NUTRITION AUTHOR
Alexie Rendon
A LOCAL VET’S GUIDE TO BRAND FOOD n Fill those food bowls with proper
healthy options so you can keep those happy tails wagging for many years to come.
L
oving your dog well can look like many different things — cuddles, long walks and trips to the park. However, veterinarian Jessica Morrissey at Austin Urban Vet Center says one of the most important ways to love your dog well is by being smart about their nutrition. Morrissey says pet owners often think overfeeding, providing specialty food and regularly offering table scraps are forms of affection. However, this only fuels the growing number of overweight and obese pets. “Dog foods are not marketing for the health and well-being of your dogs,” Morrissey says. “They are marketed toward humans.” Meaning, companies will do anything to convince you to spend your money. The attention-grabber could be anything from colorful packaging to using buzzwords such as “organic,” “grain-free” and “fresh” to even making the products look like “people food.” Dodge the marketing tactics and stick to what will help your dog live a long and healthy life. When making decisions about your dog’s health, consult your vet first, not the internet. “Just like human nutrition, dog nutrition is changing and evolving all of the time. We’re learning new things. Different breeds require different things,” Morrissey says. “When it comes to picking a brand of dog food, I feel very strongly that the big-name brands are the
MARCH 2022
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