Holistic Select Staff Vet - Dr. Al

JUNE EDITION

Q: I have read that Taurine is important in cat food. It’s in all your dry cat food. Why is this?

A: Taurine is a sulfur containing amino acid.   Taurine is an essential feline dietary component—a purified form of the amino acid is added to the diet –cats do not make it.  Dietary taurine requirements in cats are highly dependent on ingredient sources and processing.  Taurine deficiency in cats is associated with reproductive failure, central retinal degeneration, and dilated cardiomyopathy.  All three of our Holistic Select® Dry Cat Food recipes include added Taurine for this reason.

Q: My black lab is going to be 10 years old in July – is there any special foods that should be in his diet?

A: When recommending a diet for a 10 year old dog his medical condition and body weight need to be assessed during a veterinary senior pet exam.  A physical examination, blood work and a urinalysis can help you rule out some chronic problems. Don’t forget to measure the body weight on a scale and get your vet to help you body condition score your pet.  A fecal egg check will help rule out internal parasites.

Some seniors may need less protein in their dog food, so you may want to try Holistic Select Vitalize Senior Health Recipe.  It has less protein and fat, with some added fiber.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 18th, 2010 at 5:01 pm and is filed under Pet Health, Pet Nutrition, Vet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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