Interactive Tool Helps Pet Owners Learn About Proper Nutrition

Image via MorgueFile.com

Via ZooToo.com - Having a pet comes with a learning curve, and each pet owner's experience differs a little bit from that of the next, but there are some old wives' tales that every pet owner will likely encounter at some point in time.

A quick internet search will undoubtedly provide a variety of answers to these myths, but you can't always guarantee their veracity, so Amy Lieberman at Zootoo talked with Jennifer Coates, petMD.com veterinarian, to get the scoop on some of the more common nutrition myths:

• Milk - "Milk is not a normal part of the diet for a dog or a cat once they are weaned off of it," Dr. Coates said in a telephone interview. 
• Bones – Dr. Coates said she often removes broken pieces of bone from dogs' teeth, tongues, and around their jaws; she has also seen issues related to gastrointestinal disturbances. "As a vet, I take a hard line on this," Coates said. "I don't recommend bones because I see what can happen to dogs when they chew on bones." 

What's key when it comes to pets' nutrition is providing them with the right portions, especially when it comes to protein. Cats require 33 percent protein and 25 percent fat in their diet as adults. When it comes to dogs, they need less protein, averaging about 25 percent of their daily intake. So if you feed a cat dog food, you're going to wind up with a sick cat, lacking the protein that it requires.

My Bowl, a new interactive tool hosted by petMd.com and Hill's Pet Nutrition, allows pet owners to determine the amount of carbohydrates, protein, minerals, fats and oils their pets should be consuming in each meal, in order to ensure a healthy, balanced diet.

"Food and nutrition are two things owners have complete control over these days and really play such a huge role in our pets' wellbeing," Coates said. "I really want to emphasize that we have to get our pets eating the appropriate amount, and eating the right kinds of food, it really acts as preventative medicine."

To learn more about proper nutrition for your pet, visit the Nutrition Center at petMed.com.