Food For Thought

There seems to be a lot of hoopla lately over what to feed your furry friend.  What’s safe?  What’s not?  Gluten, wheat, fillers?  Does it matter?  Pet nutrition often takes a back seat in the realm of pet ownership, when in reality, it’s one of the most important factors of your animal’s health (and longevity).  If it ever comes between the cute little Burberry dog coat vs. your dog’s diet, forgo the albeit stylish outerwear and opt for the food purchase.  It’ll save you more in the long run.  What do you feed your pet?  Go grab the bag and read the label.  There are very few laws governing how manufacturers word their labeling, so it easy to be ‘had’ by the pet food folks.  AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) was established way back in 1909 to address issues related to pet/animal feed.  AAFCO defines ingredients and official nutritional terms, and more importantly, determines the protocols by which pet foods are tested.  Look for the words “feeding trials” or “feeding tests” using AAFCO standards.  A pet food can ‘meet the standards of AAFCO’, but this only means the biochemical analysis of the feed meets AAFCO standards.  It doesn’t mean it was ever fed to an animal to determine it’s safety.

Here are 4 different examples of common advertising ploys of pet food manufacturers.  Read carefully…

• Beevo’s Beef for Dogs–Beef must comprise at least 70% of the total product
• Beevo’s Beef Dinner for Dogs–Beef must comprise at least 25% of the total product
• Beevo’s Dog Formula with Beef–Beef must comprise at least 3% of the total product
• Beevo’s Dog Fomula with Beef Flavor–There can be less that 3% beef in the total product (and! the manufactureer must show that animals can distinguish it as beef flavor

Hmph!  So what comprises the rest of the meal?  Fillers.  Preservatives.  Junk.  In fact, I met with the veterinary nutritionist at Royal Canin recently, and he let me in on a little, slightly disturbing, secret.  Since there are so few laws regulating pet food manufacturing, some fairly sizeable loop holes have been found.  An animal food not meeting AAFCO standards only has to meet it’s nutrition label facts in one batch every 90 days.  Yikes!  That means, 1 batch out of who knows how many are produced, is tested every 3 months.  The rest of the time, the manufacturer can save lotsa dollars and fudge the ingredients by using cheaper products (read:  cardboard, hair, bone, etc).  Sick!  In fact, I’ve actually looked at a lower brand kibble up close, and sure enough, HAIR is in the food.  You can argue with me all you want–they’re dogs/cats, who cares?  They’re supposed to eat hair, bone, right? That’s fine if your dog is wild, but if you can document the last time you saw a Shi-Poo running through the wild fending for itself, I’ll let it slide.  We’ve domesticated our pets too much to let them eat junk food.

Don’t be deterred by the higher prices of the tried-and-true high quality pet foods.  They have a higher protein content in general and they use less fillers. Also, the type of protein in the diet is more readily absorbed by your pet.  This all translates into you having to actually feed a smaller amount of food to meet your animal’s caloric requirement.  So a bag will last you longer, and your animal will be eating high on the hog. 

My all time favorite pet food is Sammy Snacks.  I love to support local business, and I love it even more if the quality of the product is truly unbeatable.  There is no bias here, I’m not paid by the company at all, I just see my patients that eat their product daily, and I think that speaks for itself.  Far and away, the Sammy Snacks dogs and cats have remarkable hair coats, pristine teeth, and loads of energy.   They use human-quality, all natural ingredients, and even better, their dog treats are approved for human consumption (I vote the CranOat!).  Their products are outstanding, and the proof is in the pudding.  

Keep in mind, if you’re feeding that dog food advertised in commercials by a singing dog or cat or other tactic that appeals to human emotion (sucker!),  think of the documentary “Supersize Me” where the main character eats McDonald’s everyday.  His attitude, health, and activity level were clearly negatively influenced, and I think our animals deal with the same scenario when fed a diet of 3% beef protein and 97% crap.

Here’s how you help out your four legged pal:  Print this article out, take it to Sammy Snacks, and you’ll receive a 10% discount on your purchase through the month of October.  Give it a try (and try the treats for yourself!), and let me know if you notice a difference*.

*When changing your pet’s diet, do so gradually, over a period of 3-5 days by mixing the new diet with the regular food.