TAKE A LOOK AT THAT LABEL!

There are more than 300 pet food companies offering a wide variety of foods. If your pet has special requirements due to medical conditions, you should always discuss diet with your veterinarian. If you are just trying to find a good quality food, here are some hints for interpreting some of the information pet food labels.

Contributed by Dr. Barb Smith DVM of the Waterloo Veterinary Clinic

• Look for the words “Complete and Balanced” which indicate that the food contains the essential nutrients of a balanced diet. Check to see what AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) method was used to substantiate this claim. One method is simply a calculation of nutrient content using standard tables of ingredients. The other is the food trial method in which the food is fed to animals and evaluated on its actual performance. This is the best choice.

• Look for a toll free number on the label. If there is a toll free number, it usually indicates that the company is willing to answer any questions and stand behind its product. Ask about the digestibility. A reasonable food should have a minimum digestibility of 80%, premium (higher priced) foods should have at least 86% digestibility. A food with low digestibility may include poor ingredients and/or large amounts of indigestible (insoluble) fiber and, unless it is specifically intended as a weight loss diet, you will need to feed larger amounts and have more waste to clean up in the yard!

• What about preservatives? Most of us want to avoid preservatives, but in the case of dry pet foods, that may not be wise. Preservatives prevent the fat content of the food from becoming rancid. Pets may be willing to eat rancid food, but it may make your pet sick. There are two types of preservatives, natural (tocopherals or Vit E and ascorbic acid or Vit C) and synthetic (BHT, BHA, ethoxyquin). Natural preservatives are more expensive and will be found in higher priced foods. You should choose a dry food with some type of preservative. If you are determined to avoid preservatives, feed canned food.

• Cost is a concern for most of us. When it comes to pet food it’s probably true that you get what you pay for. Although you don’t have to buy the most expensive food available, you shouldn’t buy the cheapest food either.

• The quality of ingredients guides the cost of the food and although the guaranteed analysis on the label may look alike, it does not mean they contain the same quality or quantity of nutrients. The guaranteed analysis is only required to list the minimum percentage of crude protein and crude fat and the maximum percentage of crude fiber and moisture. It gives no indication of the source or quality of these ingredients or the exact amount so it is not a good tool for choosing a food.

The final test of a food is how well your pet does with it. Your pet should enjoy the food (but not overindulge!), have normal stools, a healthy and shiny hair coat and a good energy level for its age. If this isn’t the case, you need to think about a diet change. There are lots of good choices just look at a few labels and don’t necessarily grab the bag that’s on sale this week!

“The best doctor in the world is a veterinarian. They can't ask their

patients what is the matter - they just have to know.”

~Will Rogers