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PET FOODS
Many pet guardians want to feed the best food they can to their pets. But who can tell what food is best? Many cheap foods claim to be "just like the premium foods," and the labels often look a lot alike! Others tout that their food has meat as the first ingredient, and point out that many premium foods list a grain first. Sounds convincing, doesn't it? Well, don't believe everything you hear. In fact, when it comes to pet food advertising and labeling, you really can't believe anything you hear. You have to educate yourself about some important facts before you can make up your own mind.
The pet food industry is largely unregulated. Although there are laws that dictate that ingredients be listed, there are no laws that make companies define what those ingredients are. Meat digests, meals and byproducts can be euphemisms for some pretty nasty stuff. There are companies that even hide non-foods like sawdust- yes, sawdust- in their foods behind vague names! The nutritional breakdown (% of protein, fat, etc) are also misleading, because not all of these “nutrients” are actually digestible. A label for a fictional food made of hair, motor oil and cardboard will have protein, fat and carbohydrates and can look “just like Science Diet,” yet it would be devoid of all food value. So don't put too much faith in those numbers!
Common ingredients used in pet foods include:
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· Fish too high in mercury to be fit for human consumption; other condemned meats
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· Bone meal, cooked meat and fats from rendering plants. Rendering plants process anything dead, from roadkill, euthanized pets, farm animals which died of all kinds of disease, etc.
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· Peanut shells
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· Sawdust
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· Feathers, beaks, feet
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· contents of the stomachs of slaughtered animals
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· Feces from pig and chicken farms
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· Garbage from hospitals, restaurants and grocery stores
Some of these ingredients, notably the gut contents and spare animal parts, would actually be eaten by non-domesticated hunters. In small amounts, they are even nutritionally legitimate and natural sources of essential nutrients. The problem is that these are hidden in the ingredient lists, are given innocuous names, and therefore we have no idea how much is actually there. The rest of those ingredients are purely cheap ways make a food look like it has more protein, fat, fiber, etc than it really has. In general, the cheaper the food is, the more likely it is to have a lot of these ingredients in them, but evidence of euthanized animals has been found in foods which describe themselves as “premium.”
How can we tell what is a good food, then? Most foods contain ingredients not fit for human consumption- that’s why they are fed to pets. But there are levels of quality, still. I group pet foods into four basic categories, and give examples of each.
1. Bargain foods- these are foods which sell at 40 pounds for $10; they are sometimes locally or regionally produced; ingredients change from lot to lot, based on what’s cheap and available; pets who eat these often have cow-patty, stinky feces with frequent bouts of diarrhea. Feces often contain visible undigested ingredients. Examples: Ol’ Roy, NutraCare, Exceed, AlwaysSave.
2. Mid-level foods- these foods are only slightly more expensive than the cheap foods; they are often nationally-distributed; ingredients vary according to what’s easily available or cheap at the time, so lots are inconsistent; usually produce slightly better feces in pets. Examples: Purina Dog/Cat Chows, Alpo, Kibbles&Bits, soft-moist foods, Nutro, Diamond.
3. “Premium” foods- these nationally marketed foods promote themselves as leaders in nutrition. Their foods are dramatically more digestible, and their ingredients are consistent regardless of market prices; they usually have lots of variations in their diets, which are market-driven and not based on pet needs. These are often the best foods for dogs and cats, as their stools are formed, stink less and are less likely to be soft. Price is notably higher than first two types, because of higher quality. Examples: Purina ONE, Science Diet, Iams, Eukanuba, Royal Canin.
4. “Super” foods- these foods are made entirely of ingredients fit for human consumption. Although there are few of these foods and they are expensive, they do not contain any of the above ingredients. The only better way to feed a pet would be to produce a balanced, home-made diet of organic, pesticide/hormone-free ingredients. Examples: Wellness, Canidae, Felidae, Old Mother Hubbard.
In addition to a pet's regular diet, many people want to give table scraps to their pets. Although this is often discouraged by veterinarians, I encourage feeding a reasonable amount of fresh and nutritious food. This does not mean you can use your dog as the garbage disposal for leftover and rotten food. It also does not mean that your dog should eat fast food with you- fast food is just as bad for them as it is for you! It does mean that dogs and cats benefit from unprocessed and healthy snacks. Go easy on the meat, but feel free to let your dog snack on veggies and even a few fruits. Carrots are a great chew toy that clean teeth better than dog biscuits. Check with your vet about safe treats, as grapes, raisins and some other foods are not safe for dogs and cats.
Some common misconceptions about feeding and foods:
Dogs are not true carnivores, they are omnivores. Their digestive tract is designed to digest a variety of foods, just like our is.
Cats are true carnivores. They have more specialized dietary requirements than dogs. Cats' main energy source is protein, and they do not need much, if any, carbohydrate in their diet.
Neither dogs nor cats can survive on a diet of muscle meat only. Meat does not provide all the minerals and vitamins they need. Part of their normal diet includes internal organs, bones, etc. If a food only provides muscle meat (the stuff people want to eat), it must be fortified with lots of vitamins and minerals, most from unnatural sources and inferior to what they would get from organ meat and unprocessed bones.
Dogs do not naturally eat large infrequent meals. Look at the diets of their wild relatives- they eat mice, small animals and plant materials as they find it, and usually eat small amounts frequently. This is a more natural way to feed a dog.
Cats have small stomachs and eat small amounts at a time. too.
For all species, the more food taken in at one time, the faster it passes through the tract, and the less digestion occurs (Think about the last time you ate too much Chinese food). Small meals pass through more slowly and are digested and absorbed more completely. More frequent meals relieve boredom and provide more teaching opportunities for your pet, too.
Feeding large meals to dogs is a predisposing factor in bloat, an often deadly condition. Contrary to popular belief, bloat is not merely a problem in big dogs- I have seen Dachshunds and Beagles die of bloat. Feeding smaller amounts of more digestible, higher-quality foods is one way to help prevent bloat.
Pet food ingredients are listed in descending order on the label, like human food labels. The first ingredient is the heaviest, the last is the least. These are based on their dry matter weight, which is the weight when completely dehydrated; this makes the comparison apples-to-apples, not apples-to-oranges. Meat is 70% water, so when converted to dry matter basis, looks artificially small. Grains, like corn, are very little water, and their dry matter % is almost exactly the same as their hydrated %. This is why many foods list grains first, and meat may be the second or third ingredient. This does not make this food a bad food, contrary to what those companies' competitors may claim.
Learn to recognize what properly fed dogs and cats look like! Look for a waist, which dogs are supposed to have, when assessing for good body condition. Look at muscle mass- are hips, shoulders and most ribs covered? Don't panic if you see some ribs- look at supermodels. We think they are beautiful, and you can see their ribs! Is the coat shiny, the skin supple? Does the dog have small, formed stools, or does he poop five times a day and tend to have diarrhea? Cats, too should have a smooth and muscular look and feel, without bones sticking out. Although less pronounced, they have waists, too. Cats with dangling bellies and thick, fat shoulders are cats at risk for serious health problems.
So, after all that, what food is the best for your pet? The answer, unfortunately, is not easy. Your pet may do great on one food and poorly on another. I recommend that you feed the best quality food that you can afford. Pick the quality range that fits in your budget. Ask your vet and friends who have healthy pets for some recommendations. Feed one food consistently for 2 months, then evaluate your pet's skin, coat, body condition, stools, activity and behavior. Does he seem satisfied, happy, active and in good shape? If you don't think he does, change to another food. You should be able to find a food that brings out the best in your pet. If your pet is having problems with stools or with poor activity or condition, don't put off taking him to your vet for a checkup.
Bon appetit!
