Ya know, the old adage “you are what you eat” now needs to be extended to our dogs and cats. Think about it, what bonds a dog or cat to it’s owner? How would you feel if everything you fed your pet (all be it nutritionally beneficial) was bland or boring. Why, not only would you feel guilty, but your friends and family would probably label you as a bad parent. You know, give the pooch a treat will ya!
Let’s cut to the chase and with some considerations worth discussing when it comes to therapeutic and commercially available pet foods.
1. Make Them Prove It.
If a pet food claims to contain “human grade” ingredients then in addition to reading the label, go online and research the manufacturers website and ask their customer service rep’s for additional information or ingredient analysis. Remember, very little governmental oversight goes into the manufacturing of pet foods.
2. Still itching?
Wheat, soy and corn have no business in a dogs diet. In fact they are the scientifically cited causes of food allergies. Keep clear of these ingredients even if your pet has no food allergies. These are food “fillers” with little or no nutritional value.
Consider novel protein sources for dogs such as white fish, venison, duck, rabbit or vegetarian diets. Potatoes are a great carbohydrate source.
Cat owners, consider venison, duck,rabbit and lamb instead of fish and use green peas as a carbohydrate source.
3. On A Diet–Eat It Up.
Remember, your pet only cares about one thing-taste. Owners often complain about therapeutic diets being bland and poorly received. No wonder why diets high in fats or laced with sugars (including beet pulp) are scarfed down. So remember, there are inferior pet foods just as there are inferior human (fast) foods.
The key to feeding a successful therapeutic diet for overweight management is intestinal fortitude on your part. Just say NO to your pets hunger fasts, to the whining or meowing fits. Feed at specific times, preferably after you have eaten, leave the food down for no more than 1 hour then pick it up until the next scheduled feeding, and lay off the treats. Treats should only account for 10% of your pets caloric intake.
4. Get Help
As a veterinarian, I find many of my colleagues know very little about pet nutrition. Their pushing of certain pet foods commonly found in their waiting rooms meet with questionable science background. Question the use of alternative pet food diets or homemade diets that can be matched to the desired affects that you seek. There are many ways to keep your pet satisfied and therapeutically meet the physiological needs of the condition you are treating.
No kidding, check out our “Healing Diets and Pet Health” pages for more informative recommendatrions and discussion. If that’s not enough, then give us a call so we can point you in the right direction.
Dr John
Dear Dr. John:
As a former pet store owner, I concur with your assessment of dog foods. You are correct that many veterinarians would rather treat your dog or cat diagnosed with skin allergies with steroids injections or other medications that compromise your pets liver or kidneys. It never hurts to try, by process of elimination of wheat, corn and soy in the diet for a month to see if your pets’ skin allergies improve. It doesn’t cost anything but the price of the food (that you will have to provide anyway) and your diligence and . . . your pet will thank you too!
Thank you Catherine for your in-sight and advice on the foods we feed our dogs. As the owner of a beagle who died many years ago I wish we had a source to go to for advice and care of our dog. Sincerely, Elizabeth