I recently completed an ICOES accredited pet nutrition course. I was amazed at the complexity of dog (as well as cat, bird, rodent, and amphibian) food. I will be sharing some of the canine nutrition knowledge I received through the course in my blog. First up is prescription dog food. At the Toronto Humane Society, we receive TONS of donated food from the public and companies that helped pet owners in the community keep their loved ones fed. Whenever we received a "prescription" diet food, we weren't able to give this out to the public and I never understood why - isn't a renal or weight management food almost the same as a complete and balanced food? As you can bet, they are completely different and prescription food should ONLY be used if it is vet prescribed.

Dog food has come a long way from simply picking out a bag of kibble at the local grocery store. Food ranges from complete and balanced kibble from the store, raw food, dehydrated raw, and prescription kibble from the vet, along with a whole slew of vitamins and minerals to add to their diet (more on this in another post). If your dog is over the age of 8, a vet will may start her on a food that helps to extend the life of the kidneys. Below is a list of certain types of prescription foods and how they help with certain health issues:

Source: Holly and Hugo Nutrition Course