Small animals

A good diet is central to health. As the body ages, it requires different levels of nutrition. In general, puppies and kittens require higher protein, higher calcium levels than adults and seniors. Pet food that is labeled as a food for "all life stages" is actually puppy or kitten food, so it is only good for puppies or kittens. Adults need a lower level of nutrition, and senior even less. Remember that cats are not small dogs. Cat food generally has far more protein than dogs need. Dog get dog food, cats get cat food. In the United States, as with human health, the general trend if for us to overfeed our animals. Obesity in pets causes a broad range of disorders from diabetes to heart disease to osteorathritis. Please consult with the professional staff at JDRVC to determine the ideal weight of your pet, the appropriate amount to feed it, and how to reach a healthy weight. We carry Hill's Science Diet pet foods to help you offer your pet high quality nutrition to meet its special needs.

Large animals

Most of our large animals are experts at digesting forages that are not very digestable for the rest of us. Feeding high quality forage ensures that your livestock will gain, perform, thrive and breed back as you expect them to. Avoid feeding moldy feeds to horses, as it can cause colic, and to cattle, as it can cause abortion. Overall, feeding a good quality long-stemmed forage is important to ruminants and horses, stimulating good gut function. Adding concentrates can be effective in increasing weight gain, but over-supplementing concentrates can cause bloat in ruminants, colic and laminitis in horses. In general, the John Day Valley bottom and out through Fox, Long Creek and Ritter are selenium and copper deficient, and our livestock require supplementation of these minerals. Some areas of Bear Valley and Izee have high, to even toxic, levels of selenium. Have your feed tested for its micronutrient profile. We can help you with blood and liver testing also, which can help you determine your herd's supplement needs. Supplying minerals means more that just feeding salt.