Common Client Diet Conundrums

How can you help clients understand what is actually inside a pet food bag and safely manage home-cooked diets? 

Interviewer Shalom Phiri brings together Peter Higgins and Inês Carvalho to solve everyday feeding dilemmas. First, Peter Higgins explains how to decode commercial pet food labels, discussing macronutrient quality, species-specific amino and fatty acid requirements, and how to look past product moisture to calculate true dry matter protein. Then, Inês Carvalho focuses on home cooking, discussing how to spot recipe changes over time through open questioning, and explaining a simple 90/10 rule that lets busy owners cook safely for bonding.

Resources & Links

• WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee
• WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines
• WSAVA Product Evaluation Questions Guide – Practical screening recommendations mentioned for helping veterinary teams and owners analyse commercial food transparency.
• Balance It Software – Tools for managing home-cooked formulations.
• ACVIM Nutrition Directory – Board-certified specialist directory mentioned for obtaining professional nutrition consultations. 

Contributors

• Shalom Phiri, BVM: Episode Interviewer; Owner and Clinician at Luderitz Veterinary Clinic, and WSAVA Education Committee member. (LinkedIn | Instagram)
• Peter Higgins, BVSc, MBA, Dip Ed (tert), MRCVS, FAICD, FLS: Veterinary Surgeon, former clinician at the School of Veterinary Science at The University of Sydney and Chair of the WSAVA Nutrition Committee. (LinkedIn | ResearchGate)
• Inês Carvalho, DVM, MSc: General Practitioner Veterinarian based in Portugal with advanced training in small animal clinical nutrition and WSAVA Nutrition Committee member. (LinkedIn | Instagram)

This podcast was edited and produced by Contento Media Ltd.