Ken Smith/Turnagain Times
Bella and Balu, a Jack Russell Terrier and a blue Chow Chow, enjoy a bowl of Solid Gold dry dog food made with fresh bison. This brand is one of the top makers of high protein and nutrient rich dog food.
By Julie St. Louis
Special to the Turnagain Times
All pets need food and water, but not all food is the same. According to the Pet Food Institute, U.S. consumers spend more than $11 billion a year on cat and dog food. Manufacturers provide a myriad of choices with added colors, gravies and cute shapes as well as make enticing statements on the package to get you to select their brand. Choosing the proper food can be overwhelming, but if you get it right you can improve the health, and in some cases behavior, of Tabby-kitty or Sammy Samoyed.
So, how do you know what to buy? First, select the proper life stage. Despite the many options there are only two recognized by the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM)—growth/lactation and maintenance. The first is for puppies, kittens and pregnant or lactating females, and the second is for all adult dogs or cats with normal activity levels. Foods should have either of these designations, or labeled “meets all life stages.”
Second, look at the ingredient list. Is it meat-based or grain-based? What is the first ingredient? Is it a protein like chicken, bison, or beef, or a meat by-product or meal? Not a protein at all, but corn, rice, or wheat? The first ingredient listed makes up the greatest amount by weight of the contents on down in decreasing percentage to the last item. However, according to CVM this can also be deceiving because a protein may appear first, but then the next few ingredients could be wheat flour, ground wheat and wheat middlings. This all adds up to more wheat in the bag than actual meat. So reading closely is important.
For dogs, foods that are less expensive, or found easily on grocery or discount store shelves often have higher percentages of corn and grains—cheaper ingredients that allow the manufacturer to offer it at the lower price. But it's not just lower-priced foods that are less nutritious. Some pricier foods that you might think are top-notch and even offered in the little shop at your vet's office, also list corn or wheat first. Corn is filler and what goes in to fill the stomach then comes out to fill the poop-bags. Corn is not easily digested and because it passes quickly through your dog's system not very filling either. Consequently your dog may act ravenous at mealtime by quickly gobbling up the food, or even act protective or aggressive around his or her bowl.
If your pet's coat or skin is flaky, oily, or drab looking, or if they are scratching, prone to ear infections, or over or under weight this can also indicate problems with diet. Dogs can develop allergies to wheat or corn, or more common proteins like chicken or lamb. Switching your dog's food to meat-based over grain, or to less common proteins like venison, bison or fish can improve these health issues, and will better sustain your pet with smaller portions.
Cat owners take note: felines are carnivores, requiring meat-based diets even more than omnivorous canines. The higher protein foods do cost more, but since less can be fed at mealtime, and your pet's skin, coat, and even behavior could improve, the higher cost will even-out in less frequent food purchases, vet visits and cleaning up after your pet in waste and shedding.
If you give your cat or dog salmon, eggs or other cooked or raw proteins this can help supplement the lower grade foods, however solely feeding your pet scraps that are raw or cooked is not advisable either. To get a homemade mix right requires a lot of diligence, so it's best not to do it yourself.
Julie St. Louis is the proprietor of GRRdwood Pets & Green Goods
148 Holmgren Place, 783-0226, www.grrdpets.com
