Integrative Whole Food Nutrition and Home-Cooked Diets for GI Disease, Atopy, and Immune Health
This lecture explores how integrative whole-food nutrition and thoughtfully designed home-cooked diets can support dogs and cats with chronic gastrointestinal disease, atopy, and immune imbalance. Dr. Susan Bohrer, DVM, CVA, CVFT will examine how ultraprocessed pet foods contribute to chronic inflammation, gut dysbiosis, and immune dysfunction, and how cooked whole foods can help restore microbiome diversity and improve clinical outcomes.
Participants will learn how the gut–skin–immune axis influences chronic disease and how targeted food therapy strategies can support patients with GI disorders, dermatologic disease, and inflammatory conditions. Practical guidance will be provided on formulating balanced home-cooked diets for dogs, selecting appropriate proteins and ingredients, and helping clients safely implement whole-food nutrition as part of an integrative treatment plan.
- Describe the role of the gut–skin–immune axis and microbiome diversity in chronic gastrointestinal disease, atopy, and immune dysfunction in dogs and cats.
- Explain how ultraprocessed pet foods may contribute to gut dysbiosis, inflammation, and chronic disease.
- Compare whole-food nutrition strategies with conventional processed pet food diets for supporting digestive health, immune function, and skin health.
- Apply integrative food therapy principles to develop balanced home-cooked or whole-food nutrition plans that support GI health, improve dermatologic conditions, and strengthen immune resilience.
