Nutritional Services
A range of professional nutritional services are outlined below. Please contact us if you want further information, or need help in a unique area of companion animal nutrition not mentioned.
Individually Tailored Diets
Commercial diet formulation is a great approach to make products for large numbers of dogs. Sometimes, however a individual dog may have a very specific nutritional issue, or a unique combination of problems. In these cases an individually tailored diet is more appropriate. The process Dr Roberts applies consists of a consultation with the dog owner and obtaining access to any medical history if possible. After this, a diet plan is constructed based on all published research and nutritional science. This is then discussed with the dog owner and implemented. Follow up discussions also occur, with any requested blood work results also supplied. Diet modifications will then be made if needed.
Diet, Treat or Supplemental Product Formulation
Formulating a diet to be complete and balanced requiring a detailed knowledge of dietary components and the level of contribution to the overall diet.This is then paired with a tailored vitamin and mineral premix in order to meet the nutritional profile of the determined association or federation. Certain nutritional information is then used for labeling after the nutritional information of a diet is established. We have many years experience in this field, having worked with several different formats for both dog and cat diets, involving numerous commercial products worldwide. The treat and supplemental feed market is an increasing area of pet food. Developing a treat or supplemental feed can be as simple as using one ingredient or as complex as using several, using specific ingredients at precise inclusion levels. These products can be used for many different reason, such as to increase palatability or for therapeutic benefits. Regardless, we are highly experienced in this area of companion animal nutrition.
Feeding Trials
There are two main approaches in essence which a new product can reach market, via formulation, feeding trial or both. We can do both or one if required. A feeding trial is a six month process, involving a control diet and the test diet. Several other basic areas of assessment and blood analysis must also be performed. In addition to this, Dr Roberts is a published author in assessing several other areas of palatability, including two pan and single pan methods. These can also be utilised to determine feeding dynamics such as time taken to approach a diet, diet first approached and time for complete consumption. These factors are not only pertinent for complete and balanced diet, but also treats and supplementation feed products.
Nutrition Education
A large part of a diet being successful is how well staff are educated. Being able to explain the benefits and unique nutritional features to pet owners is vital. Pet food is a crowded market, with many companies trying to have the edge over another. Unfortunately, solid knowledge of a product is often lacking. Being confident in factors such as nutritional analysis, impact on health and product quality control are examples which staff need to be proficient in. Our goal is to gather this information and use several training methods to enable individuals to reach a highly competent standard of nutritional knowledge.
Nutritional Marketing Material
A key area of expertise we have is creating specific targeted marketing material. After discussing this with a pet food company and reviewing the diets they manufacture, a nutritional marketing plan is constructed. This can involve several aspects if desired, including, but not limited to, blog and video posts, website nutritional information, mini “in house” research projects and white paper and other supporting documentation.