Post on 08-May-2015
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Ken Lambrecht DVM
Medical Director Westside Family Pet Clinic
Presented March 24th, 2012
4th Annual Pets Reducing for Rescues Contest 2nd Annual Preventive Nutrition Fair
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TOP 10 PET FOOD LABEL FACTS
HOW TO READ A PET FOOD LABEL
FDA & AAFCO regulated Is a legal document
THE LUCKY 13!• 3 most concerning to pet owners
• 3 most important to board certified veterinary nutritionists
• 4 potentially helpful & interesting areas
• 3 Supplements (Probiotics, Fish oils & joint supplements)
WHY DO WE AS PET OWNERS WORRY? Melamine disaster of 2007? Distrust of “big box” companies Human food issues (salmonella, e coli
etc) We want our pets to live a long and
healthy life! Reading pet food & supplement labels is
TOUGH work!
Bug LANCE
MY BUDDIES!
PET FOOD IS AN EMOTIONAL ISSUE!
TEAM WORK!
OUR ROLE AS VETERINARIANS
1. Trusted advisors/scientists2. Prevent interactions/side effects3. Above all do no harm4. Preventive5. 70% of pet owners consult their veterinarian about pet food
3 MOST CONCERNING TO PET OWNERS
1. Are grains bad?2. What is best protein source? 3. Are “byproducts” safe?
WHAT DO DOGS NEED? Omnivorous Not apex predators like wolf (more like
foxes) Very adaptable as species Variation in breeds (over 268!) Has eaten what man has given him/her
since domestication
WHAT DO CATS NEED?
True or obligate carnivores Natural diet mice birds & lizards,
crickets etc Almost 58% protein Evolutionarily have not changed in over
9000 years! Have always eaten what they want!
(what they can kill)
GRAINS (CORN, WHEAT, RICE) Quality How allergic are they? Processing needs to be defined
THE GREAT GRAIN DEBATE
opponents proponents
CORN filler poor protein source poorly digestible causes allergies
corn meal is good source of protein
SOY cheap source of inferior protein
Fine if used w/ complementary grains
WHEAT allergenic not allergenic
DRY PROTEIN SOURCES (% AS FED) Poultry by product meal 65 to 70% Chicken meal 63 to 67% Fish meal 60 to 65% Corn gluten meal 60 to 64% Meat & bone meal 50 to 55% Soybean meal 46 to 50%
MOST COMMON ADVERSE REACTIONS = ALLERGIES
Reference: Verlinden A, Hesta M, Millet S et al Food allergy in cats & dogs a review Crit Review Food Sci Nutrtion 2006;46:259-273
Cats (n=89)
1. Beef (20%)2. Dairy (14.6%)3. Fish (13%)4. Lamb (6.7%)5. Poultry (4.5%)6. Barley/wheat
(4.5%)
Dogs (n= 198)
1. Beef (36%)2. Dairy (28%)3. Wheat (15%)4. Egg (10%)5. Chicken
(9.6%)6. Lamb (6.6%)7. Soy (6%)
WE ARE REALLY TALKING ABOUT IS OVER PROCESSING
Corn meal Polenta Whole corn High fructose corn syrup
SHOULD WE WORRY?
3 MOST IMPORTANT THINGS ON LABEL TO BOARD CERTIFIED VETERINARIANS
American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) statement (Feeding trial or meets profile at minimum)
Appropriate life stage (growth/location, maintenance)
Amount to feed (calories/cup & calculations)
4. AAFCO LABELS
AAFCO “Feeding study or trial done” = BEST
“Meets established AAFCO levels” = GOOD
No statement = BEWARE No statement but “To be used under
supervision of a veterinarian” = RX FOODS
AAFCO FEEDING STUDY
At least 8 dogs At least 6 months Blood work, weights, stool quality Only way to tell protein quality
(digestibility)
5. CORRECT AMT TO FEED BASED ON AGE, CALORIC DENSITY & ACTIVITY
Feeding charts not accurate Calories not always listed on bag Only crude protein levels listed
6. LIFE STAGE STATEMENTS & LIGHT FORMULAS Growth/lactation Maintenance Light formulas (less than 320 Cal/cup) Senior, others?
4 THINGS POTENTIALLY HELPFUL/INTERESTING
TO ALL OF US
7. Ingredients (major & minor)8. Manufacturer details9. Natural/Organic/Human Grade
claims10. Preventive value (fish oils, joint
supplements, protein level, anti tartar etc)
7. INGREDIENTS In order by weight Meat source in first three Salt divider Beware of Ingredient “splitting”
MINOR VS MAJOR Salt divider
8. MANUFACTURER DETAILS Phone number Ability to track & recall Does internal controls & quality checks Has Board certified veterinary
nutritionist on staff Answers your questions to you & your
veterinarian’s satisfaction!
9. ORGANIC, HOLISTIC, HUMAN GRADE There is currently no FDA definition for
Organic, holistic or human grade for pet food
10. PREVENTIVE VALUE Fish oils Glucosamine, Perna Green lipped
mussel etc Probiotics Correct caloric density /Protein level
WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO PREVENT? Overweight dogs (even 10% is not
Ideal!) Dental disease Arthritis Cancer Immune system challenges
PREVENTING & TREATING OBESITY
FISH OILS (EPA & DHA) Need to know dose to be anti-
inflammatory 20mg/lb of EPA per day
60 lb dog will need 1200 mg typical human capsule is 180mg will need to give 7 daily or feed Rx diet
Sources: Can get at Wal-Mart, Costco etc or in Rx foods
Note: flax does not = fish oil (EPA & DHA)
JOINT SUPPLEMENTS Consumerlab.com Glucosamine (not enough in food by
law) Perna Green lipped Mussel (not
regulated) Chondroitin sulfate (expensive)
Use veterinary label products only
PROBIOTICS LIVE organisms (need to know which
ones) Killed by heat Dose very important 5 billion
CFU/capsule best Human products up to 450 billion!
THE TEAM’S FAVORITE REFERENCES Feed Your Pet Right Marion Nestle Chow Hounds Dr Ernie Ward Pub Med/peer reviewed Consumerlab.com Pet label 101 website
DON’T WORRY!
Or…
Worry as much about ideal weight as ingredients!
Ideal weight pets live a 15% longer life, have less pet food expense & fewer health problems
PETS REDUCING FOR RESCUES 2012 57 participants in 2011 (37 dogs & 20 cats) DCHS, FOF & Grey Muzzle Bad Dog Frida & Mad Cat WFPC will donate $1 per pound lost Form Dog Packs & Cat prides until 3/31/12!
Clover
Thank you for your attention! Questions?
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