Let’s talk about digestive health for your dog! More specifically, the benefits of prebiotic supplementation. We’ve GUT all the information you need, just check out our blog post!
Read more about "Prebiotics for dogs: What are they and how can they help your pet."
Looking for the Canadian options for your pet in 2025? Our latest blog post explains label claims such as “Made in Canada” and “Product of Canada” and provides guidance on navigating the complex pet food market!
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Disclaimer: This activity was completed for educational purposes and does not endorse the use of AI search engines for the formulation of homemade pet food diets. If you would like to explore a home-made diet for your pet, please consult your veterinarian or a veterinary nutritionist.
Read more about "From Code to Cuisine: What Happens When AI Designs Home-made Dog Food Recipes?"
Learn about the pros and cons associated with giving your dogs bones! This blog post dives into some popular bone options available on the pet food market, as well as tips for giving your dog bones safety.
Carbohydrates are a major component within the diet for both humans and dogs. However, high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets have become popular for pet owners and their dogs. This has led some pet owners to believe that carbohydrates are not necessary, or potentially harmful to feed to their dogs.
Reading a Pet Food Label is a Skill – do you have it? There is a lot of information presented to you on a pet food label, and not all of it is all that important. We have created a detailed guide to interpreting all the sections on a pet food label for you to help you decipher pet foods going forward. Check out the Guaranteed Analysis, Ingredient List, and spot the Nutritional Adequacy Statements! Link in our bio to read on
Happy Easter! The carrot is a nutrient-dense root vegetable that is high in fibre and several vitamins, including Vitamin A and Vitamin K. Carrots are considered a healthy food for humans, but have you ever wondered if they are healthy for your pet too?
The gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of animals houses a wide range of microorganisms. It has been estimated that the total number within the intestine can reach up to 100 trillion microbial cells, representing most of the host’s microbial genome (Suchodolski, 2020).
It’s that time of the year again, as green leaves blossom into hues of red, yellow, and orange and the smell of pumpkin spice fills coffee shops. With autumn in the air, Halloween is just around the corner, and this means candy, costumes, and...PUMPKINS! Pumpkins are an essential part of Halloween for carving and decorating but, more recently, pumpkins have also gained increasing attention for their health benefits in humans and pets. And so, now is an excellent time to begin the conversation around the use of pumpkins as a dietary fibre supplement for pets.
In humans, gastric emptying rates (GER) have been implicated with obesity, diabetes, and other gastrointestinal disorders. While there is extensive research investigating the impacts of dietary protein and fats on GER, there is a lack of research, specifically in dogs, that focuses on the impacts of carbohydrates. Congratulations to our research team for another publication! Taylor Richards and colleagues investigated the effects of starch sources on gastric emptying in dogs.
Read more about "The Effect of Starch Sources on Gastric Emptying in Dogs"
Congratulations to Dr. Sarah Dodd on a new publication!!! Published in a special edition of Animals, she investigated the suitability of plant-based diets for pets. Thank you to our sponsor, OVC Pet Trust.
Read more about "Comparing Plant-Based Diets for Dogs & Cats in Canada"
With the recent release of Disney's Cruella, Dalmatians are getting some extra attention! However, these dogs are a special, and often challenging, breed due to their many unique nutritional needs.
Read more about "10 + 1 Nutritional Considerations for Dalmatians"
Recently in the news, there has been a large concern in the pet industry with dog foods potentially contaminated with aflatoxin. An international recall of pet food products was issued in December 2020, as many dogs became ill after eating contaminated dog food. According to the FDA, the recalled products contained potentially fatal levels of these toxins. In September 2020, a pet food sample was found to contain unsafe levels of aflatoxins, resulting in Sunshine Mills to announce a recall of the tested pet food product and other products made with the same corn.
The digestive physiology and diet of the bunny differs significantly from that of the dog or cat. Believe it or not, bunnies' gastrointestinal (GI) tracts most resemble the GI tracts of horses rather than cats, dogs or even rodents. This is important to recognize as an inappropriate diet can significantly contribute to the development of dental or GI disorders.
St. Patrick’s Day is around the corner and the celebrations paying homage to Ireland will soon begin! While the majority of these traditions will rely on clovers, leprechauns, pints, and green-themed everything, we also see new recipes popping up favouring the almighty potato. And so, now is a good a time to start the conversation around the use of potato as an ingredient in pet food!
In some cultures, it is tradition to ring in the New Year in January with an opportunity to grow and develop and make resolutions to be a new you. Quite often, these resolutions will revolve around health, with new goals being to go to the gym more, cut down on fatty snacks, or give your body a detox with a “dry January”. One organization in particular has made good use of this “new” mentality to propose a particular adaptation for the month of January, with diet being a very large component. That organization is Veganuary, a non-profit organization taking would be New Year resolutions to the next level, bringing people, brands, restaurants and supermarkets together for the ultimate goal of eating a plant-based diet.
It’s the holiday season! This may be a time of year where you get to enjoy your favourite foods and treats, and start to decorate your homes, and maybe include your fur-babies in all the fun! However, it is important to remember that not all human foods are appropriate for our pets. We have a developed a short list of holiday-themed items to avoid giving to your pets over the holidays, and some resources to contact if you are worried that your pet may have consumed something they shouldn’t have.
Read more about "Check the List Twice – Find Out What’s Naughty or Nice"
It can be confusing to navigate pet food labels and determine whether a diet is appropriate for your pet or not. Often, the presence or absence of particular ingredients are prominently displayed, while the nutritional content of the diet may take second stage. It’s important to determine the difference between ingredients and nutrients in order to evaluate pet foods.
We are in that beautiful time between Canadian Thanksgiving and Halloween, where many of our human family members are treating themselves to a multitude of tasty snacks! With all this snacking and indulgence, we of course want to include our pets in the family fun. It’s important to note that treats can be tricky, as there are many ways treats can be a bane rather than a boon to our pets!
Congratulations to one of students and team member, PhD candidate Alexandria Rankovic, on her publication earlier this month in the Journal of Animal Science!
When you go about cooking dinner for yourself, do you first wash down the surface before prepping food to make sure it’s clean? How about when you go out to eat, do you check to see if your plate and utensils are clean? When it comes to feeding your pets, do you do the same with their food and water bowls?
Pet food is no longer just about kibbles and cans, as more owners are exploring different avenues to feed their canine and feline companions. This was recently demonstrated by Dr. Sarah Dodd's recent publication in the British Medical Journal Veterinary Record, An observational study of pet feeding practices and how these have changed between 2008 and 2018 .
Read more about "More Room at the Table: Unconventional Diets on the Rise"
