More Than a Meal

Inside Sales | July 2026

Written by:

Dawn Singleton-Olson has more than 25 years of experience in the animal health industry, including distributor sales, manufacturing, practice management and as a zoo supervisor. She is a volunteer, fundraiser and board trustee for several humane organizations and the Omaha (Neb.) Police Mounted Patrol.

Proper nutrition is one of the most important factors in maintaining lifelong health and managing disease in pets. The right diet supports growth, energy, digestion, immune function, healthy skin and coat, and optimal weight. Nearly 75% of pet owners surveyed earlier this year considered pet food the most important health and wellness product for their animals. Veterinary teams that understand the significance of diet, both to their customers and to optimizing pet health and longevity, will be sure to incorporate nutrition discussions during appointments.

The standard assessments during a pet’s physical exam include temperature, pulse, respiration and pain. The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) recommends nutrition as the fifth essential evaluation, and the same recommendation was endorsed by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) as part of their Nutrition and Weight Management Guidelines released in 2021.

Traditional veterinary school programs have typically prioritized disease diagnosis, surgery and pharmacology over nutrition training, but with the rapid changes in pet food science, it’s important for veterinarians to keep up with current feeding guidelines and nutritional management. Pet owners have access to huge amounts of information — both the accurate and the potentially harmful — when it comes to pet food and look to their veterinary team to help sort out actual benefits from marketing buzzwords.

Mix and match

“Fresh,” “natural,” “raw” and “human-grade” are phrases used to promote premium food as superior and more healthful than highly or ultra-processed options. Along with consumer demand for natural ingredients, a Packaged Facts survey showed that 35% of pet food purchasers want products backed by scientific research. In addition, there are more choices of “functional” foods than ever. Puppy/kitten, adult and senior formulations have been around for years, but today there are foods matched to an individual pet’s size or breed, lifestyle or life stage, and targeting specific health concerns or conditions.

Veterinarians can help owners understand which diets will optimize their pet’s health and longevity by including a regular nutritional assessment throughout all pet life stages, ideally during each wellness visit. This should include evaluating body condition, muscle condition, identifying any breed or life-stage nutritional needs and recommendations for maintaining or achieving ideal body weight. They can also help evaluate labels, estimate calorie needs, and determine if supplements are needed.

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Educating owners that maintaining a healthy weight is critical for preventing or controlling conditions like diabetes, osteoarthritis, chronic kidney disease and cardiac issues can reinforce the importance of making changes to the pet’s diet and activity and improve adherence to those recommendations. Research has shown that clients provided with a clear strategy are seven times more likely to follow recommendations, and regular follow-ups can reinforce achieving the weight loss goals.

Disease-specific diets are recommended for pets with chronic conditions such as renal disease, gastrointestinal disorders and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a progressive heart disease that enlarges and weakens the heart and can lead to congestive heart failure or sudden death. Diet-associated DCM in dogs has been linked to certain pet foods, particularly grain-free diets containing peas, lentils or potatoes. Research suggests multiple contributing factors, including taurine deficiency, altered nutrient absorption and metabolic changes affecting cardiac function. The rise in DCM cases among dogs eating grain-free diets led to an FDA alert in 2018 and underscored the importance of discussing nutrition with pet owners.

Nutrition is an important component of dermatology care for both healthy and allergic pets. The years I volunteered with shelter pets, I saw countless animals with flaky skin, brittle, dull coats and excessive shedding, often resulting from poor nutrition. Many of those skin and coat problems improved once they were put on a complete, balanced diet that included essential fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins A and E and zinc.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a genetic, inflammatory, pruritic skin disease triggered by environmental allergens. For pets suffering from AD, targeted nutrition can add value as part of a multimodal treatment plan by strengthening the skin barrier, reducing inflammation and supporting immune balance.

Stocking a variety of veterinary diets takes up a lot of shelf space in a clinic and lugging 30-pound bags or cases of canned food to a customer’s car takes up staff time, so discussing inventory needs with your clients can help them determine how much food, if any, they want to have on hand. Making pet owners aware of the convenience of a clinic’s online store and offering automatic food shipments helps your customers retain revenue without taking up valuable space and staff time or writing scrips for Chewy or Amazon orders.

Nutritional assessments should be performed regularly over an animal’s lifetime to personalize recommendations for individual pets based on their age, breed and health status and adjust dietary plans as needed. Engaging clients in discussions about their pet’s diet, explaining the importance of nutrition in preventing or managing chronic diseases, and providing clear, evidence-based product recommendations will ensure understanding and adherence.

Telling Numbers
Nearly 6 out of 10 pets in the U.S. are overweight or obese. Telling a pet owner that their cat or dog is too heavy may be uncomfortable for the veterinary staff, but explaining that some pets are biologically predisposed to weight gain underscores that obesity is often a disease, not a failure on their part.

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