FAQs
The “guaranteed analysis” is a quantitative analysis performed in a laboratory. However, it tells us nothing about ingredient quality. Shoe leather, hair feathers, beaks and chicken feet are all high in crude protein but provide poor nutrient value for your pet. There are many different quality classifications (grades) of ingredients. An excellent example is poultry meal, which is a common ingredient. The cost of top grade (chicken meal) is significantly higher than the cost of regular poultry meal, and the digestibility and nutrients provided to your pet are significantly better. Simply put, you cannot determine the quality of an ingredient based solely on label information.
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Nutrition is an important part of keeping your pet healthy. We can recommend what is most appropriate for your individual pet. To best evaluate the diet we have recommended, it needs to be fed for about 8 weeks. Transition your pet slowly onto the new diet (over a week or so), and note how much he or she enjoys each meal. Measure the amount of food carefully and be prepared to adjust the amount fed over 3 to 4 weeks (high quality = reduced quantity of food required). Note your animals’ attitude over two months. A happier and more playful pet is a typical comment that we hear. Watch for smaller stool volume, as well as improvements in skin and coat quality. Reduced dandruff, shinier, more lustrous coats and fewer skin irritations are what you can look forward to with excellent nutrition.
Not necessarily! Quality protein sources can have a significant benefit over quantity. Ingredients are listed in order of decreasing weight (prior to processing). So, for example, whole chicken may be first on the list, but that is by weight, and 70% of that weight is water, which evaporates in the cooking process for dry diets. In addition, the breakdown of the product groups can be misleading (i.e. corn starch, zea mays, corn bran, corn gluten and corn).
They might all be added as separate weights, lowering their order in the ingredient list. However, if you added them up (they’re all corn!) they would rise to the top of the ingredient list. Be careful about falling into the “more is better” trap. Higher amounts of poor-quality proteins are not as beneficial to your pet as the appropriate amounts of high-quality protein. Additionally, several different protein sources may actually result in a better variety of amino acids for your pet’s benefit. The diets we recommend focus on nutrient delivery, not simply ingredients.
This is a misperception. High-quality corn, properly cooked, provides a digestibility greater than 80%, while lower grade corn will be significantly less digestible. Corn is an excellent carbohydrates (energy) source in dry diets and helps form the kibble. What is important is the combination of high quality ingredients that make up the TOTAL diet!!
Veterinarians used to mainly treat disease. Now, our approach focuses more on health care, a total approach which includes veterinary care, exercise and nutrition. Working with our clients on the “Circle of Health” will help prevent disease and improve quality of life and longevity for their pets. Nutrition plays a key role in our approach. It is our responsibility to assure our clients that the diets we recommend are extensively researched and monitored, incorporate unique ingredients and are of exceptional quality. We see tremendous improvements in pets fed these diets. The regular interactions you have with our hospital staff allows us to monitor and ensure your pet’s optimal health and provide you with opportunities to ask questions. It is entirely probably that your pet may eat 6-7 different diets over the course of his or her lifetime to best address their different life stages and health needs. It is our goals to proactively address these changes and needs to help your pet achieve his or her peak potential.
We know it can certainly look that way. Veterinary diets use high quality ingredients which provide exceptional nutrition. Typically you will feed a smaller amount of food and your bag of veterinary diet will last longer, making the cost per day to feed you rpet a high quality veterinary diet comparable to a grocery store brand.
Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) continues to be a concern for cats. We now know, through ongoing research efforts, that FLUTD is not a simple disease caused by a singular factor, such as ash content. There are a number of disorders that make up this complex disease, including idiopathic cystitis (in 70% of cats with FLUTD), bacterial infections, and crystals and stones (struvite, oxalate, urate, etc.). It is increasingly important that we make dietary recommendations and changes on an individual cat basis. Physical exam findings, laboratory results, environmental considerations, age of cat and body condition all impact diet choice. As your pet’s health care provider, we can monitor diet influences and make appropriate changes and recommendations to best meet your cat’s needs.
Raw foods (particularly meat and eggs) are not recommended. Food poisoning, parasitic infection and nutrient deficiencies are all potential outcomes of feeding raw food. Many of the microorganisms present in raw meat can be passed on to people. These present a very real hazard to the health of your family. Bones, both raw and cooked, are not safe for your pet. They can damage teeth and cause obstruction in the mouth, throat, stomach and gastrointestinal tract in both dogs and cats. A raw food diet can result in improper bone development, where normal growth is not supported. The outcome can be pain, compromised mobility and poor quality of life. There are simply too many risks associated with raw food diets for us to support their use.
Dry diets are more economical and are easier to store and keep fresh. Canned diets tend to be more palatable for the fussy eater. We may recommend canned diets to help increase water intake for pets with certain medical conditions. Combining a little bit of canned food with some dry food is a popular way to feed pets. Most pets, once accustomed to and thriving on an excellent diet, do not require change.
NOT NECESSARILY! “Natural” is defined under AAFCO as “any ingredient which has not been chemically altered”. However, even added vitamins and minerals, which are essential to a balanced diet, would result in the diet no longer being “natural”. Organic food regulations are very vague at this time. The term “organic” may be put on the label even if only one ingredient is certified as organic. “Natural” or “organic” ingredients could still be subject to bacterial contamination or mycotoxins produced from moulds and yeasts. This has been documented numerous times particularly in human foods (e.g. carrot juice, tomatoes, strawberries, beans, peppers, etc.).
Medi-cal/Royal Canin (MCRC) and Hills Prescription and Hills Healthy Advantage Veterinary diet incorporates state of the art testing of ingredients and finished products to ensure both quality and safety. Extensive laboratory testing and Near Infrared Spectroscopy (N.I.R.S) are utilized for raw materials and finished diet evaluation.
Please feel free to talk with our staff at any time regarding the nutritional needs of your special friend.
Toronto Central Animal Clinic
112 Parliament Street
Toronto, ON M5A2Y8
Phone: 416-360-7400
Fax: 416-360-5900
Email: info@torontocentralvet.com
Also serving North York, ON and surrounding areas.
Working Hours
Mon – Sat: 10:00am – 6:00pm
Sun: 10:00am – 5:00pm
Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Extremely friendly staff, open 7 days a week! The vets are caring & take the greatest of care with your furry friend. I'm so glad I switched to them. Their rates are also reasonable and will not upsell you.Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. For over 30 years, Dr. Badri has been our families vet doctor for our animals (cats and dogs). From in house visits, to special care and helping up with putting our animals down, his clinic and staff are not only professional, but they care about all animals that enter their doors. For 7 of those years, Dr. Badri was Our special Lunas doctor, she was a Bernese mountain and black lab mix with medical issues throughout her life ( she was adopted from the shelter at two months old with medical issues). The day we had to make the decision to put her down, Dr. Badri and his team stayed open for us to bring her to the downtown clinic on Parliament. It was one of the hardest days of our lives to say goodbye to someone so special to us. She was not only dog she was our family. She was handled with such care and compassion until her last breaths. We were able to get her cremated and get her paw stamp for memories. Luna was a very special part of our lives and because of his team, and amazing compassion towards our Luna, we were OK to let her go. We also received a card in the mail from the clinic with their condolences. Two years later, Dr. Badri knew how much we grieved our Luna and how much we cared for our animals, he helped us adopt a cockapoo and named her Baby. Dr. Badri and his team are very loving towards Baby every time she visits. She’s extremely excited for her check ups and special attention. we’ve never had any issues with any injections or any cleaning or any nail cutting. If it wasn’t for Dr. Badri, we wouldn’t have found out that our dog baby was extremely allergic to almost everything. we had blood and urine work a few months ago, and now she is on a special veterinarian food, and the sickness she had is gone. We had no idea she was allergic to almost every food. It is up to the owner to ask questions on how much things cost before they do treatments, and it’s up to the owner to make the right call to get pet insurance to help cover future issues that could happen with their animals. I can’t think Dr. Badri and his team enough for being so caring for our animals over all these years, and having the convenience of coming to the house to do Vet visits really makes a difference, especially when we don’t have time to go downtown to the clinic. I highly recommend Toronto Central Animal Clinic for your special animals. I also highly recommend pet Insurance. If you really love your animal this could help you in the future to save on any medical attention that may be needed. The Toronto Central animal clinic can help set you up with a pamphlet and the paperwork for your insurance. Thank you Dr. Badri for all your support all these years with our special babies and for taking the time out while we were grieving the ones we had to let go.Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. My cat passed away during Sunday and this clinic were only one open. As new customer, we are being treated nicely with warm welcome and they provided great service for my dearest kitty as the last day with us. This brand-new studio-type clinic is highly recommended.Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We received prompt care and excellent service when we needed urgent care over this 2024 holiday season. Everything was clearly explained and I am grateful.Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Friendly and caring staff. The dis a great job while neutering my dog.
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