Choosing the right food for your pet important to health

There are days when things are slow I really enjoy stirring up a can of worms by getting into a discussion about what is the best food for my pet. First, let's think about the pet's gastrointestinal tract. This is an organ that has evolved over thousands of years and is well adapted to eat about anything. Dogs and cats are hunters. "Are they meat eaters? Yes and no. Actually, they are omnivorous meaning they eat both meat and plant material. Their main source of protein is generally meat in origin but plant fiber is absolutely essential for normal digestion and bowel motility. It's only in the last half century that we have started to feed our pets commercially prepared diets that are supposedly and hopefully digestible and well balanced from a protein, fat, carbohydrate, and fiber standpoint. ASK DR. B It's interesting that we expect the animal's gastrointestinal tract to suddenly adapt in an evolutionary blink of the eye to commercial colorings, stabilizers, fillers, preservatives, and whatever else those things on the label are. Surprisingly, they do a very good job of it. So, back to the question "What's the best food for my pet?" Strictly speaking, most commercial foods are more than adequate. Remember a few simple guidelines. Does my pet like it? Does he or she have a nice healthy shiny coat? Is my pet over or underweight? Does the food make my dog or cat vomit or have loose stools? While not as noticeable in cats and small dogs, probably the most important criteria I, use to evaluate the quality of a, pet food, is how much stool . Does my pet produce based on how much I feed. While price is definitely a compelling reason to buy a certain brand, cheaper is not necessarily better. Remember, if you feed a large breed 50 pounds of food a month, but are picking up 25 pounds of stool, that food is only 50 percent digestible. And, if that 50 pounds of food costs $40, you're throwing $20 a month in the trash. Compare that to 50 pounds of food that costs $55 and has a 75 percent biological equivalent or digestibility value. You'll feed 25 percent less and save about $7.25 per month and you'll be picking up fewer stools. Is one brand better for my pet? Ethically, I can't recommend one brand over another. We sell a couple brands at my hospital that we consider to be premium foods, based on their digestibility and palatability. They produce less stools, and are considered by most of, my pet owners as being very palatable and well tolerated by their pets. Most veterinarians sell what they consider to be a premium diet based on the same criteria and their experience with feeding a certain brand over time. Would my pet benefit from a prescription diet? Several pet food manufacturers make prescription diets that address specific health problems such as diabetes, kidney and liver disease, heart failure, obesity and a whole list of gastrointestinal disorders. This column is too short to discuss each of them and if your pet has one of the above problems, discuss it with your veterinarian. Many of these diets are definitely beneficial in the management of certain diseases, and most are palatable enough that your pet will eat them. One of the most common questions I get is "Will changing my pet's food stop it from itching?" The answer is probably not., , , Food allergies in cats are extremely rare, extremely difficult to manage and generally non-responsive to changing to another commercial diet. Dogs can experience food allergies. Food can play a role in allergies, but most allergies in dogs are multi-factorial and rarely attributable to food alone. While clients often relate to me their dog improved by eliminating corn in their pet's diet, it's strongly possible it was coincidental. The hallmark of food allergies is that they are non-seasonal, itching lasts year round and are only partially responsive to medication. Almost every commercial diet contains proteins that can cause allergies including beef, pork, chicken, lamb, wheat, corn, soy, barley, daily by-products. The list is endless. Allergies are caused by repeated exposure to a foreign protein and an abnormal immune response to that protein. , It has been discovered that in, order for a protein to cause an , Please?