Navigating pet nutrition and talking diets with clients

Photo: New Africa/Adobe Stock

In the era of social media, misinformation, and a abundance of nutrition options, having conversations with clients about their pet’s nutrition can be difficult. At the Fetch Coastal conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Danielle Conway, DVM, CVA, VSMT, CCRP, chief inspiration officer and nutritionist at Vital Vet Integrative Consultants—a nutrition education and consulting company for veterinary professionals and pet owners—talked about the importance of educating clients about their pet’s diet in her lecture, "Food for Thought: Pros & Cons of All Available Nutrition Options." She emphasized the importance of reintegrating nutrition discussions into practices, as well as nutrition consultations and recommendations.¹

Having the nutrition conversation with pet owners

Conway explained that the rise of “faux-sperts,” or social media influencers with unqualified credentials, is misleading clients about what constitutes a healthy and safe diet for pets.¹ According to Conway, these influencers are using fear mongering, click bait, and “preying” on clients’ emotions and love of their pets to sell them something.

To address this rising information gap, Conway told the audience to “meet their clients halfway.” “I found what's happening is that food is so intensely personal, and unless we are willing to meet clients at their truth a little bit… just hear their concerns, hear what their background is, what they're coming to you with, meet them at their truth, and then we'll be able to move them more towards evidence-based slowly,” said Conway.

“So maybe we're not going to get them from an unbalanced raw or eating a lamb's head in the backyard all the way onto your prescription therapeutic kibble diet. But hey, if we can take that lamb head, I don't know, maybe do like some little safer, like ground meat, balance it, make it safe. That's a step, right? We met them halfway,” she continued.

Conway also explained that there is no one optimal diet for animal companions. Instead, the choice on what to feed pets is an individual one.

Food labels and by-products

According to Conway, the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) label has been highly criticized by social media influencers, leading many clients to distrust pet food labels. Conway explained to attendees that she likes to offer clients a handout that educates them on what AAFCO is and its role in animal nutrition.

Another misconception pet owners may hold is that by-products in pet foods—animal parts that are potentially safe to eat but are not commonly consumed by the American population—are bad. In reality, by-products are nutrient-dense and are a rich source of protein, minerals, and vitamins. Moreover, by-products are the parts of the prey that predators consume first.

Grain-free diets

Conway also spoke about the relationship between grain-free pet food and nonhereditary dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).^1,2 She shared that nutritional DCM is not a global issue, and specific data is not consistent, as some patients do well on a grain-free diet.

Conway emphasized to attendees that when it comes to pet food, “it’s not so much about the ingredients, it’s about the formulation.” When determining what pet food companies are nutritionally appropriate, various factors should be considered, such as¹:

• Does that company have a veterinary nutritionist or food scientist on staff, and is the company maintaining a relationship with these experts?
• Has the diet been AAFCO feed-trial tested and nutrient-analyzed?
• What safety measures are being taken and are these methods validated?
• When was the last time one of their products had a recall or voluntary recall?
• Can the company provide the caloric value per can or cup?
• What quality control measures are being taken? Does the food match the label?

Therapeutic diets

For patients that require a therapeutic diet to manage a medical condition, it is important to explain to their owners why the patient needs to follow the therapeutic diet. “Prescription food is medicine,” said Conway, emphasizing that these foods have high quality control as they are AAFCO, FDA, and USDA regulated.

References

1. Conway D. Food for Thought: Pros & Cons of All Available Nutrition Options. Presented at: Fetch Coastal; October 14-16, 2024; Atlantic City, NJ.
2. Capuzzi J. Still seeking a grain of truth. dvm360. December 15, 2023. Accessed October 14, 2024.