Lean-fed Labrador retrievers had a lower estimated biological age than heavier littermates by midlife. The lean-fed dogs also lived nearly 2 years longer.
News|Videos|September 8, 2026
How to transition pets with kidney disease to therapeutic diets without a fight
Fact checked by: Yasmeen Qahwash
Caitlyn Getty, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Nutrition), outlines how extended, flexible transitions help pets accept prescription renal diets, preventing negative effects of inappropriate over-the-counter foods.
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Caitlyn Getty, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Nutrition), explains how to counsel pet owners on switching pets with renal disease from standard over-the-counter foods to low-phosphorus therapeutic renal diets. She stresses that current diets may actively harm patients with renal disease, whereas prescription formulas provide controlled protein and targeted kidney support.
Below is the transcript, which has been edited for clarity.
dvm360: What are some tips for switching pets from a food that they like to something new?
Getty: It's really hard because pet owners really want to do what's best for the pet, and one of the things that they use to gauge that is: Does the pet eat the food?
First, you have to talk about the benefit of switching to the new food. For example, maybe it is renal disease, and maybe it's a cat or a dog, but the food that they're eating that's over the counter may be really high in phosphorus, which we know is bad for renal disease. They need to be on a therapeutic renal food because it's low in phosphorus. It's got the controlled protein levels…. Whereas the food that they're currently eating could actually…have bad effects toward the animal.
Convincing them that the food is really what's going to be best for the animal is the first thing, and then having a big conversation about a slow transition is OK. We don't have to make this transition in even a week. We can start with maybe a goal of 2 or 3 weeks…[or] maybe we can do this over a month or 2, because in the end, getting them onto that beneficial nutrition is going to be really, really, really important. And if it takes a little longer to get there, that's OK, because we really want them on that food, and it's going to be more detrimental to stay on the original food.
Caitlyn Getty, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Nutrition), is a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and PhD scientist working to improve the health and well-being of dogs and cats through nutrition.
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