Pet Services - Understanding pet food

What's best to feed your dog or cat depends on their age, size and activity level. But in all cases, to ensure good health, Rover or Kitty should be fed at regularly scheduled times. Dry foods have the advantage of providing a rough surface that will help reduce plaque and tartar buildup on a pet's teeth but canned foods can be used as supplemental meals.

"Adequacy statements"

To get an idea of the nutritional value of a pet food, check the "adequacy statement" on its label. If the statement says "complete and balanced," the product has met some federal standards. If it also says "for all life stages," the product has met the more stringent nutritional needs for growth and reproduction. If the statement says "maintenance ration," the product will meet the needs of an adult, non-reproducing dog or cat of normal activity, but may not be sufficient for a growing, reproducing or hard-working animal.

If a product does not meet certain standards, the label must state "this product is intended for intermittent or supplemental feeding" except if it is conspicuously identified as a snack or treat.

Don't be misled by labels that state a product is for "young," "mature," or "senior" pets or for a specific size or breed. There are no rules governing these types of statements on labels and little information as to the true dietary needs of these more specific categories of animals.

Pet food names and ingredients

The names of pet foods are often misleading. Companies are not required to use better ingredients to label their products with names such as "premium," "super premium," "ultra premium," "gourmet" or "natural."

The only way to know what's actually in a can or bag of pet food is to read the ingredients list. By law, manufacturers must list contents in their order by weight. If an ingredient is listed first, it means there's more of it in the food than any other single ingredient not counting water. Beware: the primary ingredient is not always reflected in the name of the product, and may in fact be an undesired ingredient. For example, if your cat will not eat fish, buying her something called "Chicken Formula" cat food might not do any good. If you read the ingredients list, you might find that the stuff contains more fish than chicken.

A pet food must have at least 95% of a type of meat, poultry or fish - not counting water - before a manufacturer can use names such as "Beef for Dogs" or "Tuna Cat Food." And counting the water, the named ingredient must comprise 70 percent of the product. If the name includes a combination of ingredients, such as "Chicken 'n Liver Dog Food," the two together must comprise 95% of the total weight. The first ingredient in the name must be the one of higher presence in the food. For example, a product can not be named "Lobster and Salmon for Cats" if it contains more salmon than lobster.

On the other hand, the named ingredient has to comprise only 25% of the product not counting water if the name of the product includes words such as "dinner," "platter," "entree," "nuggts" or "formula." For example, "Beef Dinner for Dogs" probably has no more than 25% beef.

If more than one ingredient is included in a product's name, there must be no less than 3% of each ingredient in the product and the contents listed in the name must be put in the same order as found on the ingredients list. For example, something called "Chicken n' Fish Dinner Cat Food" must have more chicken than fish. Together, the ingredients in the name must total at least 25% of the product.

But if a manufacturer puts the word "with" in front of an ingredient, the product need contain no more than 3% of the stuff. Therefore, by law a can of something called "Cat Food With Tuna" need only contain 3% tuna. But "Tuna Cat Food," must contain at least 95% tuna. Foods to Avoid Feeding to Your Pet:

• Alcoholic beverages
• Avocado
• Chocolate
• Coffee
• Fatty foods
• Macadamia nuts
• Moldy or spoiled foods
• Onions, onion powder
• Raisins and grapes
• Salt
• Yeast dough
• Garlic
• Products sweetened with xylitol