Dr. Cathy Alinovi DVM

09/19/2025

How Many Times A Day Should I Feed My Puppy or Kitten?

Common guidance says three times a day.

There’s even some guidance for the really tiny little teacup type dogs that they need to be fed every two hours.

Let’s really look at this. And let’s also look at when we should stop feeding our puppies like puppies and feed them like adults.

First thing to look at is why do we recommend multiple meals a day?

Certainly when puppies and kittens are born, they nurse every couple of hours. But by the time they’re weaned, their mom is not spending all day every day with them so they don’t get the nurse every two hours anymore. By the time they are weaned, they’re lucky if their mom feeds them three or four times a day. Which suggests that new owners should feed no more than three or four times a day.

On the other hand, look at how the breeder feeds puppies and kittens: they leave a smorgasbord of food available 24/7. Can you say buffet?

Yet nobody does this with their human babies. Maybe they shouldn’t. Maybe they do. Maybe human babies always have a bucket of cereal to chew on these days. My analogy might be failing!

But maybe you see my point. If these “babies” constantly have cereal available, they’re constantly carb loading. Which actually makes their body dependent on constant intake of sugar for energy. So if they go the least amount of time without eating, their blood sugar drops. Limp puppy syndrome. The problem is more pronounced in very little dogs.

I don’t think it’s because they are little. I think it’s because we baby them. And because we baby them, we don’t encourage their bodies to move and develop muscle, unlike a bigger dog.

I love having my little 4 pound mini dog. But she has muscle! She has metabolism. She only eats twice a day.

Proper nutrition, a meat-based diet for these carnivores, is how their bodies properly regulate blood sugar. (Meat is NOT 100% protein. Meat also has fat – we like fat – fat provides calories/energy and helps developing brains. There’s also quite a bit of water and nutrients in meat.)

By six months old, dogs and cats should be down to two meals a day. If you really want to baby them and insist on three. I’m OK with that. But let’s make sure baby isn’t getting fat.

Certainly by the time they are a year old, there’s no need to be feeding more than two times a day. It becomes a matter of the owner’s wanting to feed extra meals.

Again, I’m not going to disparage your desire to pamper your babies. But understand it’s not a requirement for their health to eat more than twice a day.
And certainly by a year old, there’s no need (except emotionally).

Still seeing patients in Tampa, Clearwater, and virtually.

09/11/2025

VITAMIN D, PETS & THE SUN

It’s good common knowledge in humans that exposure to the sun helps our bodies make vitamin D. Vitamin D is needed for proper calcium metabolism, thus bone density and bone growth. Hormone production and fights depression. May fight cancer.

There’s a good long list, easily available, and even fairly accurate, on the Internet of the benefits of vitamin D in the human body.

Well, dogs and cats need vitamin D also. Within the last decade so, a few laboratories have begun testing vitamin D levels in pets.

Some animals with chronic disease, chronic inflammation, will have low vitamin D. Cancer patients might have low vitamin D.

I’ve had some pet parents tell me that that’s the reason they put their dog out in the sun.

And it’s a very loving thought on the part of the pet owner.

But that’s not how vitamin D works and dogs and cats!

Look at them.

Except for Chinese Crested, Sphinx, and a couple of other rare breeds, cats and dogs are covered in fur.

They do not make vitamin D from sitting in the sun!

They get vitamin D from food. Conventional pet food has to supplement with synthetic vitamin D. Fresh pet food often uses fish oil to provide vitamin vitamin D. Egg yolks are another good source. And there are some kinds of mushrooms that are grown under the sun and they can have quite high levels of vitamin D.

So it’s a great test to check: blood vitamin D levels. Catching low levels early might head off or slow down inflammatory disease.
It’s nice to supplement with whole foods.

And please be aware you can swing too far the other direction and give too much vitamin D! In fact, there have been multiple errors in formulation in the kibble industry, and even canned pet food, such the animals were given too much vitamin D and the opposite happened. Toxicity.

Signs of too much vitamin D include:
vomiting
lethargy
diarrhea
kidney disease
heart dysfunction
death

As long as they have shade and water available, I think it’s great to share sunshine with your pets. It’s not going to change their vitamin D content in their body.

Want to read more about Vitamin D toxicity? See the links on our post in the comments.

09/05/2025

You know what a hotspot looks like right? It’s red, and probably wet because your dog has been chewing at it. And if you put your hand on it, it’s warm.

Thus, it’s called a hotspot.

But if you go to the regular Veterinarian, they’re going to say “oh my gosh there’s infection! Oh my goodness, we have to do antibiotics in the whole body, we have to do antibiotics on the spot, blah, blah blah!”

Note they hardly ever wonder, “Well, why is there a hotspot in the first place?”

These days they might give some of those medicines that stop itching, either an injection of c5t0p0in5 or a prescription of ap4q63l, or better both. (Can you say cha-ching?)

So, let’s first talk about what to do at the site of the hotspot. Then let’s figure out what could possibly have been causing it so you can get to the bottom of the scenario and hopefully avoid it in the future.

First, your vet is not 100% wrong when they say that there’s infection. It’s just that putting an antibiotic in the entire body when you have a little 3 in. area that is infected is excessive. Hot spots are typically a minimized, localized, and superficial infection.

And why is it infected? Because somebody has these tiny little nibbler teeth and gets a little itchy and goes nibble nibble nibble nibble nibble nibble, and they break open the skin. Think of a little kid with a really itchy mosquito bite. They can’t leave it alone. They self mutilate because pain is less annoying than itchiness.

And in all of that nibbling and scratching, we have broken open the blood vessels in the outer part of the skin. And there’s a tiny little bit of blood, with a big inflammatory reaction. This is how the body heals. It can heal itself, believe it or not.

So if your precious baby has a hotspot somewhere on the body, let’s clip the hair in the area. Wash it! Seriously, wash it with soap and water! “The solution to pollution (infection) is the dilution (soap and lots of water).”

If there’s a little local infection, wash it. Multiple times a day. Imagine if your two legged child fell down on the sidewalk and got a little bit of road rash. What would you do? You would wash it. Dry it. Then you might put a little bit of topical antibiotic ointment on it. Perfect.

Let’s put that on your dog.

Sure, you can use aloe, you can use coconut oil, you can use those antibiotic ointments that are made for humans that are totally safe for dogs as well. In most cases, it’s more a matter of keeping it clean and dry.

Sometimes you have to do something terrible like use a doughnut or a lampshade around your dog’s neck so he can’t get at it and itch it.

And this really does tend to be a dog thing. Very rarely do cats get hotspots. This is a dog thing.

In some cases, if you need it to dry out faster, you can do apply a powder of bentonite clay after washing. It’s actually sold as a face mask for women, but be sure the only ingredient is that: bentonite clay.

Like magic, most of these hot spots go away in a couple of days. Still, even with my approach, you’ll see that all we’ve done is treat the symptoms here. We haven’t done anything to figure out the cause.

There’s a list of things that could contribute and this is where I help people get to the bottom of ANY condition. For hotspots:
It could be pollen. Which means we need to be giving frequent baths. And if you’re worried about bathing frequency, I wrote a post about that.

It could actually be arthritis. So look at where the hotspot is. Is it over a hip joint? Or knee?

Could it be a bug bite or a bee sting? Dogs get those. They step on bugs. They find fleas.

Sometimes it’s a food problem. Usually it’s a kibble allergy. I would expect ear issues in most cases to go along with that.
Some dogs are quite easy. Fixing the diet and frequent bathing can go a long way to help with this situation.

OK, so there’s your overview of what a hotspot looks like, why your dog creates it and how to address it at home without spending literally hundreds of dollars at the veterinarian covering up symptoms. And a few things to think about that maybe underlying causes.

Still seeing patients in Tampa, Clearwater, and virtually.

08/22/2025

HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED RUNNING "TITERS" ON YOUR PUP? here are the nuts and bolts of that decision: https://happyhealthydog.org/2025/08/06/so-you-want-to-run-titers/

I love being a Happy Healthy Dog magazine regular contributor. Happy Healthy Dog is a new free online resource focused on helping you find peace of mind, education and solutions for your dog's physical, mental and behavioral health. Read my latest column here:

By Dr Cathy Alinovi, DVM. Awesome—sounds like you’ve been diving into some research. You’ve likely come across the idea that a blood test—called a titer—can measure your dog’s antibody levels, sho

08/13/2025

ELEVATED BOWLS FOR YOUR DOG? Answers here: https://healthypawsibilities.com/should-i-buy-an-elevated-dish-for-my-dog/

07/21/2025

How often should you get blood work done on your pet? The answers you did NOT expect... HERE:

This is a trick question! And to answer it, there are several other questions you should ask yourself first. Let’s start with the purpose of blood work. If you’re trying to identify problems before they happen, bloodwork actually is not the way to do it. Bloodwork is looking for pathology, which...

07/03/2025

So, your dog has an ear hematoma… should you go to the vet?
There are a couple of questions you need to ask yourself in order to make this decision.

So, your dog has an ear hematoma… should you go to the vet? . There are a couple of questions you need to ask yourself in order to make this decision. . First of all, does your dog appear to be in pain? Some hematomas, which is a fancy word for blood blister, are really […]

06/22/2025

If you are watching your vet “glove up” before seeing your pet, I can bet two things are true:
-- You are feeding a raw diet.
-- Your vet doesn’t understand true risks with salmonella nor does she/he understand all of the body’s natural defenses against bacteria nor does she/he understand our bodies are all covered with normally occurring bacteria and yeast and any could make a problem
If this is your situation, my first response would be to suggest that this might not be the right veterinarian for you. Sadly, that kind of excludes most conventional veterinarians because most of them have been misinformed and don’t really remember what we learned second year of veterinary school in microbiology class.
But it’s always an option to try to educate your vet. Here are some thought provoking questions (sadly, they might just amplify the adversarial position your vet has put you into, but they are worth asking.):
-- Is there any documented evidence that dogs carry salmonella bacteria on their external body or in their mouth that has caused human illness?

-- How often do you, the veterinarian, allow a dog to lick the inside of your mouth? (The answer of course, is never… but worth asking to demonstrate the absurdity of the situation.)

-- Which kind of pet food has been documented to transmit salmonella to humans and create illness? (Correct answers: Kibble! There are no documented cases of human illness from raw pet food!)
We are in agreement that one should wear gloves when handling any type of f***s, of course! But other than that, these questions might just help get you and your vet on the same page. I’ve had a few clients have good luck telling their vet:

“I’m not here to discuss _____ >___ or be criticized. I’m here for ______. Please respect my choices or I can go elsewhere.”
Still seeing patients in Tampa, Clearwater, and virtually.

06/01/2025

DID YOUR DOG BECOME FEARFUL AFTER SURGERY? IF SO, KEEP READING:

Gunny here.
There is some talk on the internet about dogs becoming fearful or aggressive after having surgery, so I wanted to weigh in… from the canine perspective. Think about it this way: All of a sudden I’m on the way to “the vet.” It smells there (even if it’s clean, trust me, there are lots of smells). It’s damn noisy. They separate me from my human and stick me in a metal box. I’m not saying the box isn’t clean, but it makes crazy noise and echos everyone else’s noise. And it definitely doesn’t smell like home.
Eventually, strangers grab me out of the metal box, grip me hard, stick sharp pointy things in my legs and the world goes gray. The next thing I know, I’m back in that metal box, and I feel drunk. Bad. Maybe nauseous. The whole world is blurry. This is scary stuff. Plus, part of my body hurts, right down between my legs.
Finally, the family shows up, as if everything is great. Sometimes I even get this horrible plastic tunnel on my head that makes my neck hurt and makes it impossible to eat, drink, or get in the car. (I used to like the car.)
This is traumatic stuff. What makes you think I’m ever going to trust a new situation again? Do you wonder that a group of us dogs become fear aggressive after castration/spay?
I don’t know squat about science. I just know I went through it and it makes total sense to me why some of my brothers and sisters get panic attacks.
Lucky for my family, I was already a grumpy dog. No real change there. But here’s my canine two cents: (click link for more!)

Gunny here. . There is some talk on the internet about dogs becoming fearful or aggressive after having surgery, so I wanted to weigh in… from the canine perspective. Think about it this way: All of a sudden I’m on the way to “the vet.” It smells there (even if it’s clean, trust me, there ...

03/07/2025

Picking out toys for your cat can be more complicated than it seems! If you’ve ever glanced at the packaging, you’ve probably noticed how every product claims to be top-notch. Whether it’s “premium fabric” or “high-quality catnip,” it’s designed to convince you that it’s the best thing for your cat.
I recently had a client who was determined to find something her cats would enjoy chewing on—and she got pulled into some clever marketing. The treat company convinced her that their product was natural, made with only food-grade ingredients. Sounds great, right? But her cats wouldn’t even touch it.
So, let’s break down the ingredients and figure out why the cats weren’t interested. The first ingredient listed was “fresh chicken.” But let’s be real—if you take fresh chicken, grind it up, form it into a tube, and leave it out, it’s going to start to smell and rot. How can a company claim this is “fresh” chicken?
The only way it’s possible is the company isn’t telling the full story!
What kind of chicken do you think they’re using? It’s definitely not the high-quality cuts we buy for ourselves. What’s actually in that chew stick is likely chicken that came from factory farms, died prematurely, and was discarded. After sitting in a dumpster for weeks, it was processed into a powder and called “chicken meal.” This isn’t fresh chicken—it’s a dead food that doesn’t smell or taste good, which explains both why the cats weren’t interested in it and why it didn’t immediately start rotting in the packaging.
These companies are geniuses at marketing to us. They understand what we want to see, but we need to take a step back and ask ourselves, “Does this really make sense?” A chew stick made from “fresh chicken” that doesn’t require refrigeration? It just doesn’t add up. No wonder the cats refused to eat it.
The original goal of my client was to find something to help clean their cats’ teeth, but once again, this is just clever marketing. Here’s a fun experiment for you to help prove my point: For the next six months, try eating only hard, crunchy food—and don’t brush your teeth, since most of us don’t brush our cats’ teeth. This should give you an idea of whether chewing on dry food or hard toys really cleans teeth.
Spoiler: it doesn’t.
Most of this is just marketing misinformation, misleading us into thinking there are simple solutions for cleaning our cats’ teeth. While there are ways to help, it requires a proactive approach—starting when your cat is young. For many of us, we didn’t know about things like brushing with coconut oil when our cats were babies.
I applaud pet owners who are trying to find natural ways to care for their cats, but remember: the term “natural” isn’t regulated. In fact, “natural” doesn’t always mean healthy. After all, p**p is natural, but that’s not going to clean anyone’s teeth!
The key is finding something truly healthy—and that’s not always as easy as it sounds.
Still seeing patients in Tampa, Clearwater, and virtually.

02/25/2025

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) has gained popularity as a potential health supplement for both humans and pets. When considering its use for dogs, it’s important to understand what ACV is and its potential benefits and limitations.
Understanding Apple Cider Vinegar
ACV is typically made from fermented apple juice. The most commonly discussed form is unfiltered ACV containing the “mother,” which is a cloudy substance composed of beneficial bacteria, yeast, and enzymes. This type of ACV is considered raw or unrefined and contains several components that contribute to its potential health benefits.
Potential Benefits for Dogs
-- Probiotic and Prebiotic Properties: ACV with the mother contains beneficial bacteria like Acetobacter and Komagataeibacter, which may have probiotic effects. It also contains cellulose, a type of fiber that acts as a prebiotic.
-- Antimicrobial Effects: Some studies have shown that ACV can inhibit the growth of certain harmful microorganisms in laboratory settings, including E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and -- Candida albicans. This suggests potential benefits for skin and ear health in dogs when used as a topical rinse.
-- Metabolic Health: Research indicates that ACV may help reduce cholesterol, triglyceride, and blood sugar levels. This could be beneficial for overweight dogs or those with metabolic issues.
-- Enzymatic Support: ACV contains enzymes such as amylase and lipase, which might support pancreatic function.
Limitations and Considerations
While ACV has potential benefits, it’s important to note its limitations:
1. Acidity: ACV is a mild acid with a pH of 4-5, which is not strong enough to significantly impact stomach acidity (pH 1-2) for digestive support.
2. Mineral Content: Although ACV contains trace minerals, the amounts are likely too small to significantly impact a dog’s nutritional status.
3. Yeast Concerns: The presence of various yeasts in ACV means it may help with yeast issues in some dogs but exacerbate them in others.
Safe Usage for Dogs
If you’re considering using ACV for your dog:
• For topical use (skin or ear rinses), neat or diluted ACV can be safe and potentially beneficial.
• For internal use, a general guideline is about 1 teaspoon for a 30-50 pound dog, diluted in water or food, once daily.
In conclusion, while ACV may offer some health benefits for dogs, it’s not a cure-all. It can be a useful addition to a dog’s health regimen when used appropriately, particularly for skin and ear health or as a supportive measure in weight management. However, for more significant digestive issues or health concerns, it’s helpful to seek professional advice (from either an integrative veterinarian, or a holistic pet health coach) rather than relying solely on ACV.
Believe it or not, I’ve met a few dogs allergic to ACV. How can that happen? I think their immune system is so out of balance and the owner has been trying to fix things with ACV that the immune system decides to add ACV to the list of problem makers. So if your pet gets worse with ACV, if might not be a “die off” reaction and it might be an allergic reaction
Still seeing patients in Tampa, Clearwater, and virtually. https://healthypawsibilities.com/can-apple-cider-vinegar-benefit-your-dogs-health-safely/

02/12/2025

What is a good source of fiber for your pet??? Dr. Cathy answers here:

Like many of our articles about a specific ingredient, I’m going to start with a few things that are NOT great sources of fiber for your pet: . Psyllium fiber (aka meta #>^il – I changed the letters so my post doesn’t get blocked). Why is this NOT a good source of fiber? I was told […]