Pet Nutrition Consultations & Recipe Formulation

for Dogs and Cats

When I take on a client and look to either choose a food or formulate a recipe for their pet I go through two main steps. First is I break down what their pet’s nutritional needs are based on the age/life-stage, activity level, and diet/medical history. Then I overlay that with more practical aspects of diet choice such as lifestyle, behavioral management, and budget. From there we discuss diet options that fit those needs be that a homemade diet, kibble, canned, premade fresh food, or a combination.

I’m a busy single-mom of twin boys, two senior dogs, who is currently going to graduate school while I run my own business – trust me when I say – my intention is to create a meal plan that works for your pet, your goals, and your life – not someone else’s.

Services

  • Step 1: Fill Out Detailed Nutritional Questionnaire.

    Step 2: Confirm via email that Questionnaire was received.

    Step 3: Pay for Services Selected via Paypal.

    Step 4: I will review you pet’s diet history/questionnaire and send you feedback, additional questions and suggestions/comments. If you chose a homemade recipe, I will send a draft recipe - within 2-3 business days.

    Step 5: Start the email consultation. After I have sent this first feedback, you will have two weeks (approx. 10 business days) of email correspondence in order to work with me to finalize your dog's meal plan and get additional questions answered. I will respond to each email within 24 hours of it being received Monday-Friday. If after this period you still have additional questions, or would like additional support you can purchase this additional email support for $25/ every 2 weeks.

  • Step 1: Fill out detailed Nutritional Questionnaire.

    Step 2: Receive email within 24-28 hours confirming that Nutritional Questionnaire it was received.

    Step 3: Pay for services via paypal.

    Step 4: After payment is received I will review your pet's diet history/questionnaire and we will schedule a day/time for the consultation (M-F 10a to 1pm PST).

    Consultations are 45 minutes long over the phone and will go over any questions you have about your pet’s diet, including caloric needs, macronutrient needs, feedback/review of premade/commercial recipes, discussing homemade diet options, or recipe formulation/food prep if needed.

    Notes from consultations, along with draft recipes are typically emailed within 2-3 business days of the consultation. You have 1 week to ask questions after the consultation notes are received to ask/clarify anything written in these notes.  I will respond to each email within 24 hours of it being received Monday-Friday.

    If after this period you still have additional questions, or would like additional support you can purchase this additional email support for $25/ every 2 weeks, for schedule a follow-up phone consultation at $1/minute (min 15 minutes).

  • Homemade complete and balanced pet food formulation. All healthy pet recipes are formulated to be balanced to AAFCO and the NRC. For therapeutic recipes outside AAFCO nutrient profiles veterinarian review is required prior to recipe release (eg kidney disease, copper storage disease), and referral is required for other diseases - eg gastrointestinal disease, allergies, pancreatitis, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, cancer, heart disease.

    Draft recipes are typically sent within 2-3 business days.

  • I typically will give a 25% discount on consultations for the second pet in a multi-pet household (as often some questions are repeats). However I do not typically give discounts on recipe formulation services as each recipe has to be modified and formulated for the individual pet’s needs. I can designed recipes that can be fed quickly and easily in multi-pet households and even discuss different food prep processes to do so. But quite often each pet needs their own recipe for optimal nutrition. It’s rare I speak with pet parents where it’s advise that all pets in the household eat the exact same composition, calories, etc.

  • Though there is no specific health benefits to rotationally feeding your pet (no it will not prevent allergies). There are reasons why you might want multiple recipes on hand: picky eating, supply issues at your local grocery store, being able to shop sales. I do offer discounts on recipe reformulation services, where additional recipes will be discounted by 25-50% depending on complexity of the reformulation.

  • After your initial consultation period if you would like to ask additional questions you can do so by either purchasing additional email support ($25/2 wks), or booking a follow-up consultation ($1/minute, min 15 minutes). Follow-up consultations are unstructured and usually only give brief email notes pertaining to what we spoke about.

  • Over the years I have had the opportunity to create educational content for veterinarians (writing & presenting RACE-Approved CE), and pet parents. If you have a website that you’d like to add nutritional content to, create client educational flyers on a pet nutrition topic, or if you’d like a professional to discuss a particular aspect of pet nutrition to your employees - please reach out so we can discuss details.

Let’s work together:

Please start by filling out the form below. Typically I will email you within 24-48 hours of submission with additional paperwork to fill out, and to schedule the appointment. Payment is due via Paypal Invoice in order to reserve your appointment. *Note that I do require a veterinarian referral for ALL pets with chronic medical conditions. If your pet has a medical condition I will send you a referral form to send to your vet before booking the appointment with me.

Testimonials

  • Ace

    I highly recommend Nikki for her outstanding virtual support in addressing my pet’s nutritional needs. My pet suffers from allergies that trigger autoimmune responses, and our vet recommended a homemade diet. As busy working professionals, my partner and I were initially overwhelmed by the task of ensuring we covered all of our pet’s dietary requirements.

    Nikki’s expertise and guidance were invaluable. She helped us navigate the challenges of creating a balanced diet tailored to our pet’s specific needs. One of our pet’s allergens is fish, and finding the right Omega supplement was particularly challenging. Nikki provided practical solutions and eased our worries.

    It has been years since Nikki’s advice, and our dog Ace turned 11 yesterday. We frequently are told that people think he’s anywhere from 2-4 years old. I truly believe that without Nikki, I wouldn’t be able to say this.

  • Freja

    I wanted to incorporate more fresh food into Freja's diet, but our first venture didn't go according to plan. Nikki was so helpful explaining why the recipes I chose probably didn't work, and helping me understand what to look for in a food, and going through an extensive amount of options with me. I was blown away by just how knowledgeable she was! I feel awesome now that we have a well thought out plan for Freja, and it's a relief knowing that we can go to Nikki in the future if we need more guidance and things change (i.e. senior diet changes).

  • Winston & Mickey

    With all of the information and misinformation out there regarding pet nutrition, I feel very fortunate to have found @nikki.petnutrition. I first started working with Nikki in 2021 for my french bulldog, Winston. At the time we were homecooking his food, and Nikki helped to make sure that it was balanced and had the appropriate supplements. She also helped us choose supplements that were appropriate for his allergies and I truly believe it played a big role in how well-managed his allergies are today. When we switched to fresh dog food, I trusted Nikki's recommendations regarding which brands to go with as she has provided (free) extensive research and comparisons on her blog. I truly appreciate her wealth of information, transparency, and evidence-based, holistic approach!

    More recently, my parents adopted a young maltese named Mickey and I didn't hesitate to reach out to Nikki regarding choosing the best kibble for him. She did a thorough assessment of his history and provided more than just a recommendation, but also feeding guidelines and tips on enrichment and treats - it was truly more than what I had asked for! I always recommend Nikki to any friends or family members who have questions on pet nutrition.

  • Queenie

    There are so many homemade recipes online - a lot of which are NOT balanced and if you’re not careful you can do real damage to your pup. I cannot recommend Nikk with @nikki.petnutrition enough!! Her consults are affordable, her credentials are legit, her knowledge is vast and my ABSOLUTE favorite thing about her is there is no pushing of a certain diet… it’s what’s best for your pup and your lifestyle. Even if homemade isn’t up your alley her website is a must have resource for dog owners!

  • Kedzie

    My husband and I are so grateful that we found Nikki and were able to use her services to craft the perfect set of recipes for our dog within the parameters we described. Nikki was incredibly receptive to using as many whole foods as possible to try to cut down on the number of supplements he needed, and she was sensitive to our specific macronutrient requirements.

    Nikki's work is thorough and she takes the time to explain the purpose of every ingredient and to answer any questions you have because she truly cares about our animals. She is kind, compassionate, incredibly smart, and I learned more from her from one nutritional consult than I did in years in talking to my vet about dietary needs for dogs. I can't wait to continue to work with Nikki - she is an absolute treasure! Thank you so much for the recipes and the wealth of knowledge, Nikki!

  • Woody

    Ive been using Nikki’s personalized meal plans for just over a year now and couldn't be happier. My dog, his skin & coat health, energy level and overall well-being was noticeable once we made the switch.

    Nikki was extremely thorough during our consultation and her level of knowledgeable is great. Not living in North America means I don’t have all the availability to choices and products but Nikki worked around my needs. Nikki also explained everything and made it easy for me to understand what food and supplements were needed for balance. Highly recommend!

  • Nala

    I had a private consultation with Nikki and it was life changing. She helped me come up with 3 balanced recipes using OTC supplements. Instead of a sink full of dishes and my kitchen being a disaster area, I’m now cooking my meat in a slow cooker and rice and veggies in a rice cooker. NO MESS, no fuss! She also has an incredible amount of patience and has answered a ton of questions that I had after our meeting. I can’t recommend Nikki more. She is a true expert and a really great human being.