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Pet Article
FOOD AND YOUR PET
In the past several years, the number of pet foods available has increased
dramatically. A variety of products line our shelves at grocery stores. Consumers are finding
it more and more difficult to choose the right one. Reading the labels
can even make the situation even more confusing because they contain so much marketing hype
as well as the important information about the food.
Pet food labels can often be misleading. A basic understanding of how pet food labels
work can help consumers make an educated decision about the food that they are buying
for their pet. The pet food label has two main parts, the information panel and the main
display panel. The main display panel is used to make the product look attractive to the
customer. It must include a product name that identifies the product as a pet food, and it
usually also includes a manufacturer's name or a brand name as well. The product name
is subject to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) regulations
on the statement of feed ingredients.
Should the product name includes the word 'beef,' then it must contain at least
70 percent beef, but if the product name includes the words 'beef dinner,' beef
platter,' or 'beef entre,' then the food need contain only 10 percent beef. The term
'with beef,' used to highlight an ingredient, means the product contains at least 3
percent of that ingredient, and a product label 'beef flavor' needs only a
recognizable beef flavor, and beef can comprise less than 1 percent of the total
ingredients.
In addition to the product name, the main display panel may also include a nutrition
claim, which must be substantiated by a nutrition adequacy statement located on the
information panel. Nutrition adequacy claims can be substantiated either by meeting
the AAFCO nutrient profile or by completing an AAFCO feeding trial.
One of the best ways to ensure that you are buying a food that truly meets the nutritional
requirements of your pet is to look for a statement on the bag that says that the product
successfully passed AAFCO feeding trials. These trials require that concrete data, including
data on weight maintenance and blood work is collected from animals that are put on the diet
for an extended period: 10 months for growth formulas and 6 months for adult formulas.
This ensures that the food has no nutritional deficiencies or excesses that could be
detrimental to your pet in the long run.
The information panel must include an ingredient statement, which lists ingredients in
descending order by weight. This can be useful, but it does not tell the buyer either
the quality of the ingredients or their nutritional value. It can be misleading
because although meat may be listed first, it may be the heaviest ingredient only
because of its high moisture content.
The information panel must also include a guaranteed analysis, which contains
percentages of crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, and moisture found in the
product. This is another area where the label can be misleading. The guaranteed analysis
may say that the product contains a certain percentage of protein, but that does not say
anything about its quality or digestibility. For instance, you cannot fulfill your
nutritional protein requirement by eating an old leather shoe, even though the shoe
probably has a high protein content.
Reading all of this may make you question your pet food selection, but before you
switch your pet to another food, ask yourself if you really need to change. Many pet
owners decide to change pet foods because they think that while their pet food is
adequate, another brand is better.
One of the best indicators of the quality of a pet food is how well an animal thrives on
that food. If your animal appears to be doing well, then changing the food can often have
more drawbacks than benefits. Pets are sensitive to changes in diet and any change,
especially a sudden one, can bring about gastrointestinal upset. If you decide to change
foods do it gradually, and choose a food wisely by reading the label carefully.
If you have any further questions about pet nutrition or reading pet food labels,
please consult your local veterinarian.
Mark Woodcock
1 Flea Control
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