Nutrition touches every veterinary patient every day, and a new searchable database aims to make diet recommendations quicker and more confident.
On this episode of The Vet Blast Podcast, Host Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, is joined by Valerie J. Parker, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM, Nutrition), clinical professor at The Ohio State University, and Rene Paschall, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM), nutrition resident at The Ohio State University and the University of Tennessee. The conversation tackles the labels and numbers that can make pet food comparisons tricky, from protein percentages to “limited ingredient” claims. Parker and Paschall also share how VetsBowl aims to make nutrition a natural part of every visit.
Below is a partial transcript, edited lightly for clarity.
Adam Christman, DVM, MBA: Take me to the moment where you knew that [VetsBowl] had to exist. Was there a specific patient or a specific case where you thought “I can't possibly be the only person drowning in this”?
Valerie J. Parker, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM, Nutrition): It’s not any specific case, but more the cumulative years upon years of working with pet owners and veterinarians and constantly being asked, “Where is this information? You’re making these diet recommendations. Where are they? Where can I find them?”
There are so many diets available, and the options keep expanding every day. It’s overwhelming. The information is out there, but it’s scattered. It’s in product guides. It’s on websites. There was no cohesive, user-friendly source that brought all this information together. That’s what we wanted to do—create a tool that would allow veterinarians to quickly and easily find and compare diets that meet their patients’ needs.
Want to hear the rest of the conversation? You can listen above or wherever you listen to podcasts.
