Comic # 11 - To Eat or Not To Eat
Written by Cristina Byrne | Illustration by Sarah JL Mapes
With an oversaturated market of pet food brands, it can get overwhelming to try and swim through all the options to decide on what brand of food to select for your pet. And if you have been in the pet supply store, you will notice that there is NO shortage of options.
Just like us humans, your fur kids need specific nutrients to stay healthy too! So whether you are a new pet owner or wondering if your dog food is the best for your pet, it's essential to understand what you are looking for when shopping for pet food.
According to Dr. Heinze, MS, VMD, DACVN, and Associate Professor of Nutrition at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, "Pets require nutrients, not just ingredients."
The ingredient list on pet food labels lists in order of weight, which also includes water weight. Sometimes these labels are ordered for marketing purposes and not helpful for measuring nutritional value.
Dr. Heinze explains, "Whole chicken, which contains water, will show up on a label simply "chicken." Since the moisture content makes it weigh more, it will print near the top of an ingredient list. On the other hand, chicken meal is essentially just dehydrated and processed chicken protein, doesn't weigh as much as the "whole chicken" and thus gets pushed further down the list. Creating an illusion that chicken meal isn't providing as much to the diet as whole chicken, even though the opposite may be true. Yet they're still allowed to list them on their label based on passing specific weight requirements."
Brands LOVE to use fancy marketing words such as "premium," "holistic," or "vet recommended" on pet food labels.
Why?
Because they know it will catch your attention and will buy their product over another. "However, these terms have no practical value when it comes to assessing the food's nutritional content, nor are they FDA regulated."
If you need to read that again, please do!
The FDA website states, "Products labeled as premium or gourmet are not required to contain any different or higher quality ingredients, nor are they held up to any higher nutritional standards than are any other complete and balanced products."
BOOM!
There are marketing buzzwords we hear when it comes to pet food. Such as "grain-free." Grain-free means any dog food made without wheat, corn, rice, and other grains. As Dr. Venator explains, though, "there's a myth out there not supported by veterinary medicine that grains cause allergies - this is not the case. The reality is that true food allergies are extremely low in dogs and cats. Grain allergies in dogs are so uncommon that they affect less than one percent of dogs."
Another buzzword we hear is "human grade." Human-grade dog food is "currently a loose term to describe food that is edible for people" which sounds like a nutritious option for your pet....right?
According to The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), the term "human-grade," "has no standardized definition in the pet food space." The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) however has defined the term as "edible." While dog food that is called "human-grade" could mean that it has passed all the requirements to be edible to humans, it doesn't necessarily mean that it will also be a nutritious for your pet. It may lack a complete nutritional value such as the correct amount of specific vitamins and minerals that your fur baby needs.
Marketing professionals are very much aware that consumers find the term "human grade" eye-catching which then allows them to justify the price increase on pet food, making it seem more privilege to other pet food options.
Here Bread & Butter's 2 cents, don't worry about whether the ingredient list of your pet's food sounds like something YOU WOULD eat in a fancy restaurant - look for useful information on the label, so you don't get tricked by ingredient lists - you can read about it HERE.
So what does your pet need for a well balanced diet?
As for cats according to Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine, “Cats are obligate carnivores, which means that they rely on nutrients found only in animal products. Cats evolved as hunters that consume prey that contains high amounts of protein, moderate amounts of fat, and a minimal amount of carbohydrates, and their diet still requires these general proportions today. Cats also require more than a dozen other nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and amino acids.”
According to pets.webmd.com, your dog needs a mix of:
Proteins
Carbohydrates
Fats
Vitamins
Minerals
Water
You can read further detail information about each of these nutrients HERE.
If you are wondering what is better dry or canned dog food? Both will give your dog proper nutrition - just remember to check the label. Some experts prefer dry food because it may "help keep teeth and gums healthy."
