Informative Pet Nutritional Counseling in Danville, VA

Consumers will spend over 20 billion dollars on pet food this year. Unfortunately, the pet food industry is poorly regulated and some companies can misrepresent the quality of their food without repercussions. Pet food companies have been in an advertising war for some time and have developed some myths that are widely believed. Some of the following facts may be different from what you are hearing on TV and in advertising.

Pet Food Facts

Pets are rarely allergic to gluten; because humans commonly have problems with gluten, pet food companies use “gluten free” food as a sales tactic.

The ingredients on the bag may not be what are actually in the bag. Pet food companies can legally change the recipe of their foods temporarily (for up to 6 months) without changing the label.

The word “organic” means nothing on a pet food label. In order for a food to have significant organic content, it must have the USDA organic seal on the label.

“Natural” has no legal definition. It is just a nice sounding word on a pet food label.

A byproduct is just a food product made in the process of making another food. For example; Vitamin E and A are byproducts of soybean oil production. Other common byproducts are fish oil, tomato paste, and Jell-O.

Pet foods “formulated” to AAFCO standards may not be tested on actual animals. Anyone can “formulate” and develop his own dog food by simply writing a recipe on a piece of paper. The best way to assess the effectiveness of a new food is to perform a food trial. Performing a food trial is expensive and some companies will avoid this process to save money. (You will be surprised at the big name companies that have not performed food trials on their products.)

Shopping for dog food and cat food in Danville, Virginia can be confusing; really, no matter where you live, it can be a frustrating task.

For your convenience, we stock food from companies that use the highest quality ingredients, believe in truth in advertising, and formulate and test their diets with a team of veterinarians and nutritionists. Quality nutrition is one of the cornerstones to a long healthy life.  The pet foods we carry are second to none and we only sell foods that we believe in.

If you have any questions about the best nutrition for your pet, give us a call and speak to our veterinarian.

We offer many veterinary services such as :

• dog training
• pet grooming
• dog boarding
• doggy day care
• pet blood work
• pet boarding
• laser therapy for dogs
• pet microchip
• elder pet care
• pet surgery
• pet dental services

Read what our clients have to say about our animal hospital and veterinarians, with Danville Family Vet reviews.