As many of you may have heard or seen on social media recently, the FDA put out a warning advising dog owners that there appears to be a link between grain-free, exotic ingredient or boutique diets and a dangerous heart condition called Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM). Given how many people feed their dogs these foods, this has the potential to be a VERY big issue!

Dogs may be man’s best friend, but that doesn’t mean we’re not occasionally embarrassed or downright disgusted by some of their habits. From rear-sniffing to rolling in anything with a repulsive smell, nothing seems to be quite as offensive to dog lovers as coprophagia—that is, eating poop.

In veterinary medicine, we have the ability to treat a myriad of conditions—from sensitive stomachs to skin issues and everything in between—with the help of balanced, therapeutic diets. But what happens when what we feed actually causes health problems for our pets? An alarming trend is causing veterinary professionals to take a closer look at the link between popular pet diets and heart disease.

Did you know? According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, more than half of the pets in the United States are overweight or obese.

Overweight pets are at risk for a variety of health problems, including skin infections, high blood pressure, heart disease, immune suppression, diabetes, orthopedic and arthritic disorders, and even some forms of cancer, as well as increased surgical and anesthetic risk.

At most veterinary hospitals, puppy visits generally end around 4 months of age, and for many dogs this means that we will not be examining them or reviewing their health care needs until they are 12-16 months old. Dogs that come from shelters or rescue groups often have been surgically altered before they are adopted.

Most personal New Year’s resolutions are centered on health and relationships. You may promise yourself that you'll work out regularly, eat healthier or call your family more often. But what if you broadened your resolutions to include your pets? What would that look like? Could you find resolutions that would truly benefit both you AND your pets?

These resolutions are integrative in nature as they address various aspects of the pet’s well-being, such as diet, exercise and social and emotional needs.

In recent years, grain free pet foods have become extremely popular. This trend was most likely developed in more of a consumer response to human nutrition trends, rather than responding to the nutritional needs of our pets in general.

When it comes to choosing the best food for your pet, the most important aspect is providing a complete and balanced nutritional diet, based on the specific needs of the pet.

It’s no secret that dogs love peanut butter.

You’ve seen the pet food aisles are filled with peanut butter flavored dog treats. Maybe you’ve even bought them. You might be one of those dog lovers who give your peanut butter loving hound a stuffed kong to keep him happily occupied.

But in recent years, peanut allergies (in humans) are on the rise so you have to think twice about where you might introduce those peanutty doggie treats. You certainly wouldn’t pull them out near a crowd of children.