Many Factors to Consider When Choosing Food for Felines and Fidos

Originally published in the Jan. 8, 2014, issue

 

By Dallas Duncan

 

Pet foods run the gamut – raw, dry, wet, organic and more – so there’s a lot to choose from when trying to decide what diet is best for the furry friend Santa left under the tree.

 

“Nutritionists believe that ingredients do not matter. What matters is nutrients,” said Dr. Susan Wynn, nutritionist at Blue Pearl Georgia Veterinary Specialists in Sandy Springs, Ga.

 

The one exception is in felines: nutritionists would not recommend vegetarian diets for cats.



Meat and meat meals are the primary sources of protein in dry and wet cat
foods. Because cats are "obligate carnivores," meaning some of their essential
nutrients come from animal proteins, nutritionists do not recommend
vegetarian diets for felines. Photo by Dallas Duncan

 

“Cats are obligate carnivores. They must have animal protein. In the wild, they will die without animal flesh. Animal flesh contains unique amino acids and fats that you cannot get from plant proteins,” she said.

 

Dogs, on the other hand, are omnivores.

 

Two important nutrients in feline diets are the amino acids arginine and taurine, said Associate State Veterinarian Dr. Wendy Cuevas-Espelid. Arginine prevents toxic ammonia buildup in the bloodstream, and without taurine, cats could suffer from blindness, deafness, heart failure and a host of other diseases, she said. For dogs, protein needs vary by breed, age and activity level.

 

“Kittens need large amounts of energy provided by their food. Their energy requirements are about two to three times more than an adult cat. About 30 percent of their energy should come from protein,” Cuevas-Espelid said. “Puppies need to be fed accordingly for growth to be at an average rate, not a maximum rate, for the breed. This helps to prevent skeletal deformities.”

 

She said puppies and kittens should be on a growth formula until they reach adulthood, and adults should be on a maintenance diet. Older pets should eat a senior diet formulated to provide nutrients for aging animals.

 

Cuevas-Espelid said the primary source of protein in canine and feline diets comes from meat or meal.

 

“A byproduct meal just means they throw a lot of scrap pieces together and they grind them up into a flour, or a meal,” said Alan Lowman, Department ag inputs program director. “The fat content will probably be higher because fat is one of those things that’s discarded, but fat is a high-energy compound. It’s going to make that coat look really shiny.”

 

Meat meal, according to the Associationof American Feed Control Officials, is a more concentrated source of protein because it doesn’t contain the same water content as whole meat. It can be added to dry foods to increase protein content.

 

But not all byproducts are created equal, Wynn said. A large pet food company has come under fire in the past for using byproducts, but what blogs might not tell pet owners is that this company’s byproducts are entire chicken carcasses.

 

“That’s about as Paleolithic and natural as you can get,” Wynn said. “There are cheaper companies who use the cheapest parts, feet and head and things like that, because they are cheap.”

 

Because AAFCO regulations do not allow pet food labels to disclose specific byproducts, Wynn recommends pet owners contact companies to learn more about their byproduct ingredients, and said reputable companies will disclose what they use.

 

The concept of byproducts can turn some pet owners to a raw foods diet, but some experts caution that raw or refrigerated foods can be more susceptible to potential foodborne pathogens and mishandling. Pet foods can be recalled because of bacterial contamination, such as Salmonella, said Jessica Badour, recall outreach specialist for the Department’s Food Safety Division.

 

“Anything that comes refrigerated should be properly held at 41 degrees or colder,” she said. “And again, when you’ve got that raw component, there’s just a higher risk that you could cross-contaminate by handling it and touching something else in your kitchen.”

 

Contaminated pet food is a human safety risk as well, as people can get sick from handling it. Badour advises consumers to keep the bags pet food comes in, or cut off the brand name, UPC code and lot code to keep in case that food is recalled.

 

“Studies that have been done on both commercially available and homemade raw protein diets have found a high percentage, 30 to 50 percent, of them contaminated with pathogenic organisms, and up to 30 percent of the dogs fed such diets may shed pathogenic organisms in their stool,” Cuevas-Espelid said, quoting a statement from the American Animal Hospital Association.

 

Because of these potential health risks, it’s recommended to not feed therapy dogs a raw protein diet. These are animals most likely to be in contact with humans who have compromised immune systems and could be more susceptible to illness, Cuevas-Espelid said.

 

Lowman said cooked food and those which has a “kill step” will be less likely to contain foodborne bacteria. Typically this is a heating step to ensure that pathogens are killed.

 

Wynn said reputable raw diet companies will test products to make sure there are no pathogens as part of their quality control procedures.

 

“Raw diets are typically higher in protein and fat. They tend to be – they don’t have to be – but they tend to have low starch or no starch in them. That’s a very calorie-dense diet and high in fat,” Wynn said. “If you’re talking from a nutrient point of view, it’s a very efficient way to keep weight on a dog with high metabolism.”

 

She said raw meat can help keep weight on some show breeds of canines and felines, as well as those with high activity levels, such as herding breeds and sled dogs. Overweight animals and those with certain diseases, however, should steer clear of raw and other high-fat diets.

 

“There is no proof that a raw diet is better than a processed diet,” Wynn said. “There are raw diets that are dangerous, but there are raw diets that could be good. Raw diets come with problems because there are so many types of raw diets.”

 

Possible problems include injury from whole bone ingredients, though Wynn said reputable companies will finely grind bones ingredients, and diets not being properly balanced. The latter is a problem in homemade raw diets, she said.

 

Making homemade pet treats is a popular trend, and Lowman said consumers should be aware that the sale of pet food and treats is regulated in Georgia.

 

“They all need to have a license and it’s going to have a product registration associated with it,” he said. “If you’re a baker, and you use the leftovers to make dog treats and you put those for sale on your counter, it’s regulated. If you give it away, that’s not. But the first time you sell it or barter it, you need to be licensed.”

A fictional pet food label demonstrates some key requirements
for licensed products. By Dallas Duncan

 

The license is to make sure pet foods and labels meet AAFCO standards. Required label components include name and purpose, such as Beef Dog Food or Beef Flavor Dog Food; name of animal species the product is for; net quantity of both weight and volume; a guarantee analysis, which lists the percentage of each nutrient in the food; an ingredient statement, listed in order of predominance by weight; a nutritional adequacy statement showing food is complete and balanced for a particular life stage; feeding directions; and the name and address of the manufacturer or distributor.

 

Wynn said to research the company thoroughly.

 

“I’m looking for a company that has been around for a long time. They must have a nutritionist formulating all the foods, preferably a veterinary clinical nutritionist that they work with or on staff,” Wynn said. “You can’t make a determination of how good a food is just by the label.”