Dr. Sarah Missaoui, DVM

Clinical Mission

Dr. Sarah Missaoui is a licensed veterinarian with more than 20 years of clinical experience in canine health and nutrition. A 2001 graduate of the National School of Veterinary Medicine of Sidi Thabet (ENSV), she works with dog owners who want a diet they can measure and adjust, without changing ten variables at once.

In practice, she sees the same pattern: many dogs do fine on home-prepped diets, and many don’t. When a dog struggles, the fix is rarely a single “magic ingredient.” It usually comes down to the full recipe, the mineral balance, and how changes get made.

The Science Behind the App

When Raw & Well’s founder approached Dr. Missaoui, the goal was simple: make the nutrition checks conservative, transparent, and easy to audit.

She contributed clinical input early and reviews the educational content so owners understand what the tool checks, what it cannot know, and when a veterinarian should lead.

This included three foundational decisions that define how the app works differently from generic raw feeding calculators:

• Allometric metabolic scaling: Raw & Well uses the NRC (2006) BW^0.75 approach as a reference for Resting Energy Requirements (RER), rather than relying only on linear % body-weight rules. A 5 kg dog and a 50 kg dog do not scale in a straight line.
• Nutrient context: Food form and the rest of the diet can affect how minerals behave. For example, some diets include compounds that can reduce mineral absorption. That’s why recipe review needs context, not a single number.
• Mineral interactions: Minerals can interact. High calcium intake can affect how other minerals behave in the diet. This is one reason “just add more of X” can backfire if you do not review the whole recipe.

Professional Credentials

Clinical Areas of Expertise

Dr. Missaoui's work at Raw & Well covers major areas of canine nutritional science relevant to raw feeding. These are not theoretical domains - they reflect clinical problems she encountered frequently in practice:

Zinc Metabolism and Dermatological Response

Zinc deficiency is one of the most visible mineral deficiency patterns in raw-fed dogs. Symptoms like muzzle crusting, paw-pad scaling, and dull coat can emerge gradually and are sometimes misattributed to food sensitivities or seasonal allergies. Dr. Missaoui uses NRC (2006) as a reference and treats breed risk and clinical context as part of the review - not as a universal one-number rule.

Clinical review: Zinc Deficiency in Raw-Fed Dogs: Symptoms and Solutions

Calcium-Phosphorus Ratio and Skeletal Safety

The calcium-to-phosphorus ratio in raw diets is one of the most frequently miscalculated parameters in home-prepared feeding. NRC (2006) provides context for ranges and safety. Many raw diets, particularly those using prey-model ratios with high bone content, can drift out of a reasonable range. Dr. Missaoui's validation work ensured that Raw & Well calculates this ratio from ingredient totals, not by estimating from bone percentages alone.

Clinical review: Calcium:Phosphorus Ratios in Raw Diets

Transition Protocols for Sensitive Digestive Systems

Dogs with inflammatory bowel disease, chronic loose stool, or a history of antibiotic use represent a subgroup where standard transition advice may be insufficient. Dr. Missaoui designed the transition framework inside Raw & Well to accommodate these cases using single-protein introductions, controlled fat escalation, and slow fibre titration before advancing to full nutrient optimisation.

Clinical review: Transition & IBD Recovery Protocol

Taurine, Cardiac Function, and Amino Acid Completeness

The relationship between grain-free diets and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) raised legitimate questions about taurine sufficiency in some diets. Dr. Missaoui shaped Raw & Well’s amino-acid context to consider precursor intake (methionine and cysteine) alongside taurine-rich foods such as heart.

Clinical review: Taurine & Heart Health in Raw-Fed Dogs

Articles Reviewed & Co-Authored

Every article in the Raw & Well Knowledge Base was reviewed by Dr. Missaoui for clinical accuracy prior to publication. The following represent her core areas of direct authorship:

• The Micronutrient Crisis in Raw Dog Food - co-authored; NRC framing and bioavailability context
• The Raw Dog Food Calculator Guide - co-authored; RER/MER metabolic scaling explained
• Clinical-Grade Nutrition Engine - co-authored; methodology documentation
• Zinc Deficiency: Symptoms and Solutions - primary clinical review
• Copper Deficiency in Raw Diets - primary clinical review
• Manganese Deficiency and Joint Health - primary clinical review
• Taurine and Cardiac Health - primary clinical review
• Calcium:Phosphorus Safety Ratios - primary clinical review
• IBD Transition Protocol - primary clinical review

What Dr. Missaoui Built

Raw & Well's clinical engine did not come from a spreadsheet or a generic canine nutrition database. It was built from first principles, by a working veterinarian, using NRC (2006) as a public reference point.

• Established all NRC 2006 nutrient targets by life stage, body weight, and activity level
• Validated food-matrix assumptions and nutrient interactions used in recipe reviews
• Defined a food-first fix hierarchy to address common gaps before supplements are considered
• Set upper-limit constraints for fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) using public reference sources
• Reviewed all 34 articles in the Knowledge Base for clinical accuracy
• Designed the IBD and chronic condition transition protocols used in the app's clinical pathways