Working in a pet store, the number one question I get asked is always regarding food…what’s a good food, what should be in the food, what food would be good for my animal that has (insert random condition).  I’ve made it somewhat of a quest to learn as much as I can about pet food, because staring at someone blankly when they ask me a question is in no way helpful. Before I started working at Pet Valu, I really had no earthly idea about pet foods, and what either made them good or bad. So it’s been an eye opener to say the least, and I am nowhere near being an expert yet. Pet food is a complicated subject.

A really good example was the other night when a lady came in and was looking for IAMS food. Because it’s all been recalled, we didn’t have any (and really, we don’t keep it in stock anyway), and obviously upon finding out that information she was slightly horrified, and was like, “why would no one at another store ever mention that before?” Which, really, valid question, why wouldn’t they? Then I was like, “and IAMS does some pretty horrible animal testing”, and she became even more horrified, and said, “oh, I kind of wish you hadn’t told me that”. But really, isn’t it better to know, a) not only what is in the pet food you are feeding your pet, but b) where it came from? The problem with alerting people to these type of things is that after they find out, they either have to do something about it by not supporting that company, or choose to keep buying it like they never found out anything. But the latter is hard to do, because there is always going to be a nagging feeling in the back of your mind every time you scoop up some IAMS.

Anyway, that could be an entirely different post, but the point is, I think most people want to know what’s in the food they are feeding their pet right? And even though companies like IAMS, Eukanuba, Beneful, Science Diet (ie, commercial dog food brands),  try to convince you otherwise with commercials featuring happy romping puppies in a field or something, the truth is, feeding an animal that kind of stuff  is like feeding them fast food every day, to make an apt comparison.

And although higher quality foods indeed cost more, your dog or cat will consume less of it, because higher quality foods are more filling, and don’t contain nasty fillers.  Just like humans, dogs and cats need healthy food so that their body can function to its full capacity, so they don’t get sick or develop health issues, etc. Higher quality foods are more digestible, therefore the animal meets more of their nutritional requirements from a smaller serving of higher quality food.

So, how do you find a food that’s not horrible? One quick test, is that if it is available in a grocery store, or a place like Walmart, chances are, it’s not the greatest food.

Reading a Label

In pet foods, the ingredients are listed in the order of weight, but you need to read it carefully. Some manufacturers take undesirable ingredients like rice and divide it into something like: brewer’s rice, rice gluten and rice bran, so that “rice” can appear lower down on the list of ingredients. Also, the ingredients are measured before manufacturing, so this is slightly misleading as well, as it will include the water content (which is removed in manufacturing process).  In other words, ingredient lists can be used to make a product look healthier than it actually is.  You also have to be careful with “meals”, as “chicken meal” is a lot better than say, “beef and bone meal”.

In a good food, a couple protein sources should be listed within the first three ingredients. You don’t want “meat by-products”. You want to have lots of meat, vegetables, whole grains, and other real food ingredients on the label. Ideally, three out of the first five or so ingredients on the list are some sort of protein source, preferably fish or meat.

Sources of protein: fish and meat, plus vegetables and grain.
Sources of carbohydrates:  rice, wheat, corn (which is indigestible to dogs, so not a desirable ingredient)
Sources of fat: animal fats and vegetable oils
Natural preservatives: Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Rosemary extract
Added preservatives: mixed tocopherols (Vitamin E), BHA (fat preservative), Ethoxyquin (prevents spoilage)

Every pet food label also has a “guaranteed analysis” section, which is a listing of the overall concentration of nutrients in the food, and gives the quantities in a percentage:

Crude protein: is the energy source, and the source of amino acids, protein helps to restore cells.
Crude fat: is a concentrated source of energy and source of essential fatty acids.
Crude fiber :prevents constipation and helps clean the digestive system.
Moisture:basically measures the amount of water in the food. The more moisture there is, the less nutritional the food is.
Ash : a certain amount of ash is necessary. It refers to the inorganic portion of food sample that remains after the sample is burned at 600 degrees for two hours. (ie., the mineral deposit that is left after the animal processes the food)

A quick note about the word “crude”. “Crude” means the content regardless of quality or digestibility, leaving you without any means to determine the true quality of the product from this analysis, which is why the actual ingredients need to be looked at carefully. Crude protein could mean a) actual meat, or b) something undesirable like ground up feathers. Same goes with crude fat, it could mean a) actual animal fat, or b) a vat of rancid restaurant grease. I don’t want to completely disgust people, however at the same time, I think it’s helpful to know. There is so much disgusting stuff in some pet foods that it actually boggles my mind that companies are allowed to get away with it. One horrifying test done on several commercial pet foods found traces of sodium pentobarital in the foods, the drug that is used to euthanize animals. So yes, some pet food companies use animals euthanized at pounds and shelters for food rendering.

People often always ask me what I would feed my own pets, and what I wouldn’t. But it should be noted, getting recommendations from somebody, whether it be a vet, a friend or an employee at a pet store is no substitute for researching foods yourself, because you know what is best for your pet.

So,that being said,  here is my list of what I would and wouldn’t feed my pet, and this includes brands for both cats and dogs.

I wouldn’t feed my animal:  IAMS, Eukanuba, Ol’Roy, Purina (Beneful, ProPlan), Science Diet, Royal Canin, Friskies, Kibbles and Bits, Pedigree.

I would feed my animal: Taste of the Wild, Chicken Soup for the Soul Food*, Weruva, Wellness, Performatrin, Go! Natural, Blue, Wellness, Canidae, Merrick.

*I was leery about this food at first because you know, the whole Chicken Soup franchise is kind of at an overkill point for me, but the food is actually really, really good.

Honestly, the prices between some of these foods don’t vary all that much. You can get a bag of Science Diet or Royal Canin for the same price as you can get Taste of the Wild or Chicken Soup.

And a little note about cats, which I’m sure PETA would disagree with: cats are obligate carnivores, they need meat to live. Their meals should be made up primarily of meats. Cats need a high protein source, kittens even more so.

So what’s the best pet food on the market? There is no one best food, it all depends on your animal.  Plus, people’s opinions will always vary. Some dogs need higher fat and protein than others; some prefer canned over dry. Feed what is appropriate for your pet: dogs need dog food, and puppies need puppy food (same with kittens). Try not to switch brands every month, but do not be afraid to switch brands and find one that your pet does well on. Use the guaranteed analysis, ingredients listings and feeding guidelines to help guide your decision.

The fact is, pet food labels are not easy to read and understand, and are often quite ambiguous. The labeling is not really consumer friendly in any way, and it takes a lot of research to know what exactly is in the food you are feeding your animal.

There is a lot of information to take in about pet food, and it’s quite the learning curve. I’m sure there is a part two of this post coming up at some point in the future. But I think the bottom line is, it’s better to know than not know, because it’s all about having the healthiest pet possible!

– Post by Megan