Albuquerque Journal Articles

Home Made Pet Diets

By drjeffnichol | September 6, 2012 | Comments Off on Home Made Pet Diets

A Disaster in the Making   Question: In your Journal article on July 30th, you comment about people food for dogs. I have a friend who has a “handicap assistance dog.”  It came with a very specific diet that includes raw chicken backs, vegetables and vegetable oil.  They were told it would extend the life of the dog.  Do you have any comments about this type of diet?   Dr. Nichol: Self anointed experts in pet nutrition are not new.  Many animal breeders, in the belief that their diet holds the key to health and longevity, require buyers of their…

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Designer Pet Foods & High Price

By drjeffnichol | September 6, 2012 | Comments Off on Designer Pet Foods & High Price

If the ingredients match & the analysis looks as good, why pay more? Because you won’t get what you don’t pay for.   Question: I read an article in last week’s paper that got me to thinking about how much money I spend feeding my animals. The article talked about “designer” pet foods and said that regular food like Dog Chow was just as good but that a lot of people buy the pricier food because it’s recommended by their vet. Isn’t it really all the same?   Dr. Nichol: I wish more people asked this question. There is an…

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Age to Switch to Adult Dog Food & How Often to Feed

By drjeffnichol | September 6, 2012 | Comments Off on Age to Switch to Adult Dog Food & How Often to Feed

Large Breed Puppy Food Cuts the Risk of Bone & Joint Growth Disorders Question: I have a 7-month old Labrador retriever. How long should I feed puppy food, and at what age should I switch her from three meals per day to two?   Dr. Nichol: Important question. More than just managing your puppy’s weight, the diet you feed can influence her risk of skeletal defects.   Labs and other big breeds continue growing until they’re 14 months or older. A large breed growth diet is best until they reach full size, although changing to an adult food sooner is…

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How Much to Feed

By drjeffnichol | September 6, 2012 | Comments Off on How Much to Feed

Being overweight is unhealthy. Here’s how to get it right.   Question: How much should I feed my cat? I thought I was doing the right thing by following the recommendations on the bag but when I took “Shalako” for his shots, he weighed over 12 #. Now I feel guilty that he may not get as old because his doctor said that overweight cats usually don’t. How much is the right amount?   Dr. Nichol: This is a very good question. Please don’t feel guilty for trying to do the right thing for Shalako. There are many things in…

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Canned Food for Dogs & Cats

By drjeffnichol | September 6, 2012 | Comments Off on Canned Food for Dogs & Cats

Different Species Have Different Needs Question: I read in your column, three weeks ago, about the reverse opinion about feeding cats dry food. Would this advice, also, apply to dogs? Do pet owners just feed canned food? Would a really lean piece of meat without the spices and gravy suffice for a healthy diet? Dr. Nichol: If we treat our dogs like big cats with long ears we’ll get into a lot of trouble. Both species are fuzzy and walk on four legs but that’s where the similarities end. They function in different and mysterious ways.   Cats are obligate…

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High Protein Diets for one Cat with FLUTD & another with Obesity

By drjeffnichol | September 6, 2012 | Comments Off on High Protein Diets for one Cat with FLUTD & another with Obesity

Cat with Different Needs Should have Individual Diets to Manage their Individual Health Question: I live with 3 cats: a 7-year old spayed female with a tendency to UTIs, a 5-year old spayed female who is, at 18.5 lbs, grossly obese, and a relatively normal 2-year old neutered male. The most pressing question is how to help Calypso, my obese cat, lose weight. I’m hearing great things about canned kitten food, but isn’t the protein content too high for Jubilee, the cat with urinary tract problems?   Dr. Nichol: You’re right to be concerned. Jubilee’s bladder pain is miserable and…

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Raw Meat Diet for Cats

By drjeffnichol | September 6, 2012 | Comments Off on Raw Meat Diet for Cats

A Good Start but the Best Diets are Balanced Question: I’ve had a shelter cat for a year now. I recently stumbled onto some basic information about pet nutrition and was horrified by the stories of dry food. I switched Knickknack to a raw meat diet. In just three weeks her energy is way up, she is keenly interested in her food, her coat is far more glossy, and she has stopped shedding. Is this change in hair/skin condition a benefit of the better diet? Why is proper pet nutrition not part of our discussion about pet health and behavior?…

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Canned Kitten Food is Best for All Age Cats

By drjeffnichol | September 6, 2012 | Comments Off on Canned Kitten Food is Best for All Age Cats

Avoid Cheese. A High Protein, Low Fat, Low Carbohydrate Diet is Best. Question: Is cheese bad for cats? Are there foods cats should not eat?   Dr. Nichol: Cats should not eat cheese, Cheetos, chocolate, nor chicharrones. They need very little in fat in their diet. It turns out that dry cat food doesn’t work well for them either. Veterinarians, like me, have extolled the virtues of dry food for years. We’ve been wrong.   The problem is that dry food only sticks together to form those little biscuits (kibbles) if it has lots of starchy carbohydrates in it. Recent…

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Dogs Eating Cat Food & Cats Eating Dog Food

By drjeffnichol | September 6, 2012 | Comments Off on Dogs Eating Cat Food & Cats Eating Dog Food

Cats & dogs are different species with very different needs. Poor health can result from the wrong diet.   Question: Our 8 month old Pomeranian – dachshund sure enjoys eating the cat food! (Although the cat doesn’t appreciate it much). Is this a bad thing? Also, the cat kinda digs the dog food once in a while. What do you think?   Dr. Nichol: This reminds me of how much our pets resemble our children. Regardless of how well intentioned our efforts to give them what is right they want the opposite. And it’s tempting to just let it go.…

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Plant Eating

By drjeffnichol | September 6, 2012 | Comments Off on Plant Eating

There is no way to stop plant eating. Give the gift that keeps on giving: a Catnip Garden.   Question: We have an 8 year old purebred Manx who seems to really love to eat plants.  It was always a problem for the geraniums in his grandma’s house when he lived there (she’s happy to actually have plants now, since he would eat them all), and now he goes completely crazy when my husband brings me flowers.  It seems he loves the baby’s breath and the ferns that accompany the roses.  We’ve heard that there are plants that are actually…

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