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.
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| 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.”
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| 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.”
