| By W. Jean Dodds, DVM | 0 Comments
Some foods suitable for humans are harmful – or even toxic – for animals. Most notable among these are: • Avocado • Alcohol • Caffeine and other methylxanthines • Chocolate • Garlic • Grapes and raisins • Nuts (especially macadamia) • Onions • Xylitol (artifiical sweetener) And while we would never feed our pets any…
| By W. Jean Dodds, DVM | 0 Comments
A recent search of the term “pumpkin diarrhea pets” on Google returned nearly 700,000 results. Of course I did not check all of them, but the ones on the first few pages extolled the virtues of pumpkin for treating diarrhea, predominantly in dogs and cats. Not surprisingly, I often receive this question, “My dog/cat has…
| By W. Jean Dodds, DVM | 0 Comments
Who doesn’t love honey? The golden, sweet, gooey nectar seems to enhance the taste of just about everything. But although you may love a generous slathering of honey on a piece of toast or a dollop in a cup of tea, why on earth should you give honey to your animal companion? Well, it turns…
| By W. Jean Dodds, DVM | 0 Comments
There’s a famous old song with the lyrics, “You say potato, I say potahto; let’s call the whole thing off.” The songwriters obviously weren’t intending to compare the nutritional characteristics of white potatoes and sweet potatoes when they penned that line, but it’s not such a stretch. Navigating the white potato versus sweet potato maze…
| By W. Jean Dodds, DVM | 0 Comments
For some of us, coconuts conjure up images of palm trees and tropical locales. For others, they take us back to mouth-watering memories of our mother’s home-baked coconut cream pie—or even the sweet, gooey center of our favorite childhood candy bar! But did you know that besides tasting delicious, the oil pressed from the meat…
| By W. Jean Dodds, DVM | 0 Comments
In a post on garlic toxicity I listed the known toxic food to pets, with avocados among them. But people often approach me, insistent that avocados are not toxic to companion animals. Clearly, there is much debate on this topic among both pet parents and veterinary professionals. So, let’s clear up the confusion and settle…
| By W. Jean Dodds, DVM | 0 Comments
As those of you who read my posts and follow my work are aware, I advocate that optimum health begins with optimum nutrition. This is not just an opinion—it is a fact born out by the latest scientific research, which is focused on functional foods designed for the individual person or animal. This is also…
