Question: Pet parents sometimes ask if they can substitute ingredients or supplements in their dog's meal plan or custom formulated diet.
 

Answer: I get it … sometimes products are out of stock or one type of meat or supplement might be less expensive than another, and you might think that substituting is not a big deal. But, for the most part, if you are following a specific recipe or a meal plan for your dog, you should not substitute ingredients, supplements, or meal components without first checking with your dog nutritionist.

Here are a few reasons why:

I sometimes include canned oysters or frozen cooked mussels in recipes and meal plans. They each have a specific nutritional role in the diet: oysters provide lots of zinc and copper, but are a poor source of manganese; mussels, on the other hand, are an excellent source of manganese but a poor source of zinc. Mussels and oysters aren't interchangeable in the diet since they have different nutrient profiles.

When it comes to supplements such as vitamins, minerals and nutritional oils, some forms are better tolerated and more useful to the dog's body than others.

Different proteins have different amounts of calories, fat, minerals and amino acids, and chicken is not a substitute in a recipe that calls for beef.

These are just a few of the diet and nutrition subtleties that pet owners might not be aware of. If your recipe or meal plan requires specific foods and supplements, it's best if you follow the plan and check with a nutritionist if you have difficulty accessing ingredients or if your dog doesn't tolerate or refuses any food or supplements.