You Can't Judge Pet Food by the Cover

Course overview

Choosing the best nutrition for each patient is a detailed clinical task. Pet food production and the methods and standards involved are similarly intricate and important to get right. Exploring the process of making pet food demystifies each stage, starting from meticulous formulation to safe manufacturing and ensuring traceability and safety of the food. A deeper look in the whole life cycle of pet food empowers veterinary professionals to make informed decisions on how to best nourish their patients. This starts with insight into how board-certified nutritionists formulate the food, select ingredients, and validate adequacy for patients. After it is formulated, food scientists and other experts leverage different processing methods and consider factors such as nutritional preservation, palatability, and sustainability. The NOVA system, an existing scientific classification framework that categorizes food processing methods based on their impact on nutritional quality, helps us understand the nutritional profiles of different foods and the consequences of different types of processing. WSAVA guidelines for selecting a pet food provide internationally recognized standards that ensure the safety, quality, and nutritional adequacy of pet food. Safety standards can vary among pet food manufacturers, though, and veterinary professionals need the knowledge and tools to confidently advocate for food safety standards and traceability. This comprehensive review of the making of pet food - from formulation to feeding - will help veterinary professionals navigate the vast market of pet food with confidence, authority, and peace of mind that they are recommending quality nutritional options for their patients.