Week1

1. Intro, orientation and office hours
2. Office hours
3. Reading Pet Food Labels
4. AAFCO guidelines basic – Benefits and Limitations
5. Pros and cons of various commercial recipes – kibble, canned, gently cooked, raw, freeze dried.

1. Species appropriate diet - Cats are not small dogs – Anatomy and physiology of digestion
2. Proteins, Fats, Carbs and sugar metabolism
3. Animal Proteins vs Plant Proteins- benefits and risks for pets and planet

1. Water and dry food
2. Protein – amino acids, peptides, innovative proteins, novel proteins
3. Carbohydrates – simple, complex, fiber
4. Fats – saturated, unsaturated, PUFAs

1. Organic, Regenerative, non-organic
2. What is GMO and how does it affect food and the environment
3. Grains and legumes – Good, Bad, Necessary or Hogwash

1. Vegetables and Fruits
2. Synthetic vs food based nutrients- pros and cons
3. Ingredients commonly found in commercial kibble

1. Processed vs gently cooked whole food vs raw
2. Human Grade vs Feed Grade
3. How does nutrition affect health?

1. Gut microbiome – what is it? What does it do? How to support healthy diversity with diet?
2. Raw vs cooked- why does it matter? Can I cook a commercial raw diet?

1. Ca:P ratio
2. Omega 6:3 ratio
3. Zinc: Copper ratio and sources
4. Vitamin E
5. Vitamin D

1. How Pet Food is Regulated 

Week 10

1. Breed specific issues – for prevention
2. Obesity - not always about total calories
3. How to talk with clients - Getting a good history

1. Knowing when to refer clients to another specialist
2. Q&A session
3. Assessment

Section 2 - Diet Formulation: with ADF

Week 12

1. How the program works
2. Choosing AAFCO vs NRC vs FEDIAF

1. Ingredient selection – value, sourcing, preparation
   a. Which ingredients should always be cooked and why.
   b. Which ingredients to never use.
   c. Ingredients ok in small quantities- how much is too much?

1. Choosing synthetic vs food based nutrients when balancing diets
2. Dr. Evelyn’s Nutrient Blend – benefits and possible risks
3. Transitioning from processed to whole food diets
4. How to measure serving size- cooked weight vs raw weight vs volume

1. Real life scenarios
2. Q&A session
3. Assessment

View Module 2 Here!