We've got answers. Use the search bar below to type in any keywords or questions you may have — or scroll down for our full list of FAQs.
If you have a healthy adult dog or cat, you can use our free custom Recipe Builder. You’ll be able to instantly create a personalized recipe for your animal companion’s weight/energy needs that include their favorite ingredients that provide wholesome and safe nutrition.
If your animal companion has a medical condition under a veterinarian’s care, you will be required per the FDA (CPG Sec. 690.150) to submit a veterinary approval request before you can view a nutritionally complete recipe made with our free custom Recipe Builder or purchase certain supplements that can only be sold under the direction of a veterinarian. We will ask for your veterinarian’s contact information and contact them on your behalf (note: approval usually happens within 3 business days).
See also:
I am unsure where to start. How do I create a recipe for my healthy dog or cat?
and
The formulation software including requirements for medical conditions and recipes were created over the last twenty years by multiple veterinarians who are board-certified veterinary nutritionists, and who hold graduate degrees (MS or PhD) in nutrition. You can also read more below or head over to the About Us page to see a brief bulleted bio about our veterinarian founder, Sean Delaney, BS, DVM, MS, DACVIM (Nutrition), and his extensive experience and expertise in the world of veterinary nutrition.
Want to learn more, please see below:
We were established by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist®. Recognized as a world expert, our founder, Dr. Sean Delaney, previously served as a clinical faculty member at a top-tier U.S. veterinary school over a decade (2003-2013) while successfully training many other specialists. He has served as the Executive Chair of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition (ACVN®), and he subsequently helped merge it into the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) in 2021. He was also elected as the Chair of the AVMA Veterinary Specialty Organizations Committee representing over 13,500 veterinary specialists in 46 distinct fields working on improved competencies, and was the R&D head & SEVP for an industry-leading natural pet food company that developed the first grain free and 95% organic pet food brands and was acquired by Procter & Gamble while he was one of four “C-suite executives”. He is one of two original editors and authors of the prominent and widely referenced veterinary nutrition textbook, Applied Veterinary Clinical Nutrition, 1st & 2nd Editions, published by Wiley. He is currently the volunteer Board Chair of MMI, a non-profit that teaches veterinary nutrition at 25 veterinary schools in North America and the Caribbean. He also founded Vet Assistant AI, Inc. which offers solutions to improve veterinary communications and patient outcomes. Balance It® is a brand of Davis Veterinary Medical Consulting, Inc. which is a California benefit corporation (see mission below) with Dr. Delaney, Siona Santos Delaney, a chemical engineer, and Aniel Santos, a software engineer, as its shareholders & Board of Directors. It became a Certified B Corp in March 2025.
For nearly two decades, Balance It® has provided solutions for safely feeding animal companions fresh food. Our many firsts include the first (and patented) all-in-one-powdered supplements to fortify human food fed to dogs and cats as well as the first online formulation software to dynamically and instantly create complete and balanced pet food recipes. Balance It® has been used by over 30,000 veterinarians and is used by most clinically active small animal board-certified veterinary nutritionists around the globe and in academia. With tens of millions of recipes generated, we are the number one trusted source of recipes that veterinarians do & can recommend and clients can rely on with confidence. The Balance It® formulation software and/or supplement(s) has/have also been used in the most challenging patients & referrals cases and numerous peer-reviewed studies as found in the following publications:
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) 240(5) (2012) 532-538;
JAVMA 241(11) (2012) 1453-1460; JAVMA 242(11) (2013) 1500-1505;
Journal of Physiology and Animal Nutrition (JAPAN) 97 (2013) 400; and
JAPAN 99 (2015) 818-819.
Balance It® has also supported research on vitamin retention factors to bolster the data available from the USDA and that is important for one pot cooking (via Yuki Okada, BA, DVM, PhD’s 2022 AAVN Symposium award-winning ACVIM (Nutrition) residency project that Balance It® funded) and canine taurine metabolism at the University of Missouri (via a 2022-23 research gift to Robert Backus, MS, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Nutrition)’s laboratory). To further specialty veterinary knowledge, training, competence, and practice, Balance It® is an ongoing supporter of the ACVIM (e.g., Bronze Sponsor of the 2023 40th Anniversary & 2025 ACVIM Forums).
Davis Veterinary Medical Consulting, Inc.'s Mission:
Davis Veterinary Medical Consulting, Inc. is a California Benefit Corporation founded by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist in 2003 to improve the health of animals through better nutrition and medical care. We recognize and support the mutually beneficial and dynamic relationship of the human-animal bond. We develop and produce innovative educational materials, services, and products that nourish animals and inform their caretakers. We are committed to pioneering sustainable practices across our operations, from sourcing ingredients, powering our facility, selecting our packaging, and empowering our stakeholders, aiming to leave a positive environmental legacy. Through professionalism, creativity, transparency, and empathy, we strive for healthier lives and a thriving Earth for all.
Balance It® offers nutritional strategies for thousands of health conditions, but not all conditions have specific nutritional management strategies. If you don’t see a condition, you can:
First: Search for alternate condition names
Your veterinarian may refer to a condition differently than it appears in our system. Use the search bar in Step 1 of the free Recipe Builder at balance.it/recipes to check if the condition is listed under an alternate name.
Understanding nutrient requirements
To determine if a discovered condition is appropriate for your dog or cat, you or your veterinarian can:
These icons are available on Step 1 of the Recipe Builder and on the Veterinary Approval Request processes’ search.
If your condition isn't listed or a match/appropriate
Some conditions don't have established nutritional management strategies, or nutrition isn't the primary treatment approach. We recommend consulting your veterinarian or a board-certified veterinary nutritionist® for personalized guidance in those cases.
We're happy to assist veterinary professionals directly—veterinarians can contact us at info@balanceit.com. The FDA and state laws prevent us from directly giving laypeople guidance about specific dogs or cats.
Common Conditions Not Currently Offered
Click "CONDITIONS NOT LISTED?" under Step 1 of the Recipe Builder to view this detailed information (see red arrow below):
This will open a slider like this:
Below are brief summaries of these not available or listed conditions:
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) / Chronic Enteropathy / Food Allergies / Adverse Reactions to Food
These conditions require ingredient selection based on your dog's or cat’s individual tolerance and diet history*. While one can select the "Let Me Pick Ingredients" option on Step 2 of the Recipe Builder to:
Select ingredients a dog or cat tolerates*
Exclude ingredients that cause adverse food reactions*
Create a “novel” protein and/or limited ingredient diet when needed*
*Consult your veterinarian about which ingredients to select or avoid AND whether this free Recipe Builder tool at balance.it/recipes is the right solution as diet history is essential for determining what's appropriate. DO NOT USE this tool for any condition not specifically approved by your veterinarian.
You may be interested in this other FAQ: I can’t find recipes for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), chronic enteropathy, or food allergy. What should I do?
Canine Struvite Urolithiasis
We don't offer recipes for struvite stone (aka urolithis) dissolution or prevention in dogs. Current veterinary guidelines focus on antibiotic therapy rather than dietary management, as canine struvite stones are typically associated with bacterial infections that produce urease enzymes (see ACVIM Consensus Statement Recommendation 3.2).
For cases requiring nutritional management beyond healthy adult recipes, consult a board-certified veterinary nutritionist®.
Cancer (aka Neoplasia)
We don't currently offer cancer-specific recipes. Nutritional recommendations for cancer remain controversial, with strategies like low-carbohydrate diets lacking evidence. Some veterinarians recommend diets with lower n-6 to long-chain n-3 fatty acid ratios, which may be available on our site with veterinary approval.
For personalized nutritional support during cancer treatment, consult a board-certified veterinary nutritionist®.
Elevated Liver Enzymes
There are no specific dietary strategies for elevated liver enzymes alone. However, if a specific diagnosis is made—such as copper hepatopathy, portosystemic shunt, or hepatic encephalopathy—we do offer targeted nutritional management strategies with veterinary approval.
Consult your veterinarian, a veterinary internist, or a board-certified veterinary nutritionist® for appropriate diagnostics and treatment.
Cushing's Disease (Hyperadrenocorticism)
No specific nutritional management approaches exists for this condition. Lower energy-density foods (fewer calories per volume) may help with satiety and can be achieved by speaking with your veterinarian about:
Using lower-fat ingredients
Increasing safe vegetables and fruits and/or total dietary fiber
Cautions:
If a dog (or cat, hyperadrenocorticism is extremely rare in cats) is also diabetic, reducing fat increases carbohydrate content
If calcium oxalate stones are a concern, select vegetables and fruits carefully due to their oxalate content
Addison's Disease (Hypoadrenocorticism)
Dietary modification doesn't address the electrolyte imbalances (hyperkalemia, hyponatremia) associated with Addison's disease. Hormone replacement therapy with mineralocorticoids (and glucocorticoids) is required to restore normal blood electrolyte concentrations.
Canine Silica Urolithiasis
This rare condition requires individualized guidance. Consult a board-certified veterinary nutritionist®, who typically recommends:
Avoiding cereal grains (higher in silica)
Adding water to meals to increase urine dilution (targeting urine specific gravity ≤1.020 for dogs)
Recurrence rates are generally low.
Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI)
With appropriate pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy, most EPI patients thrive on standard growth and maintenance diets. If symptoms persist (loose stools, weight loss), the enzyme dosage typically needs adjustment under veterinary guidance.
Lower-fat diets may be recommended in some cases to reduce enzyme costs, but this isn't necessary for all EPI patients.
Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) / Feline Interstitial Cystitis (FIC)
Dietary changes aren't generally recommended for FLUTD/FIC without concurrent urolithiasis. If stones or crystals are present, select the appropriate urolithiasis condition.
Focus on environmental management and stress reduction is generally recommended. See the Ohio State University Indoor Pet Initiative for evidence-based guidance: https://indoorpet.osu.edu/cats
You may also be interested in this FAQ: Why can I not get a homemade recipe for the nutritional management of hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism?
Need Additional Help?
If you're still unsure which condition(s) to select or whether a recipe is appropriate for your dog or cat, consult your veterinarian. Veterinary professionals can contact us directly at info@balanceit.com. The FDA and state laws prevent us from providing nutritional management guidance to specific dogs and cats. Access to any recipes for nutritional management of any condition must be approved by one’s veterinarian.
Thank you for your interest in using Balance It® to create safe, custom, and wholesome dog/cat food at home. Guidance on supplement selection and use is available for free via the online Recipe Builder, powered by the Autobalancer®. This advanced software determines nutrient gaps from the specific foods and portions fed to then determine the correct supplement(s) and amount(s).
If you are unable to access the website or are unsure what to select, please speak directly with your veterinarian. If you are looking for someone to make specific recommendations for your dog/cat, you may need to pursue a paid consultation with one of the options available at vetspecialists.com or from the directory at balance.it/dacvim.
Here’s How To Get Started:
To sign up for a FREE account go to www.balance.it. In the upper right-hand corner click on Login to begin your FREE Sign Up. Once you have successfully created your free account and are logged in, you will see Logout in the upper right-hand corner.
If your adult dog/puppy/adult cat/kitten is healthy, please use the FREE Recipe Builder. We have an interface for healthy animal companions with thousands of foods available to select from.
1. Under Step 1: Your Dog/Cat, enter/select your dog’s or cat’s name (you may even add a photo of your furry friend!) in the right species and age section for them.
Enter their current & ideal weight
You may change the units from lb (pound) to kg (kilogram) if necessary.
Enter their age in years or if a puppy or kitten, in months
Enter their gender and reproductive status
2. AAFCO Dog or Cat Maintenance or Growth and Reproduction will automatically be selected and cannot be removed as it is used for calculations along with any selections under Any special needs or diet we should be aware of?. If health conditions are selected a vet approval will be required to be FDA compliant.
3. Click Build Recipe Now if you need some help with selecting ingredients or click Let me Pick Ingredients to go to the ingredients page to select your own ingredients.
4. If you click on Let me Pick Ingredients, under Step 2: Ingredients (optional) you may search & select ingredients you wish to feed your dog or cat. Note: To create convenient one-pot cooking recipes, please check the box stating Show one-pot cooking ingredients & recipes ONLY under Step 2: Ingredients (optional).
Using the search bar, you may search for & select ingredients such as “chicken” or “rice”. Adding details/keywords like “chicken breast cooked” or “rice white cooked” will refine your search results.
Alternatively, you may instead select some proteins, carbs, fats (we suggest letting the Recipe Builder choose fats/or oils for you to meet fatty acid requirements), veggies, fruits, and/or treats & enticers by clicking “Most Popular” and the buttons that appear.
Tips for Selecting Ingredients: When using the Let Me Pick Ingredients option, it’s important to understand how the Recipe Builder interprets your selections:
Selecting multiple ingredients: Some users assume that choosing several ingredients will generate multiple recipes, each using different but not all combinations of those ingredients. However, the system will attempt to use ALL selected ingredients within a single recipe. If you wish to prepare recipes with less ingredients, select less ingredients.
Selecting only a single protein rich food: Some users expect the system to automatically add complementary ingredients when only a protein rich food is selected. However, if you select just one protein source, the Recipe Builder will only try to create an "all protein" recipe. While these recipes can be nutritionally balanced when combined with the correct supplement(s) including fat(s)/oil(s) sometimes, they may not reflect the variety or type of recipe the user intended/desired.
Be sure to select all the ingredients you want to feed your dog or cat every day, as the Recipe Builder will try to balance them together in a single recipe. You can try different selections/combinations to create a variety of recipes.
If there are ingredients you wish to LEAVE OUT or EXCLUDE from your recipe(s), you may click on “ANY INGREDIENTS YOU’D LIKE TO LEAVE OUT?” and enter keywords you wish to exclude (or filter out) so they will not show up in search and recipe results.
At the bottom of the page, you will see a light red box with all the keywords you wish to leave out in strikethrough text. To no longer exclude a keyword click the X.
5. After selecting your ingredients to include (and to exclude), scroll down and click on Get Recipe.
6. You will then be able to view the recipes that pass on the next screen. Recipes take thousands of calculations to be created & are checked in real-time and not all options will meet all current nutrient requirements. The first recipe presented to you will often be an All Protein option that just uses protein rich foods that you selected and fats/oils. If you selected additional ingredients then you will want to look at the recipes lower on the page under the relative/comparative headers of Higher Protein/Fat and Lower Carb, Mid-range Protein and Carb and Higher Carb. Some or all of these may not be possible, and they will not appear when they are not. Sometimes none of them are possible and alternatives will be suggested or guidance to try something else. Please click on View Recipe on one of these successful recipes to see the full recipe report.
7. ONLY if the one-pot cooking option was selected, you may learn more on how to correctly use your one-pot recipe by seeing the Directions in your full recipe report.
8. At the top of the page after clicking View Recipe, you have a few things you can do:
You may print your recipe by clicking on the printer icon. This does NOT save your recipe in your account.
You may save your recipe to your account by clicking on the heart icon.
You may download your recipe as a PDF by clicking on the arrow pointing down icon. This does NOT save your recipe in your account.
9. Under Yield/Servings, you may click on Adjust this Recipe to edit/adjust the recipe. There you can:
a. Change the current & ideal body weight of your dog or cat (if not done initially)
b. Adjust the feeding frequency and/or batch cooking preferences under Recipe amount
c. While there are additional options like changing the distribution of calories on this page, we recommend that you only do so under the guidance of a veterinarian or board-certified veterinary nutritionist®.
10. Then click on Update My Recipe
11. You will see a light green recipe stating Adjusted By You appear at the bottom of the previous results if successful. Please click on View Recipe to see the full recipe report of this Adjusted By You option. Some adjustments/edits may not be possible.
12. Again click the heart icon at the top to save your recipe in your account. You can also print or download the recipe but that will NOT save the recipe in your account.
13. To purchase the supplement to fortify your recipe, click on Buy Supplement or Buy Now if made by Balance It® OR if a combination of supplements designed for humans, please see the recipe report for guidance on where to purchase these needed supplements elsewhere (e.g., online retailers, drugstores/pharmacies, healthy food stores, etc.).
Looking to get an amount of supplement for your dog or cat, please use the free, self-service Recipe Builder at balance.it/recipes.
Why Fortification or Supplementation Is Essential
Feeding common human foods differs nutritionally from whole prey diets. Meat prepared for human consumption has been butchered—exsanguinated (drained of blood), eviscerated (organs removed), and deboned. This removes concentrated sources of essential nutrients:
Electrolytes and trace minerals (from blood and organs)
Vitamins (especially from liver)
Calcium & phosphorus (from bone)
Let’s Also Address Two Myths:
Myth 1: Human foods aren't fortified, so why fortify pet food?
Human foods are extensively fortified to prevent nutritional deficiencies:
Iodized salt → Prevents goiter
Enriched grains → Prevents beriberi, pellagra, anemia, and birth defects (B-vitamins, iron, folic acid)
Fortified milk → Prevents rickets (vitamin D)
Pet food fortification follows the same public health principle: preventing serious deficiency-related diseases when feeding processed or butchered foods.
Myth 2: Rotating between different recipes prevents nutrient deficiencies
Diet rotation or variety cannot compensate for nutritional deficiencies if the rotated diets are themselves incomplete or unbalanced. This approach is fundamentally flawed for several reasons:
Why rotation doesn't prevent deficiencies:
1. You can't average out deficiencies over time Most essential nutrients (except fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K) are not stored in the body for extended periods. Water-soluble vitamins, minerals (aka sometimes as electrolytes), and amino acids must be consumed regularly because excesses are typically excreted rather than stored.
2. The body compensates at a cost When essential nutrients are deficient in the diet, the body extracts what it needs from tissues and reserves to maintain critical life functions—but this occurs at the expense of optimal health. For example, bones lose calcium, electrolytes shift from inside cells to the blood stream, muscles break down for amino acids, and organ function can become compromised over time.
3. Deficiency is cumulative, not balanced: If Diet A is deficient in calcium and Diet B is deficient in thiamine, rotating between them doesn't prevent deficiency—it just means your dog or cat is deficient in both nutrients over time rather than continuously deficient in one.
The bottom line: Feeding multiple incomplete and/or unbalanced diets does not create one complete and balanced diet over time. If you're investing the time and effort into home cooking for your dog’s or cat's health, that commitment should include proper fortification or supplementation to ensure every meal is nutritionally adequate.
Diet rotation and/or deficient but diverse diets as nutritional strategies are not supported by peer-reviewed research or established veterinary nutritional science. When evaluating countering nutritional advice, consider the source's credentials, scientific backing, and potential conflicts of interest. Board-certified veterinary nutritionists® have completed rigorous, accredited training in veterinary nutrition and are the most qualified professionals to provide dietary guidance.
Balance It® is committed to evidence-based nutrition:
We provide free recipes using human supplements we don't sell or profit from (see: How can I use the supplement designed for humans option? Why do you make this option freely available, no else seems to provide a similar completely free service or option?)
We're the only service we are aware of offering this completely free and proven alternative
We recommend commercially prepared complete and balanced diets over incomplete and unbalanced homemade diets
Our goal and mission is to ensure dogs and cats receive proper nutrition, whether through our products, combinations of supplements designed for humans, or commercial diets—not to promote home cooking when it's not in the dog's or cat’s best interest.
Now that the myths are addressed…Benefits of homemade pet food supplementation:
Ensures consistent nutrient potency
Avoids potential allergens from organ meats
Eliminates natural toxins (many compounds are present when consuming another animal's "filter organs" like liver)
Reduces cross-contamination concerns from feeding raw, but more nutrient dense foods, as heat degrades vitamins
If you prefer a whole prey diet, consult a board-certified veterinary nutritionist®. They can work with on a formulation and any testing that is needed to ensure an optimal diet and response.
Balance It® Fortification Options
Balance It® offers three approaches to fortify human foods:
Method 1: Balance It® supplements (most common)
Healthy adults: Balance It® Canine, Carnivore Blend®, Balance It® Feline
Medical conditions: Canine K, Canine -Cu, Feline K (selected automatically based on your pet's needs); these require veterinary approval to purchase
Non-heatable, food-grade amino acid, mineral, and vitamin powders
Method 2: Heatable supplements (for batch cooking)
Canine Plus or Canine K Plus (Canine K Plus requires veterinary approval)
Extra vitamins added to withstand one-time heating to 165°F (74°C)
Eliminates need to add supplement before each meal
Method 3: Human supplements combination
Typically 8-10 different supplements designed for human nutrition
Available at local stores or online
Check "Use human supplements ONLY" under the "Get Recipe" button in Step 2
Less convenient but a free alternative*
*Balance It® uniquely offers this free option to counter the many incomplete online homemade pet food recipes.
Consequences of Inadequate Fortification
Without proper supplementation, severe—and completely preventable—health problems can occur, for example:
Broken bones: Inadequate calcium
Heart failure and death: Inadequate methionine (dogs) or taurine (cats)
Anemia: Inadequate iron and other trace minerals and vitamins
Neurological dysfunction: Inadequate thiamin (vitamin B1)
Critical: If you cannot adequately fortify a homemade diet, feed it only rarely or as a treat (≤10% of daily calories). Otherwise, feed a complete and balanced commercially prepared diet.
Understanding Supplement Amounts: Identifying "Limiting Nutrients"
To minimize supplementation while maintaining nutritional adequacy, you can identify which nutrients determine supplement amounts.
Step 1: View your recipe's nutrient profile
Follow the instructions in: How do I view my recipe's nutrient profile? Why are some nutrients well over 100% of requirements?
Step 2: Identify the limiting nutrient for each supplement
Hover your cursor over any supplement listed in the nutrient profile:
The limiting nutrient is the nutrient that determines how much of that supplement must be added. In the example above, iodine is the limiting nutrient for iodized salt—meaning the salt amount is based on iodine needs, not sodium or chloride needs.
What "limiting" means: If less of this supplement were added, that specific nutrient would be deficient.
Step 3: Check the limiting nutrient's concentration
In the nutrient profile table, limiting nutrients appear in turquoise font (not black). Hover over the "% of Requirement" value to see how each ingredient contributes to that nutrient:
In this example:
Iodized salt provides ~36.5% of iodine
Balance It® Canine provides ~62.8% of iodine
Total iodine: ~291.5% of minimum requirement
Why is iodine at 291% when only 100% is needed?
The recipe uses a small measurable amount of iodized salt (a fraction of a teaspoon). Since this doesn't exceed any maximum and salt is inexpensive, the software accepts this slight excess rather than requiring finer measurements.
For more expensive supplements like Balance It® Canine, the software minimizes excess. In this example, the limiting nutrient (the Ca:P ratio) for Canine supplement is at ~105%—just slightly above the minimum for safety and cost-effectiveness.
Visualizing Deficiencies Without Supplementation
To see graphically what deficiencies exist without fortification:
Click the red, green, and yellow bar graph icon in the upper right of the nutrient profile table
Select "Show % of Min Requirement W/O Supplement" from the Bar Graph dropdown. This converts the "% of Requirement (without supplement)" column into proportional red bars showing any deficiencies that would exist if you relied solely on food ingredients without supplementation.
Reducing Supplementation Needs
To further reduce fortification requirements:
Change or select foods or ingredients richer in that nutrient, to see an ingredient’s nutrient profile: See FAQ: How can I view and/or compare the nutrient profile or nutrition facts of an ingredient in a recipe?
Add organ meats (especially liver): See FAQ: What if I can't find an ingredient I want to use in the Recipe Builder? How can I add organ meat or liver to my recipe?
Consider whole prey diets: Discussed in recipe reports (requires consultation with board-certified veterinary nutritionist®)
Understand synthetic vitamins: See FAQ: Are your supplements synthetic? Why is that intentional and helpful?
Further Resources
For scientific validation:
Peer-reviewed JAVMA article on formulation software accuracy: https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/242/11/javma.242.11.1500.xml
Finding: "Computer analysis was highly predictive of deficiencies or excesses of nutrients as measured via laboratory methods."
For nutrient requirements and the essentiality of nutrients, please see this reference text that has hundreds of supporting peer-reviewed scientific citations:
National Research Council (NRC): Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats https://doi.org/10.17226/10668
For personalized guidance, including to discuss the references found above or diet rotation or diversity further:
Generally the answer is no. Most commercial pet foods are less expensive, more convenient, and some have undergone controlled testing. However, if you prefer to make homemade food for your animal companion, we believe (as do tens of thousands of veterinarians) that we provide the best and safest solution short of an individualized consultation with a board-certified veterinary nutritionist® who will create a homemade recipe following medical record review and evaluation of a diet history for a fee (see the Vet Nutritionist link in the page footer for a directory).
We are subject to policies/rules/regulations/laws specifically FDA Compliance Policy Guide (CPG) Section (Sec.) 690.150 that cover all nutritional products that are intended to "mitigate" or "treat" disease in dogs and cats. This FDA guidance means making specific information and/or products only available to the public under the direction/supervision of a veterinarian.
We can understand how this might initially seem like we are just being difficult to work with or stubborn, especially as only a handful of pet food companies like us are subject to this guidance, but we cannot violate both state laws and federal guidelines even if it would make conducting business easier.
Independent of our need to be legally/regulatory compliant, we strongly support this guidance philosophically as it is designed to protect dogs and cats, and after over 20 years in veterinary nutrition specialty practice, our founder has seen its value in avoiding the good intentioned misuse of products and/or inappropriate feeding that could sadly lead to harm or an adverse effect. We have worked and continue to work hard to make the process of gaining any needed veterinary approval as simple and efficient as possible with an automated system supported by a dedicated customer service team that can immediately fax and/or email your veterinarian for their approval and track each step of the process with a detailed log.
For reference the following products require veterinary approval or a "vet code" (a special six digit code unique to your veterinarian) provided to you by your veterinarian to purchase: Balance It® Canine K, Balance It® Canine K Plus, Balance It® Canine -Cu, and Balance It® Feline K.
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