PET NUTRITION AND DIET

We have experienced many pets, including our own, that have been very sensitive to nutrition and diet. These sensitivities have shown up in digestive issues, skin rashes, and even general temperament. Below is a short summary of nutrition information and we can only encourage you to read and learn more about the various nutrition solutions.

PET FOOD UNDERSTANDING
There are probably more brands and types of pet foods than human foods. Unfortunately, we cannot communicate with our pets very well to determine which ones benefit them the most. We can certainly monitor how their bowels react, their weight, their coat, their skin, and their interest in foods. We can also do blood tests and stool samples to see how things are working inside. But is this data enough to really understand if these foods are going to bring your pet a long and happy life?

GENERAL RESULTS
Any have found a VERY high correlation of problems with food high in grain making their coats and skin dry resulting in itching or skin rashes. High protein is critical to give them a sense of fullness so they do not over eat.

DOGS
Most of our dogs have responded well to a soft kibble with a balance of supplements and healthy people foods sprinkled on as "sweeteners". A healthy kibble high in protein with a sprinkling of green beans, lima beans, cauliflower, and other vegetables has worked great. Even a dash of ground cheese or some cheese crumbles has made the kibble far more enjoyable. To date we have not found a good canned dog food that did not create loose or excessive stools or other internal problems. We also give them heavy supplements of gloucosamine for their joints starting at two years old.

CATS
Many of our cats have done well with a soft kibble via self-feeders but balanced with some wet food. Having only dry food developed hard stools or their coats became dry thus we started treating them with a dollop of wet food every morning. Their coats and skin softened up nicely plus this seemed to improve their ability to digest hair balls better. Only about 3/4 oz (this is about 1/4 of the smaller 3 oz cans) per cat each morning works well using better quality cat foods. Our older seemed to have trouble chewing enough kibble for a good meal so we sometimes give them another 3/4 oz in the evenings.

 

DRY vs. CANNED vs RAW FOOD - WHICH IS BEST ?
This remains an ongoing debate and we wish there were some clear conclusions but none exist. In VERY general terms, experimenting with our own pets and our customers. As noted above, the dry vs. wet issue seems to have reached a compromise depending upon the animal. We have not reached a good conclusion on raw other than to say some animals have done well with it while others have had a terrible time with diarrhea and intestinal disorders.

Although our own dogs have LOVED the raw diet since it is very natural for any carnivore, they tend to over eat or eat aggressively. We remain concerned how "pure" the raw food really is considering the inconsistent results we have seen. How much filler is there? Has it always been refrigerated? How long was it in the freezer?

We have had actually an interesting result taking grocery grade lean beef, chicken, and turkey, fully cooking it, and shredding small amounts mixed with kibble. The smell is delicious to the animal, the flavor is good, we know there are no fillers, and we know it is fresh and safe for any human. All our pets have loved this mix and we have had great results not gaining weight nor digestive problems.

 

PET VITAMINS & SUPPLEMENTS
As with humans, there are many debates over the value of supplements for your animals. We feel strongly about providing gloucosamine and other joint supplements plus vitamins for their coats.

 

TAINTED PET FOOD DISASTER UPDATES
Many people recall the tainted dog food nightmare of 2007/2008 where Menu Foods of Canada were mixing melamine, a chemical used to make kitchen counter tops, into American dog food to increase the calorie counts. This mess created thousands of kidney and liver failures in pets. Although most U.S. companies immediately caught this nightmare and cut off their imports of these food fillers and derivatives, the death of many animals were totally unjustified. (CLICK-HERE for the original report).

As with many companies in the pet food business, Menu Foods of Canada started out as a quality supplier to many brands. Sadly, their growth and push for extreme profits drove them to dilute the quality of their foods killing many pets. As of March 2010, they really never recovered from this debacle and are now looking to sell all or most of their assets. CLICK-HERE to read more at www.TruthAboutPetFood.com.

 

FURTHER NUTRITION READING
There are many sources for reading about pet nutrition and all have their own biases and recommendations. We like to present the ones that make us think, are weighted with common sense, and balance these against our own experiences. The pet owner can then reach their own conclusions.

Truth About Pet Food.com - Although biased against many big brands, it is a starting point for understanding the problems with many of the popular foods today.

AVMA food alerts and recalls - The American Veterinary Medical Association is a fantastic site to keep updated on pet food problems.

Only Natural Pet Store - This is an interesting pet food store dedicated to holistic foods, supplements, care, and materials. There is a really good online blog and "ask the vet" area regarding many health issues. Good reading.

Health Food For Pets - Although this is a branded pet food site it offers a lot of good comparison data of the food contents and discusses using alternative "people foods" your pets will enjoy.