Tag Archives: supplements

Practically every day, I get an email with a photo of patient poop. The worried owner is usually concerned about constipation or diarrhea. Assessing a pet’s stool quality is a critical part of a complete medical history — so much so that veterinarians use fecal scoring charts to quantify stool quality. This visual scale helps veterinarians communicate clearly about what is normal and what is not. Quantifying stool quality helps veterinarians and clients to speak the same language, ensuring you and your veterinarian agree on whether your pet truly has diarrhea, constipation, or a healthy stool.

I look at veterinary medicine as a team sport. It’s not just the Schwarzman Animal Medical Center team your pet needs—you’re part of the team as well. As a pet owner, you are your pet’s advocate and voice. You tell veterinarians like me what clinical signs your pet is showing and how they’re responding to treatment. Together, we make decisions for your pet based on the available scientific evidence, always considering what is best for your pet and family. But being on the same team doesn’t mean I can always say yes. I have to say no when a pet owner’s ideas and suggestions are not medically correct, even if well-intentioned. Here are three real-life examples from this week.

In its new report on pet supplements, the market research group Packaged Facts forecasts a domestic market for pet supplements of $697 million in 2019. This trend is certainly true