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Are you having trouble making or choosing dog foods that will complete your dog's nutritional needs?
An online pet nutritionist or a veterinary nutritionist is here to save you.
There's a reason why your vets recommend you to a specialist or veterinary nutritionist. And luckily for us, they are now available online.
Since the pandemic started, a lot of places have been on lockdown. Thanks to the digital world, different professions could adapt to a work-from-home setup.
Pet nutritionists online are now available, but we should still ensure that what we're getting is legit and safe.
To ensure that what we're hiring or consulting with is safe, it would be much better to look for veterinary nutritionists with years of experience.
But first, let's discuss what even these jobs are. Are they legit?
How do you become a pet nutritionist? Is there any difference between a pet nutritionist and a veterinary nutritionist?
What is a Pet Nutritionist?
As we all know, not all dog foods are created equal. This is where a veterinary nutritionist or a pet nutritionist can help.
An online pet nutritionist is a specialist who can fully understand the different kinds of nutritional needs of each specific dog or other pet.
They have studied and trained to understand a large variety of various dietary or dietary requirements.
They'll be able to cater to different kinds of dog breeds, and they'll be able to recommend diets that can be beneficial to dogs with illnesses.
In addition, if you have a passion for pets and would love to ensure that they're getting the proper nutrition, try and start a career as a pet nutritionist.
Pet Nutritionist Job Description
Pet nutrition is not just a one-way job.
There are various career options for this job. For example, one can work for pet food companies, local vets, universities, or even be a consultant online.
If you've chosen to work for pet food companies, your primary responsibility is to research, develop, and help formulate new pet food ideas that can benefit special dietary needs.
On the other hand, if you're in veterinary offices and hospitals. Your role is to teach pet owners how to properly feed their pets to maintain their health and to assist in formulating diet plans.
You'll be discussing their pet's health and creating individual diet plans.
In addition, you can also teach animal nutrition at colleges and universities.
But if you're in research roles with private companies, your task is to conduct laboratory tests on nutritional requirements for different types of animals and breeds.
Any significant findings can be published in scientific journals and used to develop pet food products or even dietary supplements.
Benefits of hiring an online pet nutritionist
- Firstly, when you hire an online dog nutritionist, you can benefit by developing a deeper understanding of your dog's required nutrition.
- With a great diet, your dog can live a long and healthy life for many years.
- In the future, you'll be able to understand and help your dog when there's a problem. For instance, let's say that your pup has an upset stomach. With the help of your online pet nutritionist, you'll know what foods are great for a dog experiencing an upset stomach.
- You can provide support or any needed adjustment to new circumstances or environments.
Dog Nutritionist that You Can Consult Online
We should still be cautious when finding the right nutritionist for your pet. People can receive a certificate in pet nutrition with just 100 hours of online training.
If you want real pet nutritional expertise, look for a certified veterinary nutritionist from the American Veterinary Nutrition (ACVN).
The people here are board-certified specialists in veterinary nutrition.
I will later discuss how they became “veterinary nutritionist.” But these people have studied for years.
Their training includes intensive clinical, teaching, and research.
Below are websites that can help you find pet nutritionists online.
- Veterinary Nutrition Group
- Raw Fed and Nerdy
- Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
- UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital
- University of Minnesota Small Animal Hospital
- Cornell University Hospital for Animals
- Ohio State University Veterinary Medical Center
- Expert Pet Nutrition (For Europe only)
How to Become a Pet Nutritionist
A person with an intense curiosity for animals and biology is essential for being a pet nutritionist.
It is also recommended that they are proficient in statistics and computers because nutritional sciences are, most of the time, data-intensive.
However, pet nutritionists commonly require a four-year undergraduate degree in animal sciences, biological science, or agricultural science.
But they can also still be required to undergo further training on the job.
A popular choice for pet nutritionists is that they get their master's degree or Ph.D. in this field.
What is a Veterinary Nutritionist?
Wait, there's a difference between a pet nutritionist and a veterinary nutritionist?
Yes! The main difference is that veterinary nutritionists are actually vets.
Just like human doctors, they can specialize in a specific field of medicine. For example, they can exclusively work in dermatology, surgery, neurology, etc.
The same goes for vets. Some vets choose to select nutrition as their specialty.
Since veterinary nutritionists are also veterinarians, what exactly distinguishes them?
Vet nutritionists have the same training and credentials as regular vets.
However, veterinary nutritionists have additional certifications that qualify them to give nutritional guidance. They make nutrition the main key specialization in their careers.
How To Become a Veterinary Nutritionist
There are not a lot of veterinary nutritionists in the country right now, and maybe the reason for this is that it's a bit difficult to become one.
In addition to the general training vets undergo, they must complete one year of clinical experience or internship.
After that, they need two more years of training and residency study, which includes research and teaching.
Lastly, they must pass a two-day written board exam to become a veterinary nutritionist.
After all, they can add DACVN, the Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition, to their name.
So, if you're having second thoughts about hiring one, now you know they are the real experts regarding your dog's nutritional needs.
Do You Need to Consult a Nutritionist?
Some dog owners strongly believe in the correct way to feed their pets.
Some cases can damage the pet's overall health. Some pet owners fail to realize that what they're giving is not suitable for them.
This is where a nutritionist comes in.
A nutritionist will find a diet plan that suits the pet owners and, most importantly, your dog's needs.
Below is a list of reasons why you should consult with a nutritionist.
If Fido has Multiple Medical Problems
Dogs suffering from a specific medical condition can benefit from a nutritionist. For instance, dogs with kidney or cardiac diseases should have a specialized therapeutic diet.
An example of this is a dog that has renal disease. They'll need a low-fat diet to manage contemporary chronic enteropathy or pancreatitis.
A proper nutritionist can create a balanced homemade diet plan or recommend commercial dog foods to help maintain multiple disease processes.
In some severe medical cases, your pet needs to be fed through a tube, which requires a special liquid diet.
In addition, dogs that have food allergies can also greatly benefit from hiring a nutritionist. They'll be able to find foods that will be perfectly safe for your pups.
Weight Loss and Weight Gain
Dog obesity is still a growing epidemic in the United States.
The main reason for this issue is that pet owners do not know how to prevent or deal with it. These dog owners don't know what the correct nutrients their dogs need.
An online pet nutritionist can help develop a personalized weight loss plan. This involves feeding practices, scheduled feeding, and diet adjustments.
On the other hand, consultation with veterinary nutritionists can also help with weight gain in dogs.
Dogs with cases like chronic enteropathies, starvation, and refeeding need to gain weight.
The nutritionist will create a feeding plan with the appropriate daily caloric intake for weight gain.
Homemade Dog Foods
If you prefer homemade diets or you're thinking about switching to homemade meals, an online pet nutritionist can help convince you or show you the right path to a healthy pup.
Making homemade meals is not as easy as it sounds.
A few of the ingredients have formulas that can be inappropriate or can be deficient in essential nutrients.
The safest option is to hire a veterinary nutritionist to help develop a proper and healthy homemade diet for your dogs. After all, some of these consultants also work with pet food industries.
They are often employed to review diets and provide consultations to pet owners.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Important is Nutrition to Dogs?
Giving your dogs good nutrition is like giving them the foundation and energy that allows them to grow. Your dogs can fully develop to their potential and continuously stay active with proper nutrition.
Moreover, canine nutrition plays a massive role in your dog's quality of life. For instance, an adult dog requires sufficient nutrients to meet their energy needs.
As dog parents, we are responsible for researching the best diet that our dog needs. A great example of this is to consult with an online pet nutritionist.
What are the nutrients animals need?
Our dogs have become part of our family; because of that, we want what's best for them, starting with the food we give them.
As we discussed above, nutrients are important to our dogs. Now, we'll discuss what essential nutrients a dog needs. There are six crucial nutrients for our dogs, which are:
- Water – A mature dog's body mass is 70-80% water. Water helps the body dissolve and transport nutrients to cells, regulate body temperature, aid digestion, and more.
- Fatty Acids – Not all fats are harmful fatty acids needed to protect internal organs, regulate body temperature, and help maintain a healthy nervous system.
- Carbohydrates – Carbs are a great source of energy for dogs. However, it is not essential to a dog's diet. But it is associated with other essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals.
- Vitamins – Vitamins help with maintaining the dog's growth and overall health. Make sure that your dog is getting the necessary vitamins. For instance, Vitamin A helps boost the immune system, and Vitamin B12 helps maintain a healthy nervous system.
- Minerals provide different benefits, including bone and cartilage formation, hormone regulation, oxygen flow, and muscle function.
- Protein – is essential to create a solid structure of their skin, nails, muscles, and bones. Dogs need a constant supply of protein as the body cannot store it.
What happens when animals don't get proper nutrients?
Nutritional Deficiency in dogs can lead to many serious problems. This includes obesity, rickets, allergies, and fur loss.
The three main reasons for this are not getting enough food, eating malnutritional food, and dogs suffering from digestive diseases that prevent them from absorbing nutrients.
A few signs that your dog is not getting enough nutrients are changes in bowel movement, depression, skin disorders, and lethargy.
Consulting With An Online Pet Nutritionist Summary
When consulting an online pet nutritionist, we must be cautious and pick the ones with genuine expertise in animal nutrients.
We all know that there are a lot of scammers around the internet. The list above is known pet nutritionists online that can help you.
They can help with your dog's nutrition and can also direct you to a proper vet or veterinary nutritionist.
A veterinary nutritionist is your best option for your dog's food.
Dogs with health problems or obesity can benefit from hiring an online pet nutritionist.
And if you're a dog owner unsure what to make for a homemade meal, this is your opportunity to ensure that all the nutrients are present in what you're about to make.
READ NEXT: BOARD-CERTIFIED VETERINARY NUTRITIONIST
