Section 1 - Foundations

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.
Week 2
  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
Week 3
  1. Water and dry food
  2. Protein – amino acids, peptides, innovative proteins, novel proteins
  3. Carbohydrates – simple, complex, fiber
  4. Fats – saturated, unsaturated, PUFAs
Week 4
  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
Week 5
  1. Vegetables and Fruits
  2. Synthetic vs food based nutrients- pros and cons
  3. Ingredients commonly found in commercial kibble
Week 6
  1. Processed vs gently cooked whole food vs raw
  2. Human Grade vs Feed Grade
  3. How does nutrition affect health?
Week 7
  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?
Week 8
  1. Ca:P ratio
  2. Omega 6:3 ratio
  3. Zinc: Copper ratio and sources
  4. Vitamin E
  5. Vitamin D
Week 9
  1. TBD

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
Week 11
  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
Week 13
  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?
Week 14
  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
Week 15
  1. Real life scenarios
  2. Q&A session
  3. Assessment

View Module 2 Here!