How to Evaluate a Pet's Food Quality PART 2

Pawsitively Helpful Pet Tips

with DR. DEB

"How to Evaluate a Pet's Food Quality

PART 2"

HOW DOES A PET OWNER SORT THROUGH ALL THE INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET ABOUT PET FOOD NUTRITION AND DECIDE WHAT IS TRUSTWORTHY?......Continued from part 1

5)  CHECK THE TIMELINESS OF THE INFORMATION.  Things change quickly in veterinary medicine and especially in the field of nutrition.  Many websites are out of date.  What was recommended two years ago may not be accepted practice today.  A good website will be updated frequently.

6)  BE WARY OF ANECDOTAL INFORMATION.  Descriptions of one person's experience (e.g. "When my dog was diagnosed with kidney disease I gave him "GETBETTER"  nutritional supplement and now he's cured") can be misleading.  While it can be useful to hear about other people's experiences, their positive evaluations do not mean that the actual product  or treatment is really beneficial.  Always discuss what you've heard with your veterinarian.

7)  WATCH OUT  FOR RATING WEBSITES.  Most websites that rank dog foods do so either on opinion or on criteria that do not necessarily ensure a good quality food (e.g. price, ingredients, size of the company).  It's important  to use more objective criteria (science, quality control) in judging a pet food.

8)  BE SKEPTICAL OF GRAND CLAIMS OR EASY ANSWERS TO DIFFICULT PROBLEMS.  Remember the old adage: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

If you are a critical web surfer and work with your veterinarian to analyze the information you find, you will reap the benefits of the computer age without experiencing its problems.

FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH FAD DIETS

Pet food manufacturers often follow popular trends in human eating habits.  "GRAIN-FREE" is the new buzzword for pet owners.  The problem is that grain-free does not mean hypoallergenic and there is no set AAFCO definition of "grain-free".  So, grain-free can mean different things to different food manufacturers.  What many owners don't realize is that dogs are of the carnivore species but omnivores in their eating habits, so complex carbohydrates are actually necessary for normal stool formation.  Obesity often thought to be a problem with high-carbohydrate foods is actually more of a concern with high-fat diets.

THE TRUTH ABOUT CORN

Remember our previous definitions of NUTRITION: A substance that must be consumed as part if the diet to provide a source of energy, material, for growth, or substance to regulate growth or energy production.  FILLER: A food ingredient that supplies no nutrients and serves no nutritional purpose.

CORN IS NOT A FILLER.  IT DELIVERS SEVERAL IMPORTANT NUTRIENTS:

PROTEIN: No single ingredient provides the best protein balance for pets; the best balance comes from a combination of ingredients.  The protein building blocks in corn are essential for pets and complement those in other ingredients to provide balanced protein nutrition.

ANTIOXIDANTS: Beta-carotene, vitamin E, and lutein are antioxidants in corn that help protect key cell components from damage.

FATTY ACIDS:  Corn is a rich source of fatty acids, especially linoleic for healthy skin and coat.  These essentials fatty acids also serve important roles in immune system and central nervous system.

CARBOHYDRATE:  The carbohydrate supplied by corn are an important source of energy pets.

CORN IS SAFELY AND EASILY DIGESTED BY PETS.  Corn is  not a "hot grain" (causes gastrointestinal upset) for pets; it can be safely and easily digested.  Most grains are poorly digested before they are cooked, but like other grains, corn becomes highly digestible after grinding and cooking so nutrients are easily absorbed.  In fact, the protein in corn is more digestible than that of rice, wheat, barley, or sorghum.

CORN IS NOT A COMMON CAUSE OF FOOD ALLERGIES IN PETS.  Corn is implicated in fewer allergy cases than other common protein sources such as beef, dairy products, wheat, chicken, egg, lamb, or soy in dogs and beef, dairy products and fish in cats.

CORN IS A WELL-ROUNDED NUTRITIONAL PACKAGE.  NO OTHER INGREDIENT IS AS VERSATILE.

To be continued in Part 3: Web addresses of useful, accurate sources of information on veterinary nutrition.

Thanks to DVM Medicine 360, Hills Pet Nutrition, and The Small Animal Veterinary Association Global Nutrition Committee for the above information.