Nutrition

You are what you eat, and the same holds true for your pets! Good nutrition is the crux of good health, and it's an aspect of veterinary care that is often overlooked. Dr. Sivula has done extensive research to become an authority on pet food, and can recommend a diet best suited for your pet's lifestyle, age, and breed specific needs!

The concept of good pet food is quite simple: include fresh, whole food ingredients that are biologically appropriate for dogs and cats, and exclude ingredients that simply don't belong. The metabolism of dogs and cats is designed to operate on an almost exclusively carnivorous diet, so these adhering to this guideline promotes peak health!

More importantly, what SHOULD NOT be in pet food? Your pet's food should be free of any meat by-products, and all fats and proteins should be identified by their source (example: animal fat versus chicken fat, meat meal versus turkey meal, etc). They should not contain any artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. The food should also not contain any artificial sweeteners. 

Diets Available at Dancing Paws

Orijen is an award-winning, family owned and operated Canadian pet food maker with a tradition of innovation and quality spanning more than a quarter century. They only use fresh, regional ingredients to produce their biologically appropriate grain free diets for dogs and cats. Orijen is the only dry pet food in which the first five ingredients are animal based. Additionally, they use a high percentage fresh meat, instead of meals and other concentrates. Orijen was named Pet Food of the Year by the Glycemic Research Institute in Washington, D.C. for 2009-2010, and again for 2010-2011!

Acana is the sister line of food for Orijen, and maintains the same high standards for quality. With a slightly lower ratio of protein-to-fruit and vegetable ingredients, this grain free line of dog and cat food is premium nutrition at a more affordable price.  Twenty-percent of the raw ingredients are fresh, regional fruits and vegetables, and the diets are rich in natural tonic herbs to support peak health.

 The Honest Kitchen starts with fresh, raw ingredients and gently dehydrates them. This allows the food to retain its natural vitamins, minerals and enzymes. What's more, The Honest Kitchen uses human-grade ingredients, and each diet is taste tested by a person! These diets have all the benefit of raw food without the risk of contamination, and are more affordable.

BFF (Best Feline Friend) canned food uses unique proteins in tasty, grain free formulations to provide your cat with healthy variety! Produced in a human grade food facility, these diets are high in quality meats and low in fat. Flavors include red tuna coupled with salmon, tilapia, shrimp, bonito, chicken and pumpkin! 

Go! Natural foods contain quality ingredients that are all fit for human consumption, that are slow cooked at lower temperatures to retain peak nutrition. With single source protein diets, and performance diets that are calorie dense, there is a formula for every pet's needs. Each food also has pro-biotics and pre-biotics for healthy digestion and optimum nutrient absorption! The canned food diets are grain free, and made with poultry or freshwater trout to please any palate.

Vital Essentials is a frozen raw food based around the ideals of the "Alpha Diet." Wild canines consuming prey in their natural environment seek nutrient rich organs - like the heart, liver, lungs, kidney and stomach - before skeletal muscle. As such, the Vital Essentials diets are comprised of 45% organ meats, and supplemented with bone and muscle meat, which is virtually identical to the food which Alpha canines consume in the wild. Available in patties, mini-patties and kibble-like nibblets! Feline diets also available.

Sojos freeze-dried canine diets are made with USDA meats and all natural ingredients! With two complete diet options (beef or chicken) and one grain free base which can be supplemented with any protein, Sojos diets are an easy way to feed your dog fresh, nutritious meals. Simply add water and allow the mix to rehydrate! We also offer a variety of Sojos delicious treats at our office.

Grandma Lucy's produces pet food and treats with the goal of pure and simple pet products! They offer a variety of freeze-dried diets; this method of dehydrating and preserving food keeps its flavors, smells and nutritional value virtually identical to fresh ingredients! The canine line boasts unique proteins like boar, lamb, bison, pork and venison. Their feline diet is a chicken and fish blend. Simply rehydrate with warm water and watch your pet enjoy!