Pet Chat
by Jennifer Faul
One Diet
Doesn’t Fit All

I am often asked, “What should I feed my dog?” The simple answer is that it just plain depends. Just like no two people are the same or have the same response to different foods, no two pets are the same either. Some animals have food allergies or sensitivities, some are prone to GI upset or inflammatory bowel disease, and some just like certain things more than others. There are some pets that won’t eat a particular food, even if it is healthy and tastes good to others, much the same way my daughter refuses to eat string beans; no matter how much cheese, brown sugar or maple syrup is added, they just don’t taste good to her.
We want our pets to like what they eat and to be eating a healthy well-balanced diet.The enormous Pet Food Recall in March 2007 that affected over 100 different pet foods, and most manufacturers caused many people to question the safety and nutrition of the foods they feed their pets. Subsequent recalls for bacterial contaminants have furthered our concerns.
The fact is that there is some regulation of pet foods. The FDA’s regulation of pet food is similar to that for other animal feeds. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) requires that pet foods, like human foods, be pure and wholesome, safe to eat, produced under sanitary conditions, contain no harmful substances, and be truthfully labeled. In addition, canned pet foods must be processed in conformance with the low-acid canned food regulations to ensure the pet food is free of viable microorganisms. These regulations, and the reporting of animal illnesses, are what ultimately led to the recalls to remove the harmful foods from the marketplace.
Veterinary nutritionists recommend feeding a pet food that has undergone Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) feeding trials. This will be clearly stated on the pet food label. AAFCO was formed in 1909 to establish a framework for uniform regulation of the pet food industry. AAFCO operates within the guidelines of federal and state legislation, including laws administered by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Participation in AAFCO guidelines, however, is completely voluntary. AAFCO establishes standards or models for regulations aimed at ensuring that manufacturers provide clear, accurate and consistent information about animal feed, including pet food.
Check pet food labels to identify which pet foods use AAFCO screening and to also identify which type. AAFCO offers three different methods for substantiating a pet food’s nutritional claim: Feeding trials in which the product has both been laboratory tested and is then fed to dogs or cats according to AAFCO protocols, laboratory analysis in which the finished product is compared to minimum nutritional values established by AAFCO Nutrient Profiles, or analysis comparable in nutritional adequacy, where analysis of the finished product is compared with nutritional values from a similar product that has undergone feeding trials.
By far the best of these is substantiation by actual feeding trials, indicating that the exact food that you are purchasing has been fed exclusively to a group of pets for a minimum of six months, with extensive evaluations of those pets both before and after the feeding trial to assess their nutritional status. The label of these foods will read something like this: “This product has been evaluated and approved by animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedures which substantiate that [this food] provides complete and balanced nutrition for [appropriate life stage].”
Another frequent question is that of feeding raw diets versus cooked or prepared diets. Most canine nutritionists and veterinarians urge dog owners to be VERY CAREFUL about feeding raw meat to their dogs – there are some significant dangers associated with this: namely the risk of infection with microorganisms and parasites. The best practice, as with meat served for human consumption, is to cook meat at a high enough temperature and for a long enough period of time to destroy organisms and break down chemicals used in processing, usually “until the redness is gone.” Even with dogs that can tolerate chronic infection with microorganisms, such as salmonella, these diets, and the dogs’ feces, can pose a significant health risk to the owners and other people.
Just as there is no one diet that is good for all dogs or all cats, the same is true for amounts and frequencies. Cats are obligate carnivores, which means they must eat foods containing meat, and they must eat frequently, at least twice a day. All young pets under the age of 6 months should be offered food at least three times a day. Then, as adults, every pet’s metabolism is different; some can burn a lot of calories by just standing still, and some burn very few, even when they seem to be active. The best way to determine if you are feeding the right amount of food to your pet is by looking at your pet and consulting with your veterinarian. Your veterinarian can help you to determine your pet’s body condition, which is usually measured on a scale of one-to-nine, and where a score of four or five is considered ideal.
In short, whether it is raw diets, home-cooked diets, prepared diets or prescription diets, there is no one diet that is best for every animal. Check with your veterinarian for recommendations for your particular pet, and also ask about appropriate feeding amounts and frequencies. Just as with people, each pet is unique, and what food is best varies with each individual.