It starts with the whole dog
When I sit down with a new dog, I'm not starting from a food. I'm starting from the dog.
Breed alone tells me a lot. A French Bulldog and a Labrador are working with completely different bodies, different airways, different joints, different things to watch for. Age changes it again. So does weight, and so does whatever this dog has already tried and how that actually went.
None of these pieces mean much by themselves. It's what they add up to that tells me what's really going on, and what's actually worth trying.
Here's what I'm looking at, and why.
- Age
- Breed
- Weight
- Body Condition Score
- Fur/Coat
Every one of these tells me something. Tap through to see how it fits together.
- Activity Level
- Playstyle
- Behaviors
- Chew Style
- Personality
-Current main food
- Current treats
- Current toppers/etc
- Mealtime behavior
- Preferred Proteins
- Diet History (what has worked well in the past)
- Medical History - general
- Vaccines
- Flea/Tick Treatment
- Allergies
- Sensitivities
- Health Concern
- Goals
- Home Life
- Stressors
- Location Specific Pollen
- Budget
This is exactly what happens in a real consultation, just with your dog's actual answers instead of six boxes on a screen.
Take two dogs, both eating the exact same food for years, both suddenly scratching. For one, nothing's changed at home, but it's spring, and pollen's up. For the other, nothing's changed either, except the food, same brand, different batch. Same symptom, two completely different starting points.
That's the actual job. Not matching a symptom to a fix, but figuring out which of these pieces is actually driving it before guessing.