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Nutrition Nuggets

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Your dog's nutrition is important for a healthy & happy life. petMD experts help you to know what to feed your dog, how much food to feed, and the differences in dog foods, so your dog gets optimum nutrition.

Nutrition Nuggets is the newest offshoot of petMD's Dog Nutrition Center. Each week Dr. Coates will use her expertise and wisdom to blog about the intricacies of dog nutrition.
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Preventing Obesity: Start With Your Puppy

I have a problem with roly-poly puppies. Of course, puppies shouldn’t be "lean, mean, fighting machines," but when a puppy crosses the line from normal "baby fat" to just plain fat, I find it concerning.   READ MORE

Dec 16, 2011 / (2) comments

Water – The Forgotten Nutrient

I’ve talked before about the MyBowl tool and how it can help us all learn about the importance of balanced canine nutrition derived from high quality ingredients. But look below the food bowl on the web page. Do you see the water? I’d be willing to bet that many eyes have passed right over... READ MORE

Dec 09, 2011 / (2) comments

The Importance of Life Stage Feeding

One of the most important breakthroughs in canine nutrition came when veterinary nutritionists recognized the different nutritional needs that dogs have as they mature. This may seem fairly self-evident now, but dog owners and veterinarians used to have more of "a dog is a dog is a dog" mentality... READ MORE

Dec 02, 2011 / (2) comments

Pro- and Prebiotics - What are They and What Do They Do?

Probiotics are all the rage. Numerous nutritional supplements, and even foods like yogurt, contain these live microorganisms (bacteria and/or yeast) that can provide health benefits when given to an animal or person. We tend to think of probiotics when considering gastrointestinal health or disease,... READ MORE

Nov 11, 2011 / (17) comments

Feeding the Orphaned Puppy

In a perfect world, puppies would stay with their mothers and littermates until they are at least eight weeks of age. This gives them adequate time to learn valuable lessons about how to be a well-socialized member of a group, derive the benefits of suckling their mother’s milk, and transition... READ MORE

Nov 04, 2011 / (1) comments

Food Allergy Myths

Allergies are a common problem for dogs. Typical symptoms include itchiness resulting in excess scratching, biting, or licking, and sometimes chronic or recurrent skin/ear infections. While dogs most frequently suffer from allergies to environmental triggers (e.g., pollen, molds, and dust mites or flea... READ MORE

Oct 28, 2011 / (3) comments

October is National Pet Wellness Month

It’s National Pet Wellness Month. The campaign, sponsored in part by the American Veterinary Medical Association, is aimed at educating pet owners about the importance of regular wellness checkups (i.e., don’t just take your pet to the vet when it’s sick) and disease prevention.   READ MORE

Oct 21, 2011 / (2) comments

Finicky Eater? Suggestions on Maintaining a Healthy Diet

Some dogs seem to barely eat enough to stay alive. I’ve had a couple of them myself, and despite being perfectly aware that slim dogs live longer than fat ones, I can’t stop myself from worrying that they may be missing something from their diets.   READ MORE

Oct 14, 2011 / (3) comments

Nutrients and Ingredients that Promote Healthy Skin and a Glossy Coat

I’ve written before about how owners are often more focused on the ingredients that are included in their dog’s food rather than the balanced nutrition that a particular food may or may not offer. This is not to say, of course, that high quality ingredients are unimportant. My point is that... READ MORE

Oct 07, 2011 / (4) comments

Do Dogs Need Daily Multivitamin Supplements?

Did you take a multivitamin or other nutritional supplement this morning? According to a 2009 Nielsen study, about half of us probably did. In the survey, 56 percent of U.S. consumers said they take vitamins or supplements, with 44 percent saying they take them daily.   READ MORE

Sep 30, 2011 / (8) comments

 

 

 


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ABOUT NUTRITION NUGGETS

JENNIFER COATES, DVM

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... graduated with honors from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 1999. In the years since, she has practiced veterinary medicine in Virginia, Wyoming, and Colorado. She is the author of several books about veterinary medicine and animal care, including the Dictionary of Veterinary Terms, Vet-Speak Deciphered for the Non-Veterinarian .

Jennifer also writes short stories that focus on the strength and importance of the human-animal bond and freelance articles relating to a variety of animal care and veterinary topics. Dr. Coates lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with her husband, daughter, and pets.

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