{"id":13404,"date":"2026-08-13T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/?p=13404"},"modified":"2026-08-14T14:48:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T14:48:48","slug":"meet-our-on-staff-board-certified-nutritionists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/meet-our-on-staff-board-certified-nutritionists\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Our On-Staff, Board-Certified Veterinary Nutritionists\u00ae"},"content":{"rendered":"<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><p><strong>In this article:<\/strong><\/p><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#what-makes-a-board-certified-veterinary-nutritionist-an-expert\">What makes a Board-Certified Veterinary Nutritionist&reg; an expert?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#do-board-certified-veterinary-nutritionists-formulate-the-farmer%E2%80%99s-dog-food\">Do Board-Certified Veterinary Nutritionists&reg; formulate The Farmer&rsquo;s Dog food?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#what-do-board-certified-veterinary-nutritionists-say-is-important-in-dog-food\">What do Board-Certified Veterinary Nutritionists&reg; say is important in dog food?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div><hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"><div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div><p><em>This article was originally published in December of 2024, and has been updated.<\/em><\/p><p>If you&rsquo;ve found yourself on this page, you know that a dog&rsquo;s diet is a key factor in their health&mdash;and you want to be sure that your best friend&rsquo;s food is made by qualified professionals who have their long-term well-being in mind.<\/p><p>Every recipe from The Farmer&rsquo;s Dog is developed by our on-staff, board-certified nutritionists. We talked to them about their reasons for getting into the field, what education and experience they needed to become board-certified, what they do for our company and the dogs we feed&mdash;and what you should know before picking a pet food. Here are some of the key takeaways from our conversation.<\/p><h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-makes-a-board-certified-veterinary-nutritionist-an-expert\">What makes a Board-Certified Veterinary Nutritionist&reg; an expert?&nbsp;<\/h4><p>A Board-Certified Veterinary Nutritionist&reg; is a veterinarian whose specialty is nutrition&mdash;the way a board-certified veterinarian might specialize in anesthesiology or surgery.&nbsp;<\/p><p>A Board-Certified Veterinary Nutritionist&reg; must earn a veterinary degree, gain experience via an internship or several years of clinical practice, complete a residency training program, and pass a two-day test. They also have to be the primary author on a publication in an accepted journal to give them a better understanding of research.&nbsp;<\/p><p>That&rsquo;s a high bar to clear, which is why there are very few Board-Certified Veterinary Nutritionists&reg; in the United States. There are only around 100<strong>,<\/strong> and three of them<strong>&mdash;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/veterinarian-bios\/renee-streeter-dvm-dacvim-nutrition\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dr. Renee Streeter<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/veterinarian-bios\/joseph-wakshlag-dvm-phd-dacvim-nutrition\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dr. Joe Wakshlag<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/veterinarian-bios\/susan-g-wynn-dvm-dacvim-nutrition\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dr. Susan Wynn<\/a><strong>&mdash;<\/strong>work for The Farmer&rsquo;s Dog.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Renee-Streeter.jpg\" alt=\"Dr. Renee Streeter\" class=\"wp-image-41982\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Renee Streeter<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>Achieving this level of education and experience takes a tremendous commitment, so it should come as no surprise that our board-certified nutritionists love dogs and are passionate about their health.&nbsp;<\/p><p>Dr. Wakshlag, who&rsquo;s been with our company since the beginning, was fascinated with animal nutrition from a young age. &ldquo;When I was five years old,&rdquo; he remembered, &ldquo;I used to ask my parents, &lsquo;What do monkeys eat? What do guinea pigs eat?&rsquo;&rdquo;<\/p><p>Dr. Streeter grew up with animals including dogs, cats, fish, rabbits, and mice, and took a keen interest in feeding them. &ldquo;One of my favorite things to do,&rdquo; she remembered, &ldquo;was make the rabbits various lettuce wraps.&rdquo;<\/p><p>Dr. Wynn practiced veterinary medicine for three decades before she specialized as a nutritionist. She made the switch because she saw the impact food had on dogs&rsquo; overall health. &ldquo;The cornerstone of health really is nutrition,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;The diet is where it all starts.&rdquo;<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"732\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Susan_Wynn-732x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Dr. Susan Wynn\" class=\"wp-image-45672\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Susan_Wynn-732x1024.jpg 732w, https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Susan_Wynn-214x300.jpg 214w, https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Susan_Wynn-768x1075.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Susan_Wynn-1097x1536.jpg 1097w, https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Susan_Wynn.jpg 1429w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 732px) 100vw, 732px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Susan Wynn<\/figcaption><\/figure><h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"do-board-certified-veterinary-nutritionists-formulate-the-farmer&rsquo;s-dog-food\">Do Board-Certified Veterinary Nutritionists&reg; formulate The Farmer&rsquo;s Dog food?<\/h4><p>Yes, always.<\/p><p>Even if a company has Board-Certified Veterinary Nutritionists&reg; on staff, they don&rsquo;t always formulate the food. They might work in a sales or marketing department, for example. There&rsquo;s not necessarily anything wrong with this, but it won&rsquo;t impact the nutritional composition of that company&rsquo;s food.<\/p><p>At The Farmer&rsquo;s Dog, our on-staff, board-certified nutritionists bring their expertise to every formulation, making sure that it provides optimal nutrition for dogs in every stage of life, from puppies to seniors.<\/p><p>Of course, for questions about your dog&rsquo;s health, ask your vet.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/JosephWakshlag.jpg\" alt=\"Dr. Joe Wakshlag\" class=\"wp-image-13481\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/JosephWakshlag.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/JosephWakshlag-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/JosephWakshlag-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/JosephWakshlag-768x960.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Joe Wakshlag<\/figcaption><\/figure><h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-do-board-certified-veterinary-nutritionists-say-is-important-in-dog-food\">What do Board-Certified Veterinary Nutritionists&reg; say is important in dog food?<\/h4><p>There&rsquo;s a lot you can&rsquo;t control about your dog&rsquo;s environment&mdash;but you can control what they eat, and that can make a big impact on their health. Keeping that in mind, there are certain requirements that board-certified nutritionists consider nonnegotiable in a dog&rsquo;s daily diet. The first is an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/what-does-complete-and-balanced-mean-for-dog-food\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) statement<\/a> indicating that it&rsquo;s safe for daily feeding. The statement will specify whether a food is for puppies (AAFCO&rsquo;s terminology here is &ldquo;growth and reproduction&rdquo;) or adult dogs (&ldquo;adult maintenance&rdquo;)&mdash;The Farmer&rsquo;s Dog is safe for dogs in any stage of life, as soon as they&rsquo;re weaning.<\/p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a huge book, over 300 pages, that talks about how to make an appropriate dog food,&rdquo; Dr. Wakshlag said of the AAFCO guidelines. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s sort of the Bible of dog-food production in this country.&rdquo;<\/p><p>But while an AAFCO statement is an absolute must, it&rsquo;s by no means all you need to look for in a dog food. Any company who&rsquo;s feeding your dog should be able to answer these five questions:<\/p><p><strong>1. Who formulates your food, and what are their qualifications?<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>2. Do your products meet an AAFCO nutrition profile, as verified by a third-party nutrition analysis on all of your finished products?&nbsp; &#8232;&#8232;<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>3. Do you conduct third-party digestibility studies for each of your formulas?<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>4. Do you have a positive-release program and ensure there are not any microbial contamination issues?<\/strong><\/p><p><strong>5. Does the manufacturing facility where your food is made have third-party safety certifications in place?<\/strong><\/p><p>As noted above, board-certified nutritionists formulate every recipe from The Farmer&rsquo;s Dog, and we can answer &ldquo;yes&rdquo; to all of these questions. All of our sourcing, cooking, packaging, and storing processes meet the same standards as those for human foods. Furthermore, said Dr. Wakshlag, &ldquo;fresh, whole-food diets like ours are easily digestible&rdquo;; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/all-about-pet-food-digestibility\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">third-party studies show that our foods are highly digestible<\/a> and nutritionally bioavailable.<\/p><p>Companies should be willing to answer specific inquiries about the nutrients in their food&mdash;passing along their full list of ingredients or the proportions of nutrients like protein, fiber, and fat in their typical analysis (that&rsquo;s a term for a test showing the nutritional contents of their food). This information is not proprietary, and companies should be regularly testing their products and happy to share the results with you.<\/p><p>The same goes for us&mdash;if you have any questions, please reach out. You can contact us <a href=\"mailto:help@thefarmersdog.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>They&#8217;re the experts who formulate our food.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":13437,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[416,174],"tags":[184],"class_list":["post-13404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-wellness","category-nutrition","tag-dog-food"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13404"}],"version-history":[{"count":45,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13404\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47184,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13404\/revisions\/47184"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13437"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thefarmersdog.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}