Canine and Feline Nutrition
Selecting a Food Company
We understand that at the best of times it is hard to decide what we should feed ourselves, let alone our
pets. There are so many choices available in the food industry, there are no consistant labelling
requirements and there are so many myths and half-truths that it becomes difficult to sort out the
bottom line realities. Some cases are more obvious as they involve specific presciption diets for
specific health issues, but we do believe that we can provide even greater benefits to the general pet
population by encouraging good quality “life stage nutrition”.
Unfortunately, there is no way to accurately assess a pet food by the information provided on the label.
Regulations do not provide enough detail or consistency to allow direct comparisons. There are many
ways to make a food look “better” or to “market” a food that have nothing to do with the quality of
nutrition in the bag (you can read about some of these in the “ Nutritional Myths” info sheet in this
section).
The best method of assessing the quality of a pet food is to be very familiar and comfortable with the
company that makes it, to have seen the research behind the diets and the clinical results of feeding
them. We have been associated with Royal Canin/Medi-Cal for over 20 years. Royal Canin was started
by a veterinarian in France in 1967, Medi-Cal was started by a veterinarian in Canada in 1990. Both
companies had similar philosophies and nutrition based on science that puts the well being of the pet
first. In 2002 Royal Canin joined the MARS (Waltham) company and Medi-Cal followed in 2004. This
combination resulted in the most advanced nutritional research (Waltham Centre in England), clinical
application (Royal Canin facility in France) and production facilities (Medi-Cal plant in Canada) in the
world.
We are very impressed with Royal Canin/Medi-Cal's nutritional research and innovation, the quality of
the ingredients used, the quality control procedures to test both the ingredients entering the processing
plant and the final product leaving, the range of products they provide and the support and service from
the company. Ninety percent of the dry foods we use are produced in Guelph, Ontario with a
committment to source as many ingredients as possible from local sources. Royal Canin/Medi-Cal
provides support to research and education including their partnership in the Canadian Veterinary
Urolith (bladder stone) Centre (where we can send stone samples for analysis at no charge to the client)
and their establishment of a Chair in Nutrition at Ontario Veterinary College. They support
veterinarians and their clients and patients in many ways, including the availability of veterinary
experts in nutrition and internal medicine for us to consult with on challenging cases, seminars and
conferences and the best “guarantee” in the business – if your pet doesn't like it or it doesn't work they
take it back without question. They are dedicated to good nutrition and to the health of our pets. For
these reasons, and the wonderful clinical results we see in our patients on these diets, Royal Canin/
Medi-Cal is our primary pet food supplier. We have included a link to the website where you can learn
more about the company and nutrition.
We also recommend specific diets from other reputable companies such as Hills Prescription Diets,
Iams Veterinary Formulas and Purina Veterinary Diets that have proven their value to us. We are here to
help you decide what is best for your pet and its individual nutritional needs.
General Feeding Recommendations
1) Pet foods are formulated to be fed as the sole diet. Only water is to be provided in addition to
the food. Treats or table food should never make up more than 5-10% of the daily intake or they
will affect the overall balance of the ration.
2) Always measure meal portions, free choice feeding is not recommended (helpful tip, use a
measure that you can round full to provide the appropriate amount, none of us are good at only
filling to the 3/4 line).
3) “Training” your pet when he/she is young to eat specific meals and not expect human food or
high calorie treats at meal-time is far easier than trying to alter established habits (Please read
the info sheet on “Training Your Dog to Eat” included in this section).
4) Treats are very important for training and for the great bond that developes between a pet and
its owners. Dogs and cats respond just as well to very small treats as they do to large ones, it is
the concept of getting a treat rather than the quantity of the treat that is of value to our pets.
Treats can contribute significantly to the calorie intake (most very tasty treats are high calorie)
so they must be taken into account when establishing a diet.
5) Each individual pet has different requirements and these can change with time and varied
activity and conditions. Weigh and condition score your pet every two weeks.
6) When changing diets, gradually introduce the new food, mix ¼ new with ¾ existing diet for 2-3
days, then ½ and ½ for 2-3 days then ¾ new with ¼ old diet for 2-3 days. In a pet with a
particularly sensitive gastro-intestinal tract you may proceed more slowly.
7) Many studies have shown that the majority of pets are overweight. This is a condition that we
can prevent and control (our pets don't open the fridge/cupboard and feed themselves!). Pets are
much healthier when they are lean. Many disease processes are affected by weight, the most
prevalent we see being bone/joint problems (both injuries and arthritis), heart disease, liver
disease, pancreatitis and diabetes. “Condition scoring” is the best way to assess body condition.
In its simplest form this means that you should be able to feel ribs easily (basically just skin
then ribs, very little squishy fat), and your pet should have a noticeable “waistline” (from the
top there should be an obvious hour-glass shape). We can show you how to assess this on your
individual pet. It is far easier to prevent your pet from becoming overweight than it is to have to
reduce weight.
8) If you are unsure if your pet is affected by any health conditions please check with your
veterinarian or clinic staff member. An exam may be indicated and will help assess your pets
individual situation and its needs for a specific diet. Any information you may provide in
regards to your pets health will assist us in helping you make a suitable choice for your pet.
FAQ and Nutritional Myths
1) The first ingredient listed on the food bag has to be the protein source in order for the food to be good. True or False?
Answer – False
- in most cases, to get the protein source as the first (largest by weight) on the ingredient list, companies will simply divide the carbohydrate source into different parts (eg wheat germ, middlings, gluten) instead of listing it as a single ingredient- reporting on an as used basis instead of dry matter basis puts the weight of the protein source up due to the higher water content - for most of our pets a very high protein level is not healthy
2) Corn is bad. It is a cheap filler. It is not digestible. True or False?
Answer – False
– Corn is an excellent source of many essential nutrients such as Omega 6 fatty acid, vitamin A, B complex, antioxidants, essential amino acids, fibre, digestible carbohydrates and minerals – when processed properly, corn is > 90% digestible – Corn is not a “filler”. Fillers have no nutritional value
3) Animals can be allergic to corn. True or False?
Answer – True
– food allergies can occur to many proteins or carbohydrates, the incidence reported for corn is not higher than many other ingredients.
4) My dog's food should be “grain free”. True or False
Answer – False
– It is impossible to make a “dry” or “kibble” dog food without carbohydrate. If no grain is used, there must be another source of carbohydrate, like potato, which is far less beneficial nutritionally.
– all meat diets are not nutritionally balanced
5) Pet foods should not contain any “by-products”. True or False?
Answer – False
- any component of a diet that is not suitable for human consumption is, by definition, a “by-product”. There are still nutrients that are found in by-products that can be valuable in a pet food and make efficient use of the entire food source. It is true that nutrients in by- products are usually less available or digestible so their inclusion should be limited, but not eliminated.
6) The ingredient list tells you if it is a good food. True or False?
Answer – False
– diets should be formulated to provide optimal nutrients, not ingredients. It is true that there are differences in the digestibility and availablility of nutrients from different ingredients and this needs to be taken into account in formulating the diet. To put this another way, a dog or cat's system doesn't care if the essential amino acid, methionine, comes from corn or beef (in order to make it as available from corn, it needs to be finely ground), as long as it is in the diet at the appropriate level it will be utilized.
7) Wolves eat a raw meat diet so my dog should. True or False?Answer – False
– firstly, wolves don't eat just meat. They eat stomach and intestinal contents and supplement their diet with plants and fruits. All meat diets are deficient in many nutrients – one of the reasons that a wolf's average lifespan is low (8-10 years) is less than optimal nutrition – if we expand a bit to the raw diets that are not all meat but also contain vegetables, grains, fruits, etc. there are still some issues to be aware of:
– no “raw diet” currently available provides a nutrient profile or has undergone
AAFCO long term maintenance feeding trials (or the more rigorous feeding trials done by companies like Royal Canin)
– there have been numerous studies that have shown some bacterial pathogens (Salmonella and others) present in both raw food diets and the feces of dogs fed those diets so there is some concern for human exposure.
TEACHING YOUR DOG TO EAT
There are many unpleasant consequences to having a "fussy" eater - you basically have no control over when the dog eats (I'm not hungry right now), what he eats (I don't like this!), how much he eats (three kernels was plenty, thanks), or when he ate last (an important question when you're prepping for emergency surgery). You have no control over how much he weighs - and HE is busy playing mind games with you over control of the food. We've done a lot of experimenting with changing a dog's performance and behaviour with how much and when we feed as well - for instance, dogs with a shy tendency, and dogs who tend to put too much pressure on themselves in competition are fed as close to ringtime as possible to change their body chemistry and calm them down. Dogs who tend to be a bit lethargic are fed three hours before ringtime to give them energy to perform. You can't do this with a "fussy" eater. Many people habitually starve their "fussy" eaters every show weekend, hoping they'll perform better because they're hungry. Try telling THAT to a football player! In order to perform, an athlete must be properly fed and properly rested - to achieve that, the dog must understand the rules of his universe. When he understands the rules, he can relax in a coherent universe. So here's the training "method" to teach your dog to eat "on cue":
Decide how much food the dog should be getting in a day (let's say one cup, as an example). Divide that amount into two meals. Develop a ritual - say "Are you hungry? Where's your dish? Where's the food? Alright! Get in the kennel (or on your mat, or whatever)!" Put down the half cup of food and
COUNT TO FIVE.
If, as you get to five, the dog is eating, fine. If, at any time after you've counted to five and the dog is eating, he turns away from the dish before he gets to the bottom and polishes the bowl, say NOTHING, pick up the dish, and put the food away. If you get to five and the dog isn't eating, say NOTHING, pick up the dish, and put it away. Give him nothing until his next scheduled meal, 12 hours later (for adult dogs).
If the dog either doesn't approach the dish, or turns away from the food before it's all gone, and you got to take the dish away, measure what's left. At the next scheduled meal, give him HALF WHAT HE ATE at the previous meal. If he ate 6 kernels of food and wandered off, he'll have 3 kernels of food in his dish at the next meal. If he eats two of those three kernels and wanders off, give him 1 kernel at the next meal.
When he eats ALL the food in his dish, polishes the bowl and wishes there was more, you can give him slightly more at his next scheduled meal (don't give him more at THIS meal), and more at the next one, etc, until he's back to getting - and eating - the appropriate amount of food. If at any time he doesn't eat all the food you give him before turning away, take the dish away and give him half what he ate for his next meal. Of course you CARE what he eats, and whether he's healthy or not, but it's very important that you don't take responsibility for whether he chooses to eat or not.
People who worry that the dog will starve to death don't get healthy dogs. They get dogs who hold out for days without eating, who "demand" to have their food changed every few days. Remember, you're NOT withholding food from the dog. You're offering him food twice a day. You're giving him the same window of opportunity you give him in any training situation. If the dog is healthy and just "fussy", all he has to do is choose to eat. HIS choice.