Our Pet’s Nutrition
Dog food, what is it made of? well that would depend on what brand you use and in current times we have all seen more pet recalls than one would care for. Having said that I will leave it to the experts, May is nturition month at Hope Vet and here is what they had to say.
May is Nutrition Month at Hope Vet
Throughout May, we are promoting healthy nutrition for pets. Keep reading for details about special events and offers throughout this month!
Arguably the most important of Hope Vet’s core values is our belief that good nutrition is fundamental to optimal health. We cannot emphasize strongly enough that all pets need—and deserve!—food that is appropriate to their species, made from the highest quality ingredients, and free from artificial flavors, coloring, low-grade fillers and by-products. Thankfully a wide and ever-growing variety of healthy food products are available, so pet parents no longer have to rely on the major manufacturers churning out cheap, sub-standard products which often originate from unhealthy sources. It is notable that even these manufacturers are scrambling to come up with healthy sounding foods. But it does not take much research to discover that these products contain ingredients that are more conducive to optimizing the company’s bottom line than to our pets optimum health.What Should the Concerned Pet Parent Feed Their Pets?
Hope Vet recommends feeding raw or home-cooked foods, high-quality canned or freeze-dried foods. Grain-free dry food should be offered in limited portions, if at all. We wholeheartedly believe that dogs and cats can live excellent, healthy lives on properly selected and prepared home-cooked or raw food diets. The pets we see who are fed these diets have glossy coats, bright eyes, well-formed stool, and have minimal episodes of diarrhea or vomiting. They maintain optimal weights, have great energy, and seem less susceptible to parasites, allergies and diseases of older age than their commercially-fed counterparts.
Raw Food
Raw food has been somewhat controversial due to the higher levels of bacteria found in the food. However, holistic practitioners agree that animals do very well and seem not seem to be affected by the bacteria, likely probably because their colons are so much shorter than ours. While some pet parents are able to prepare raw diets using fresh human-grade meat, most rely on prepared raw diets, which are a great option because they are nutritionally-balanced. There are a number of raw foods on the market, and trial and error will tell you which your pet prefers. Dogs usually adapt quickly to the change. Cats can be a little more cautious, so some people mix a high-quality canned food into the raw to ease the transition. Mixing high-quality canned food can also be mixed with raw foods for variety as well as to offset the higher cost of raw food diets.
Home Cooking
Cooking for your pet might sound like a chore, but most of those who do it report that it is easy to get the hang of and that their pets love the food. Dogs are easy to cook for. Cooking for cats can be a little more challenging nutritionally because of having to ensure the presence of taurine, an essential amino acid found in high quality muscle meats and clams.
Canned Foods
For those who might find feeding a raw or home-cooked diet impractical or unappealing, we recommend feeding a high-quality canned food containing human-grade organ meats and vegetables, free of chemical additives, colorings or preservatives. Reading labels is very important.
Case in point: The label on Halo brand Spot’s Stew for Cats Succulent Salmon Recipe indicates it contains salmon, chicken broth, beef liver, zucchini, yellow squash, green peas, carrots, carrots, turkey, celery, green beans, water (sufficient for processing), okra, mustard greens, calcium citrate, dried kelp, flax seed meal, sweet potato, pumpkin and ascorbic acid.
Meanwhile, the label on Nine Lives Seafood Platter canned cat food reads as follows: meat by-products, water sufficient for processing, poultry by-products, fish, chicken, calcium carbonate, guar gum, salt, potassium chloride, sodium tripolyphosphate, dried whey, titanium dioxide, shrimp, crab, choline chloride, carrageen, Vit e. Vit A, thiamine mononitrate, niacin, d-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, menadione sodium bisulfite complex, vit d3, folic acid, biotin, vit b12, magnesium oxide, ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, calcium iodate, sodium selenite, taurine and sodium nitrite (to promote color retention).
Comparing the ingredients in a holistic pet food formula versus what’s in a commercial (grocery store) formula, which one would you rather eat? We certainly prefer, and recommend, the healthier option made from natural meats, fruit and vegetables.
In addition to ensuring quality ingredients, holistic pet foods have reliable, safe origins and manufacturing processes. The pet food recall of 2007 exposed the unscrupulous sources that major commercial pet food manufacturers often use. Melamine, a compound that has a number of industrial uses, including as a binding agent and flame retardant, has no approved use as an ingredient in animal or human food in the United States. Yet it was present (used as a filler) in over 100 brands of dog and cat food that were recalled from major big-box retailers, and was found to be responsible for numerous pet deaths. Tip: Periodically check this page of the ASPCA web site for updates on pet food recalls.
Dry Food
Many holistic pet food advocates believe that mass-market dry food has little nutritional value, and is also contributing to a nation of obese, nutritionally- deprived animals. While we agree, there are better-quality dry foods on the market. Just as with canned foods, it is important to check the label for ingredients. Select foods that include dehydrated meats and vegetables, and do not contain any by-products, coloring or preservatives. Again, we recommend feeding dry foods as a supplement only, rather than the primary diet.
Fresh Water
We cannot emphasize enough the importance of fresh water to the health of animals. There is evidence that some of the common diseases of old age in pets, especially kidney disease, are caused by a combination of dry food and too little water. The best to way to ensure that your pet gets enough water is to mix water into wet food until you have a stew-like consistency. We have found that most pets adapt quite well to this. For those that don’t, or for underweight animals, you can substitute a low-sodium (important!) chicken broth for the water.
Treats
The same precautions that you take when feeding canned or dry food should be taken in your treat selection. Avoid anything with preservatives or coloring in its ingredients. As treats are supposed to be fun, this is a time that you might try to experiment and introduce your pet to fruits, vegetables and homemade treats. Many dogs like carrots, broccoli and fruit, and many cats like cantaloupe and asparagus.
If you have any additional questions about nutrition for your pet(s), please give Hope Vet a call 718 – 852 – 4219.
NUTRITION MONTH SPECIAL EVENTS
We are proud to be featuring free samples and the opportunity to speak with representatives of pet food companies that we endorse, weekends in May from noon to 4:00 pm. We will have several free nutrition seminars, with refreshments for humans as well as free samples to bring home to pets. See dates and times below. Capacity is very limited, so please RSVP for the event(s) by emailing petnutrition@hopevet.com. Don’t forget to mention in the email which seminar you are registering for.
Saturday, May 5th
Samples Noon–4:00 pm
Samples of Woofshire Farms dog treats available outside the clinic.
Sunday, May 6th
Samples Noon–4:00 pm
Samples of Zoe’s Premium “People Food for Dogs” available outside the clinic.
Wednesday, May 9th
Seminar 6:30–8:30 pm
Healthy Alternatives to Prescription Diets: Hope’s Veterinarians Present the Case for Managing Disease with Better Diets
Please RSVP: petnutrition@hopevet.com
Saturday, May 12th
Samples Noon–4:00 pm
Samples of Weruva brands and Stella & Chewy’s brand foods available outside the clinic.
Seminar 5:00–7:00 pm
Weruva and Stella & Chewy’s: How a Passion for Their Pets Led to Manufacturing Healthy Pet Foods
Please RSVP: petnutrition@hopevet.com
Saturday, May 19th
Samples noon–4:00 pm
Samples of Primal Pet Foods available outside the clinic; representatives from Primal Pet Foods will be on-hand.
Seminar 5:00–7:00 pm
The Benefits of Raw Food and Why is Dry Food Bad When My Pet Loves It So Much?
Please RSVP: petnutrition@hopevet.com
Wednesday, May 23rd
Seminar 6:30–8:30 pm
It’s Not all About Cats and Dogs: Healthy Nutrition for Avian, Reptile and Exotic Pets
Samples will be available from Oxbow and Zoo Med turtle food.
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