PET FOOD LABELING, PART 2

                                                

Continuing the blog from last week, I share my own experience in reading food labels on my own cookie favorite, Vanilla Oreos. In a quick glance, three cookies have 170 calories. That is a mid-day treat for me, when time allows. However, in a quick change of allegiance, I noted the lemon flavored Oreos had only 150 calories. Or so I thought.  As a reward for a calm moment the next day I sat down to eat the little treasures and surveyed the back panel. Well, much to my surprise, now my allotment was 2 cookies! Yes, great marketing that appeared to have less calories, and I am down 1 cookie. The point –  I did not read the label carefully and was fooled. This got me thinking. In the 5 seconds that the average pet owner spends to select a pet product, how many flip to the pack panel?

What are some tricks in reading dog food labels?

I remember the Consumer Reports article years ago that had a dog food where shoe leather was the main ingredient. For many consumers, the percent of protein is the gold standard. However, that number does NOT reflect digestibility and bioavailability of that protein to a dog.

The second trick is the word minimum. For example the 4% fiber minimum on a can is non digestible. So the true fiber content could be much higher.

Finally, ingredients are listed in descending order of quantity with often minute amounts of human attractive foods such as “blueberries." To sort it out, find the sodium chloride (or equivalent salt) in the list, and all over ingredients listed behind it are 1% or less.

Is there a quick questionnaire to ask the manufacturer to establish is it a balanced diet?

Yes, ask who formulates the diet and do they have one of the following on staff: board certified nutritionist or PhD nutritionist.

Are they available for consultations?

Do they perform in house feeding trials?

Where is it manufactured and is it contracted out?

Is complete nutritional analysis available?

Is there research on the product published in peer reviewed journals?

Where is the documentation that the marketing materials stated on the label are based on sound science and have an industry standard meaning? (Ex. Healthy weight)

Are there some independent sites to check out common varieties of pet food for calories, etc?

The Association for Pet Obesity,  www. Dog food Analysis.com , and the Truth About pet food.   Note the site “Pet Food Advisor” is written by a human dentist, not a veterinary nutritionist.

How does a pet owner search out meaning of terms in pet food?

Words such as meat, by-products, dinner, supper, with flavor, chicken meal, and fish meal, for example, all have special meaning defined by the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). . Chicken meal is actually the spine and ribs of the carcass ground up fine (and less digestible than the by-products). It is NOT the chicken breast in human chicken salad as marketers would have portrayed.

What is Organic pet food?

 There is no data to back that organic is healthier, nor does it refer to the quality of the raw material. It is a verb that describes the process under which the plants or animals are grown or raised.  

What is natural?

It means solely from a plant, animal, or mined source not having been chemically synthesized, except trace minerals or vitamins.

What is the industry standard on how much to feed a dog?

The standard is for an intact Beagle; yet, when neutered the metabolism is 30% less. Therefore feeding guidelines on pet food bags typically overestimate by 30%.

What are human or holistic grade pet foods?

There is no such term defined by AAFCO so it is a marketing term that is baseless. 

What guidelines are established for the acquired textures of pet food for small dogs and cats?

 They are texture driven, not taste driven (only 500 taste buds). They do not like: the crumbly pieces in the mouth after biting into a hard kibble (think teddy graham when you crunch on it).  In summary small dogs over all prefer soft and cats often like the x shaped kibble.  

Will dental diets get rid of hard tartar on the teeth as a treatment?

Dental diets work as a preventative, not a jack hammer once tartar is present

When my pet during an office visit is given a body score of 6 (1 to 9 scale) what does that mean?

So if ideal is a 5 , and your pet is  labeled a 6, then each even number is 10% over with so for a 50 lb dog that would be if 55 lbs. want to get to 50.

Is there a site to calculate human treats to more accurately determine my pet’s total calories in addition to the pet food consumed?

Yes, http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/

What is the basic calculation that is utilized on adult pets to determine their caloric needs for weight loss?

To calculate ideal weight go to metabolic formula 70 x body wt.  in kg to the 0.75 power will be the caloric intake. Some start with current amount x 0.8 and others go straight to ideal weight and calculate it.

Last week I mentioned Erik Axelsson’s work at an evolutionary geneticist at Uppsala University in Sweden to separate wolf from dog diets  as domestic  dogs evolved around human garbage dumps. A similar link is noted in http://www.wired.com/2014/11/genes-cat-domestication/ on how cats evolved around people.

 I am grateful to Helen Poe sharing her picture of her Dalmatian, Wiggins,  and this photo of Sadie, a golden Retriever shared by Terri Rice 

Betsy Sigmon DVM, Diplomate ABVP Canine and Feline

Hospital Director, Creature Comforts Animal Hospital

Cary, NC