick. 😢 Not my best day..
Sorry to vent, I just am struggling with this decision.

 

[SkiOtter]

Sorry to vent, I just am struggling with this decision.

That’s such a tough decision. Sending hugs <3

 

[VetofHearts]

That’s such a tough decision. Sending hugs <3

Thanks.. I know it's one of those first world problems, but it really is a tough decision for me to make.

On more positive side - My dog seems to be a little better this evening, I hate it when we know our own animals so well, I can tell he is not right although physically I can't find anything to pinpoint that is wrong!
I think this is always the way with our own animals..

 

[WildZoo]

I love these things too. I might be able to convince him to if it's a cheaper investment in the short term and not spend more on food in the long run, or the cat having more medical issues that will be costly because he won't lose weight. Any suggestions on ones?

I have the SureFlap ones for my cats. Not quite the same as automatic feeders that dispense the food in specific portions, but since one of my cats is on a wet prescription food and the other would let her push him aside to steal food once it was dispensed, these worked better for me. I like that it means they can graze throughout the day too instead of having strict meal times. I just limit the amount of food I put in the bowls per day.

 

[amsweeney]

I have the SureFlap ones for my cats. Not quite the same as automatic feeders that dispense the food in specific portions, but since one of my cats is on a wet prescription food and the other would let her push him aside to steal food once it was dispensed, these worked better for me. I like that it means they can graze throughout the day too instead of having strict meal times. I just limit the amount of food I put in the bowls per day.

Thank you!

 

[VetofHearts]

I think compassion and concern for not only an animal you produced but one you've poured your time and love into isn't so much a first world problem but rather a sign that you really want what's best for everyone involved (animal and human). I don't own any horses, so I can't advise you one way or the other on the selling but I can say I too am sending internet hugs and invisible sugar cubes to your little pony. I'm sure that he knows that you've got a tough decision to make and he knows that you'll do what's best at the end of the day. Or he may be one of those ponies that thinks of nothing but food all day, and now he's wondering why he's not being hand fed treats 24/7 because he clearly has such an important job as Head Supervisor of Field Tasting Technology with a BA in Companionship Arts. 😛 Oh, and I'm glad your dog is doing better.

Thank you *internet social distanced hugs*
My little pony is loving the attention now I am back, loads of treats, loads of bossing the 16hh warmblood around (when he is only 13.2hh) lol. He's also getting his Bute at the moment more frequently - I figure I am putting him down soon, Id rather be overdosing his pain relief and have him comfortable for a short period of time.

At the end of the day the decision to giver her away to a home I know she will be well cared for no matter what is the most important thing at the end of the day. Money isn't everything.

 

[Barkley13]

My dog partied too hard and woke up with the biggest blep of all time

 

[EngrSC]

This morning with Judy and Jimmy half-good

 

[sheltermed]

How do our vets feel about year-round monthly preventive for strictly indoor cats? My dude's vet was kind of pissed that I haven't been doing it. He gave me Selarid (which I think covers some intestinal parasites, heartworm, and fleas?) and wants me to use it year round. Also said it's especially important since the guy is FIV+. Does everyone else agree?

I've always been ****ty about monthly preventives and I feel bad about it. Dog hasn't been on heartworm stuff for idk how long, but I just bought 6 months worth at her annual so we are covered for a while.

Oh also, dog was diagnosed with giardia (major ew, idk how she picked that up) and her vet gave her metro bid for 5 days and fenbendazole sid for 5 days. Cat vet (different clinic) thought that was hella overkill. Thoughts?

P.s. will I be getting free monthly preventives in vet school lol

 

[ajs513]

How do our vets feel about year-round monthly preventive for strictly indoor cats? My dude's vet was kind of pissed that I haven't been doing it. He gave me Selarid (which I think covers some intestinal parasites, heartworm, and fleas?) and wants me to use it year round. Also said it's especially important since the guy is FIV+. Does everyone else agree?

I've always been ****ty about monthly preventives and I feel bad about it. Dog hasn't been on heartworm stuff for idk how long, but I just bought 6 months worth at her annual so we are covered for a while.

Oh also, dog was diagnosed with giardia (major ew, idk how she picked that up) and her vet gave her metro bid for 5 days and fenbendazole sid for 5 days. Cat vet (different clinic) thought that was hella overkill. Thoughts?

P.s. will I be getting free monthly preventives in vet school lol

Not a vet. But even just from my own experience with patients, indoor cats getting fleas is a MAJOR issue. I can’t count the number of flea-infested cats (and especially just cats with flea allergies but no live fleas on them) I’ve seen that were indoor only. I usually remind owners that while their cat is indoor only, they themselves aren’t. Many many parasites can get your pets sick even if they never set foot outside. But fleas are a big one. You can live in a 20 story highrise apartment building on the top floor with an indoor only cat and it could still get fleas.

 

[sheltermed]

You can live in a 20 story highrise apartment building on the top floor with an indoor only cat and it could still get fleas.

His vet used this line too haha. I gotcha tho, thanks

 

[ajs513]

His vet used this line too haha. I gotcha tho, thanks

Also to answer your other two questions, preventatives are important in immunocompromised cats because of their increased susceptibility to diseases.

For your dog and the giardia treatment, the CAPC would agree with the vet who treated her. Giardia

 

[vetmedhead]

FWIW heartworm is also an issue in cats and certainly has transmission in many areas throughout the US. I always kept my cats on preventative because I lived in a hugely endemic state, but it's still something I think cat owners should consider since HW has such serious consequences in cats and even indoor cats can be exposed to mosquitos.

Re: Giardia, it's a bit confusing. There are a variety of assemblages that aren't super meaningful to human health and there's some thought that Giardia doesn't cause lots of GI distress in infected animals without other underlying GI disturbances precipitating it first. However, definitely warranted to treat due to clinical signs, due to potential for human health concerns, or simply because most pet daycares will not accept Giardia positive animals. I'm assuming your vet made a reasonable choice based on their understanding of you, your pet and the case.

 

[JaynaAli]

Officially, I think heartworm society recommendations are to at minimum give preventatives at onset of “mosquito season”, but since that’s pretty impossible for an owner to correctly predict in any given year, year round administration is the standard recommendation. Is risk of catching it in winter pretty low, especially somewhere with fairly harsh winters? Yes. But heartworm can also cause sudden death in cats even with a single worm infection and there are fewer treatment options for an established infection in cats than there are for dogs, so it’s best to just use preventatives monthly. I found a mosquito in my house in January this year. Plus, like others said, it will help control fleas which in turn controls tapeworms.

 

[genny]

Oh also, dog was diagnosed with giardia (major ew, idk how she picked that up) and her vet gave her metro bid for 5 days and fenbendazole sid for 5 days. Cat vet (different clinic) thought that was hella overkill. Thoughts?

I have treated with metro alone, fenbendazole alone, and with both together. Sometimes when using one medication alone, they still test positive a month later. So I end up doing both meds together for those cases. If the dog is having severe symptoms, I’ll do both for the first round too.

I think it’s kind of crappy for your cat vet to make you doubt your dog vet. If you don’t trust them to pick the right treatment for your dog, why go there? If you have questions about the treatment, ask your prescribing vet. I’m sure they’d rather answer why they picked both meds to start with than have you guess at their motives.

 

[amsweeney]

My old cat got fleas as an indoor only cat. I was in denial for a while because I thought it was impossible. But, I am at the barn multiple times a week and turns out it isn't impossible.

 

[sheltermed]

I think it’s kind of crappy for your cat vet to make you doubt your dog vet. If you don’t trust them to pick the right treatment for your dog, why go there? If you have questions about the treatment, ask your prescribing vet. I’m sure they’d rather answer why they picked both meds to start with than have you guess at their motives.

I trust my dog's vet! I informed the cat vet of my dog's diagnosis, he asked about the treatment and gave an unsolicited opinion. I was just asking everyone here to see if they agreed or disagreed with said opinion 🙂

That said, my dog had no clinical signs whatsoever. It was an incidental finding when I brought in poop for her annual. I'm guessing her vet just wanted to nip it in the bud straight from the get go, which I think it's totally reasonable. Was just asking for other's thoughts! I have been out of GP for a while and things change and evolve so quickly.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts!

 

[Coopah]

I trust my dog's vet! I informed the cat vet of my dog's diagnosis, he asked about the treatment and gave an unsolicited opinion. I was just asking everyone here to see if they agreed or disagreed with said opinion 🙂

That said, my dog had no clinical signs whatsoever. It was an incidental finding when I brought in poop for her annual. I'm guessing her vet just wanted to nip it in the bud straight from the get go, which I think it's totally reasonable. Was just asking for other's thoughts! I have been out of GP for a while and things change and evolve so quickly.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts!

Huh, now I would never disagree with a practicing vet because they always know the situation best, but if there's no clinical signs I thought we don't treat giardia? More of a discussion topic I suppose.

 

[ajs513]

Huh, now I would never disagree with a practicing vet because they always know the situation best, but if there's no clinical signs I thought we don't treat giardia? More of a discussion topic I suppose.

I’ve seen that vary from vet to vet, but the first thing that comes to mind for me is that there’s an FIV+ cat in the household. I know increased zoonotic risk with an immunocompromised human in the household would be a concern and a reason to treat a dog with no clinical signs. So maybe, among other reasons, the vet extended that to immunocompromised pets cohabitating?

 

[sheltermed]

I’ve seen that vary from vet to vet, but the first thing that comes to mind for me is that there’s an FIV+ cat in the household. I know increased zoonotic risk with an immunocompromised human in the household would be a concern and a reason to treat a dog with no clinical signs. So maybe, among other reasons, the vet extended that to immunocompromised pets cohabitating?

Dog vet doesn't know about FIV+ cat so it wouldn't be that. Not sure! (I take the cat to a cat-specific hospital down the road from where I live, no doggies or loud noises in the wait room etc)

Another q tho: any recommendations for administering fortiflora to the cat who only eats dry food? I'm scared to use canned food lest he gets diarrhea. But if I can get away with just using like a spoonful with each dose I guess that would be fine?

Oh and is fortiflora beneficial if I give it qod orrrr do I need to do it daily

 

[amsweeney]

Dog vet doesn't know about FIV+ cat so it wouldn't be that. Not sure! (I take the cat to a cat-specific hospital down the road from where I live, no doggies or loud noises in the wait room etc)

Another q tho: any recommendations for administering fortiflora to the cat who only eats dry food? I'm scared to use canned food lest he gets diarrhea. But if I can get away with just using like a spoonful with each dose I guess that would be fine?

Oh and is fortiflora beneficial if I give it qod orrrr do I need to do it daily

When my cat was a kitten, I poured it on top of her dry food, but she eats everything. You just could mix the fortiflora with the dry food and water

 

[that redhead]

I would keep cat on monthly preventatives; we advocate it for our feline patients.

I treat giardia with fenbendazole, then add metro +fenbendazole if persistent with signs.

I’d do the fortiflora daily. Cats I’ve RX’d it for seem to love it and eat it readily.

 

[finnickthedog]

Advice to dog owners who currently or in the future have a fenced yard: check the gate. Frequently. Regularly. Even if it's never open because you're the only one who uses it. Otherwise you get out of the habit and then you forget that some guy mowed your lawn today and your dog goes for a fun run in the neighborhood. You probably already know this but maybe you get lazy sometimes (like me) and you need the reminder.

My dog is back and was only gone for like a couple of minutes. This also highlighted the importance of a good recall--ya know, the kind where your dog comes back to you within like 30 seconds of hearing you bellow even though you're completely out of sight and she's probably three houses down by now having a grand ol' time.

She had fun. I had a momentary heart attack. All's well that ends well?

 

[JaynaAli]

Advice to dog owners who currently or in the future have a fenced yard: check the gate. Frequently. Regularly. Even if it's never open because you're the only one who uses it. Otherwise you get out of the habit and then you forget that some guy mowed your lawn today and your dog goes for a fun run in the neighborhood. You probably already know this but maybe you get lazy sometimes (like me) and you need the reminder.

My dog is back and was only gone for like a couple of minutes. This also highlighted the importance of a good recall--ya know, the kind where your dog comes back to you within like 30 seconds of hearing you bellow even though you're completely out of sight and she's probably three houses down by now having a grand ol' time.

She had fun. I had a momentary heart attack. All's well that ends well?

Glad she is back! That's the worst feeling, ever.

 

[BigCats]

My cat has been on twice-daily insulin injections for a few weeks now and wasn’t the biggest fan at first, but I started giving him a few treats to keep him occupied and now he comes over meowing away as soon as he hears the pop of the syringe! Best cat ever

 

[capri1722]

My cat has been on twice-daily insulin injections for a few weeks now and wasn’t the biggest fan at first, but I started giving him a few treats to keep him occupied and now he comes over meowing away as soon as he hears the pop of the syringe! Best cat ever

Where are you supposed to give insulin shots to a kitty (or a dog)? We have a few furry patients on insulin at the pharmacy.

 

[BigCats]

Where are you supposed to give insulin shots to a kitty (or a dog)? We have a few furry patients on insulin at the pharmacy.

Our vet said to give them SQ at the loose skin on the back behind the shoulders or by the hips! He didn't appreciate the hips lol but he's been great about the shoulders!

 

[ajs513]

Where are you supposed to give insulin shots to a kitty (or a dog)? We have a few furry patients on insulin at the pharmacy.

There are a bunch of locations, but usually it’s between the shoulder blades (tons of loose skin and easiest for inexperienced owners to give). You make a tent with the skin and just give it subcutaneously. And you rotate the injections in a circle in that area.

 

[JaynaAli]

Where are you supposed to give insulin shots to a kitty (or a dog)? We have a few furry patients on insulin at the pharmacy.

You may know this already and if so just ignore me, but some insulins for pets are to be given via U-40 syringes instead of the U-100s, so as a pharmacist please don’t just make assumptions that it’s all the same and recommend changing insulin types or syringes without discussing with the prescribing vet. 🙂

 

[ajs513]

Are pharmacists able to get Plumb’s? Because I really think every pharmacy should have a copy to reference so they don’t have to worry about things like “this dose is way too high” or substituting certain things without realizing it makes a big difference in animals.

 

[capri1722]

You may know this already and if so just ignore me, but some insulins for pets are to be given via U-40 syringes instead of the U-100s, so as a pharmacist please don’t just make assumptions that it’s all the same and recommend changing insulin types or syringes without discussing with the prescribing vet. 🙂

Well of course 🙂
We wouldn't even do that for humans (switching say Humalog for Novolog or something) without recommending the patient speak to their provider first. But yes most pet owners do request the 0.3mL syringes since the volumes of medicine they get are so tiny. Saw a feline script once that was 2 units per dose.

Are pharmacists able to get Plumb’s? Because I really think every pharmacy should have a copy to reference so they don’t have to worry about things like “this dose is way too high” or substituting certain things without realizing it makes a big difference in animals.

Bro I wish. The company I work for has a link to Plumb's on its intranet but it's only available in some states. 🙁
Btw, I looked into getting a student subscription which I think you recommended a few months back. It seems like you have to be a vet student, not just any student, as my school didn't come up on their list.

 

[ajs513]

Bro I wish. The company I work for has a link to Plumb's on its intranet but it's only available in some states. 🙁
Btw, I looked into getting a student subscription which I think you recommended a few months back. It seems like you have to be a vet student, not just any student, as my school didn't come up on their list.

You should reach out to Plumb’s and ask about that. I don’t even think it’s on their radar to consider pharmacy students, but god knows we should encourage One Health in any way we can. Also, I think the fact that you’re so intertwined with the vet community at this point means you won’t hit weird snags like what I mentioned in the future.

 

[Trilt]

Saw a feline script once that was 2 units per dose.

I'd say most kitties are on 1-2 units actually.

 

[SkiOtter]

Well of course 🙂
We wouldn't even do that for humans (switching say Humalog for Novolog or something) without recommending the patient speak to their provider first. But yes most pet owners do request the 0.3mL syringes since the volumes of medicine they get are so tiny. Saw a feline script once that was 2 units per dose.

Bro I wish. The company I work for has a link to Plumb's on its intranet but it's only available in some states. 🙁
Btw, I looked into getting a student subscription which I think you recommended a few months back. It seems like you have to be a vet student, not just any student, as my school didn't come up on their list.

The plumbs student subscription is for pharm students too!!! I’d definitely contact plumbs if your school didn’t come up on their list on the verification site.

Also, plumbs has this short little guide for pharmacists for quick things

https://www.plumbsveterinarydrugs.com/files/pharmacists-guide/pharmacists-guide-v3.pdf

 

[Coopah]

The plumbs student subscription is for pharm students too!!! I’d definitely contact plumbs if your school didn’t come up on their list on the verification site.

Also, plumbs has this short little guide for pharmacists for quick things

https://www.plumbsveterinarydrugs.com/files/pharmacists-guide/pharmacists-guide-v3.pdf

I have heard that plumbs has a few inaccuracies, and we should double-check doses from there.

 

[WildZoo]

I have heard that plumbs has a few inaccuracies, and we should double-check doses from there.

It tends to be more off for uncommon drugs or exotics than for things commonly prescribed in dogs and cats, and it takes time for things to get updated in the printed version. But not likely to be far enough off to be dangerous in the online edition, and certainly better than nothing at all, especially for someone without access to something like VIN. Usually well-referenced too.

 

[Okapi]

Sorry to derail the conversation, do any of you have advice on choosing a dog food brand? I'm getting a new dog this weekend (the first one I own myself!) and I'm getting overwhelmed with the information I've found online and having a hard time determining the important distinctions between brands, diets, etc. I do have a supply of the food he's currently eating, but I want to switch him to something else as that particular brand is hard to find in my area. From my understanding a higher protein + fat percentage is better and I should look for meat in the first few ingredients, but other than that I'm stuck. Is there a consensus on grain-free vs grain-inclusive? Do vets recommend certain brands over others? Am I overthinking this way too much? I'm not sure what/if any discounts I'll get from school otherwise I'd probably just go with that tbh. Afaik he has no allergies or other dietary restrictions.

 

[JaynaAli]

There's really no one food that is perfect and people love to argue about nutrition just like politics and religion. General advice is to find a food that has an AAFCO statement and has undergone a feeding trial; it's fine for companies to do ingredient analysis and say 'yep, will be good for dogs according to this computer', but the feeding trials go above and beyond to prove that when you actually feed it, the dogs do well. Grain free is mostly marketing, and lately there have been reports that certain grain-free diets are causing dilated cardiomyopathy in some dogs...it seems to be tied to legumes but it's still somewhat poorly understood. For me, I'm not willing to take that risk and will choose a food with grains. In general, sticking to Hills, Purina, Royal Canin, and Iams/Eukanuba is the general veterinary recommendation, but that's not to say a dog can't do well on another brand. Those are the companies that have nutritionists on staff and do consistent feeding trials (which is not to say other brands never do, but these are the brands leading the science-driven research). We don't get paid anything to recommend those and despite what the internet would suggest...or if we do my check has never arrived. But the exact food your dog needs will vary by age, lifestyle, energy expenditure, and a variety of other factors. Having a discussion with your vet is a good place to start if you're feeling overwhelmed.

I personally started feeding my puppy Purina Pro Plan. He ate it okay but not great, so we've switched to Royal Canin which he seems to prefer. My last dog ate several different varieties (both over the counter and veterinary diets) of Purina Pro Plan and Royal Canin over his lifetime.

 

[Okapi]

I figured that would be the case and I'll definitely talk to my vet, just wanted to see if any of you all had opinions or knew important info I've been missing. Thanks very much!

 

[SkiOtter]

There's really no one food that is perfect and people love to argue about nutrition just like politics and religion. General advice is to find a food that has an AAFCO statement and has undergone a feeding trial; it's fine for companies to do ingredient analysis and say 'yep, will be good for dogs according to this computer', but the feeding trials go above and beyond to prove that when you actually feed it, the dogs do well. Grain free is mostly marketing, and lately there have been reports that certain grain-free diets are causing dilated cardiomyopathy in some dogs...it seems to be tied to legumes but it's still somewhat poorly understood. For me, I'm not willing to take that risk and will choose a food with grains. In general, sticking to Hills, Purina, Royal Canin, and Iams/Eukanuba is the general veterinary recommendation, but that's not to say a dog can't do well on another brand. Those are the companies that have nutritionists on staff and do consistent feeding trials (which is not to say other brands never do, but these are the brands leading the science-driven research). We don't get paid anything to recommend those and despite what the internet would suggest...or if we do my check has never arrived. But the exact food your dog needs will vary by age, lifestyle, energy expenditure, and a variety of other factors. Having a discussion with your vet is a good place to start if you're feeling overwhelmed.

I personally started feeding my puppy Purina Pro Plan. He ate it okay but not great, so we've switched to Royal Canin which he seems to prefer. My last dog ate several different varieties (both over the counter and veterinary diets) of Purina Pro Plan and Royal Canin over his lifetime.

Second looking at the big 4 brands of Hills, Royal Canin, Purina, and Iams/Eukanuba. I have had pets on all 4 brands throughout their lives.

 

[WildZoo]

If you want to dig into the info out there on nutrition recommendations, you can check out some of these sources:

ACVN (American College of Veterinary Nutritionists) and WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines

https://wsava.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/The-Savvy-Dog-Owner-s-Guide-to-Nutrition-on-the-Internet.pdf

https://wsava.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Selecting-the-Best-Food-for-your-Pet.pdf

 

[that redhead]

“No grain-free“ is basically my only rule for generic dog food recommendations. I feel my dog ProPlan because I get a professional discount

 

[ajs513]

“No grain-free“ is basically my only rule for generic dog food recommendations. I feel my dog ProPlan because I get a professional discount

I feel like that’s sort of the best way to be, right? I interviewed a nutritionist the other day and she made a good point. Vets in general have so many things to know. Nutrition in terms of getting into the fine details is something most just don’t have the time to do. It’s her job to know all about nutrition and even she doesn’t have the time to learn about all of the diets out there. If your job doesn’t frequently involve formulating diets to address specific issues, then it doesn’t really make sense to go through an exercise in futility to learn about an ever-evolving field that you just don’t have the time to learn enough about. So for probably 95% of patients, recommending an appropriate food from one of the big brands that has the money, time, and professional staff to make overall good food is perfectly fine.

That’s the take I’ve gotten from nutritionists I’ve spoken to, and it seems that a lot of vets refer to nutritionists mainly for extremely difficult things. But they’re an awesome resource for clients who are just hard to talk to about nutrition for whatever reason.

 

[WildZoo]

Yeah, I mean people love to look into things which is why I have more detailed resources in my back pocket but as long as they're not feeding grain free or switching foods every five seconds I'm like...pet is doing well? Eating the food? At a good weight? Great.

 

[ajs513]

When you spend all day doing nothing and you’re still tired

 

[alissa14]

It’s been a rough few days... one of the vets who was checking on my golden retriever’s broken nail happened to notice how large my dog’s stomach is. Granted my dog is fat and old and has many lipomas so this wasn’t flagged previously. Anyways, a few xrays later and there’s a very large tumor in my dog’s abdomen. Now I was hoping for something straightforward like a splenic tumor that hasn’t metastasized and we could just remove her spleen and BOOM she’s all better. Unfortunately based off the X-rays alone it’s difficult to distinguish if the tumor is indeed attached to the spleen or if it’s also connected to other organs. Somewhat luckily, it looks like the tumor may be encapsulated so hopefully that may make the removal process easier. She currently has an abdominal ultrasound scheduled for 10 days from now which is good but we’re not even sure if it will be able to determine whether or not surgery is an option. Overall, it’s been very emotional, stressful, and difficult as my family and I navigate the best course of action for her.

Lol I know all the vet students will be like duh you didn’t need to circle it but I had to do it to show my mom.

my sweet baby🙁

 

[vetmedhead]

I hope you find out more about what's going on and how to move forward with her care soon. Good catch on the vet's part!