For the longest, healthiest, happiest life for your beloved pet, pick a diet that is:
- High Quality, Premium brand name
- Life Stage/ Age Appropriate
- Breed/ Size appropriate
HIGH QUALITY, Premium brand foods really are a lot different than grocery store brands and department store generics. In general, they use higher quality ingrediednts (usually human grade); they have few, if any artificial preservatives; there are fewer artificial colors; there is more science behind the formulations, resulting in more balbanced nutrition, and they are more accountable to you, the consumer, than sotre brand companies.
Our Favorite Premium brand of food at Cimarron Animal Hospital isRoyal Canintm— for dogs and cats. Royal Canintmuses only human grade ingredients, no artificial preservatives. The company has never had a food recall! They are the fast growing pet food company in the world today– for good reason. Veterinarians stand behind them because their food is based on the latest nutritional awareness. Their Cat foods address the special needs of cats: lower calorie, lower carbs, higher protein (to fend off diabetes- an epidemic in middle aged overweight housecats), increased undigestible fiber (to minimize fur balls), larger kibble size (to encourage chewing and stave off dental disease). Royal Canin’stm Dog foods address the special orthopedic needs of rapidly growing puppies, larger kibbles and tartar protection in small breed formulations (to encourage chewing in these particularly dental disease- prone pets).
LIFE STAGE/ AGE appropriate food is key to ensuring a pet gets the nutrition needed for his stage of growth.
Puppy/ Kitten foods:are formulated to accommodate the rapid growth that occurs in the first 6 months of a dog or cat’s life. Puppies and kittens need higher calories and specially balanced minerals. By the time puppies and kittens are about 1 yr old (especially after spaying/ neutering), all those calories are unnecessary.
Adult / Maintenance Fromulas: An adult pet, no longer growing, needs an adult maintenance food with fewer calories and a less intense mineral load. 
Middle aged cats have special concerns with regard to diet as they are prone to Diabetes mellitus as they gain weight. Diabetes classically strikes obese, middle aged males (orange tabby cats are 30% more likey to develop Diabetes than any other breed!) A lower calorie, a lower carbohydrate, higher protein diet that more closely approximates the nutritional profile of wild cats than over- the-counter, heavy-grain foods can prevent Diabetes! Knowing this, Royal Canintm has a fantastic line of Veterinary Cat foods to fit the bill. (“Kitty Atkins”, we call it!) They have even taken into consideration that neutered and spayed cats (and dogs, by the way…) have a 25- 30% lower metabolism within 48 hours of neutering. This means that they need 25-30% fewer calories. We can’t recommend these cat diets enough!
Senior/ Mature Formulas: As cats and dogs head into their Senior years, around 7-9 years of age, depending on the breed of pet, their bodies have special care needs. Cats are prone to kidney disease, which is very responsive to diet. A good quality Mature Cat food can go along way toward protecting senior cats from kidney disease. We’ve even seen early kidney disease go into remission, just by switching patients to Mature cat food– no additional treatment! Senior Dogs are prone to arthritis and obesity. They benefit from diets lower in calories and higher in omega 3 fatty acids.
BREED/ SIZE APPROPRIATE foods are becoming more and more available and are worth the extra money in the premium brands.
Large Breed Puppy Foodsare formulated to slow bone growth, allowing the muscles to keep up, providing more support for the large bones that are forming. This protects Large, rapidly growing breed puppies from hip dysplasia, panosteitis and other developmental bone diseases. The limited calories in these formulations also helps protect against “over-nutrition”- the roly-poly puppy- as scientific studies have shown that overweight puppies are more prone to developmental bone disease than their lean counterparts. Another little known (or discussed) secret is that the formula gurus at Royal Canintm are sensitive to the fact that Big Dogs make Big… Piles in the yard…. So, Royal Canintm Large Breed dog foods are highly digestible, leaving less waste for you to clean up!
Large Breed Adult foods continue to control calories to protect against obesity and the arthritis that occurs secondary to Metabolic Syndrome in dogs. Both Large Breed Puppy and Adult formulatio
ns are also fortified with inflammation- fighting omega 3 fatty acids!
Breed specific Royal Canin pet store linesfor dogs and cats protect them against the common medical disorders seen in those breeds. For example, Yorkie formula has tartar protection since this breed is especially prone to disastrous dental disease by age 3 yr. It is also lower in calories because the Royal Canin people recognize that Yorkies are prone to obesity. The Persian cat formula has extra tartar and hairball protection. See the Royal Canin website for more formulas and their specifics.
QUALITY, LIFE STAGE, BREED SENSITIVE. These are the keys to optimizing your pet’s nutrition and minimizing your vet bills over the course of your pet’s long life!
Cimarron Animal Hospital Carries all Royal Canin Prescription Diets and the following Veterinary Wellness Early Care Formulas because we believe these diets are a notch above the pet store lines (enough to make them worth every extra penny!) These are the diets that we feed our pets because we think they are the best!
Feline Young Male (superior nutrition for both males and females)
Feline Mature
Canine Large Breed Puppy