One of the most common classes of nutritional supplements prescribed by veterinarians is antioxidants. Certain supplements, including vitamins and minerals, function in the body to reduce oxidation. Oxidation is a chemical process that occurs within the body's cells as a normal result of cellular metabolism, detoxification, and energy production. Inflammation in the body represents a [...]
A genome study at Uppsala University in Sweden found ten genes that help dogs to digest starches. Lab work suggested that changes in three of those genes make dogs better than meat-eating wolves at splitting starches into sugars and then absorbing those sugars. According to geneticist Kerstan Lindblad-Toh, the rise of farming, beginning around 10,000 [...]
This 2009 study was the first to demonstrate the potential for a meat-free diet to be nutritionally adequate for exercising dogs. In a 16-week controlled experiment, a meat-free diet maintained haematological characteristics in sprint-racing sled dogs (Siberian huskies). Importantly, these findings pave the way for commercial pet food manufacturers to produce nutritionally adequate meat-free diets [...]
Flaxseed has been a valued crop for thousands of years, having been cultivated since the beginning of agriculture and currently consumed globally. It's name in Latin, Linum usitatissimum, literally means "very useful". While ancient healing systems including Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine have recognize its virtues for millennia, it's just in the past few decades that [...]
There are many choices of diets for pet owners to consider when trying to decide what to feed their pets. These include homemade - raw and cooked, and of course processed wet food and kibble. As a practicing veterinarian, I try to be flexible with my clients. I want them to choose the best food [...]
I consult with pet owners every day, both in person at my hospital, Paws & Claws Holistic Animal Hospital in Plano, Texas and on the phone with pet parents who don’t live nearby. All of them want me to prescribe supplements to either help their pets stay healthy and try to prevent problems like cancer, [...]