Pet's Diet

Every dog and cat has specific dietary needs that have been consistent throughout their evolution.

As household pets, we're now responsible for feeding them so it's important to select their diet carefully and make sure they're getting the nutrients they need.

As your pet grows from a puppy or kitten into an adult, their energy requirements and nutritional needs will change. Recent developments in nutritional science means we know much more about what keeps pets in top condition.

Scientists have discovered that macronutrients, particularly protein, fat and carbohydrate, each play a specific and important role in providing your pet with energy. This means you can now provide your pet with the specific balance of protein, fat and carbohydrate to meet their unique needs at every life stage.

Protein assists in the build and continuous repair of body tissue and structures like muscle and hair and plays an important role in the body's defence against disease. As natural carnivores, cats in particular need a much higher level of protein than other species to help maintain a healthy weight and lean body mass. Puppies and kittens also require a higher level of protein in their diet to support healthy growth and muscle development.

All animals require fat in their diet. Fat provides energy in a more concentrated form which is easily stored within the body to be used for energy when food is scarce. Fat also provides the essential fatty acids needed for a healthy skin and coat, normal cell membranes and kidney function by transporting fat-soluble vitamins around the body. However the level of fat in the diet of an overweight animal should be limited to avoid other health issues.

The third macronutrient, carbohydrate, has two variants - soluble and insoluble. Soluble carbohydrate found in cereal grains such as corn, is highly digestible and provides a good source of readily available energy needed to fuel daily activity. Active or working dogs require high levels of insoluble carbohydrates to provide lasting energy throughout an energetic day.

Insoluble carbohydrate (better known as fibre) doesn't provide energy but improves colon health. Fibre can help slow the digestion time allowing the nutrients within the food to be fully absorbed while promoting firm well formed stools.

Your pet's dietary needs will change throughout its lifetime, which is why it's important to feed them a premium health pet food which has been formulated with the right balance of macronutrients.

This will ensure your pet will receive the specific levels of protein, fat and carbohydrate it needs according to its life stage and dietary requirements. Look for premium health pet foods in your supermarket that have adopted this science to make sure your four legged friend has a perfectly balanced diet.

Dog Food Homemade

Most dog (and cat) owners are seriously concerned about the safety of the commercial pet food that they are using. With the pet food scares and recalls that are all over the news recently, more and more dog owners want to prepare their own nutritious dog food for their loving companions.


However, a balanced diet for you or I is not the same as the one required by our furry friends. Their nutritional requirements are slightly different and these differences need to be taken into consideration for them to have a healthy balanced diet. The 3 major ingredients are discussed below.

Protein
Dogs require a significant quantity of protein in their diet, whether from a concentrated meat source or some other vegetable protein source. This is the first and foremost ingredient in a dog's diet. Examples of good protein sources would be chicken, beef, lamb (including organ meat) as well as fish, eggs and cheese.

Essential fatty Acids
The second most important requirement is fatty acids. Of these, Linoleic Acid (Omega 6) is the most important as it is the only one that dogs can't make themselves. Examples of good Omega 6 sources would be vegetables, vegetable oils, grains and fruits.

Calcium
Calcium is another important requirement for dogs. They actually need significantly more than their human companions. Examples of good sources of calcium for dogs would be animal bones which they can chew and calcium supplements obtained from vegetable sources.

The disadvantages of calcium from bones are that they may contain disease ("mad cow" disease), have a high amount of phosphorous and contain toxic elements like arsenic, lead, mercury, & radioactive strontium.

Foods to Avoid

There are several foods that you should avoid when making meals for your pet dog.

· Onions and garlic - the thiosulfates in these foods are actually very toxic to animals and can potentially cause the red blood cells to burst resulting in haemolytic anaemia.

· Chocolate and cocoa products - chocolate contains theobromine which can be poisonous to dogs when eaten in large quantities

· Raisins and grapes - large quantities of these can cause liver failure

· Macadamia nuts - small quantities can cause temporary paralysis

· Avocados- the plant and the fruit are toxic to dogs

· Raw meat - the book is out on this one as many people advocate giving raw meat to their dogs.

However, there is a chance that your dog (and you) will get sick from food-born parasites. Remember, if you do feed your dog raw meat, to practice safe food handling procedures. Also practice safe handling of your dog's waste as, although salmonella rarely affects dogs, they can pass it in their feces.

· Cooked poultry bones - these bones can splinter and kill your dog.

If you are thinking of changing your dog's diet to a home made one, you should consult with your dog's veterinarian, just like humans consult a physician for major changes in their diet. He/she is your best source of information on pet nutrition and can advise you on creating a balanced home diet.

Dietary changes should be made gradually as rapid changes in diet can cause stomach upset or discourage your dog from eating. Just remember that to stay fit, healthy and active your dog needs a nutritious and well balanced diet.

Cooking for your pet

The contamination of commercial pet food has pet owners across North America worried as scores of dogs and cats have fallen ill or died as a result of eating melamine-poisoned pet food.

The massive pet food recall by Ontario-based manufacturer Menu Foods started in mid-March 2007. Since that time over 100 pet food brands manufactured by six companies have been recalled, and the list seems to keep growing.

In response, frightened pet owners are increasingly turning to the internet for do-it-yourself pet recipes - but is this a good idea?

Providing your pet with a nutritious, well-balanced meal may not be as simple as it sounds. In fact, pet owners take certain risks when making a home-cooked meal for their animals, according to the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA).

"If you want to home cook for your pet, you really need to do some research into that," Danny Joffe, a Calgary veterinarian speaking for the CVMA told the CBC. "It takes a lot of work to make a well-balanced meal because every species has different nutrient requirements."

Preparing a nutritionally sound diet for your dog or cat can be as complex and time-consuming as organizing a healthy diet for humans.

Raw food diets considered risky

One alternative to commercial pet food are raw food diets that include uncooked meats and vegetables, similar to what an animal may eat in the wild.

But a raw food diet involves some risk for salmonella poisoning. In fact, a study found that 30 per cent of dogs on raw food diets had salmonella in their stool. For this reason, the Canadian Veterinarian Medical Association doesn't recommend feeding pets raw food.

Salmonella poisoning can cause mild-flu like symptoms or more serious life-threatening illnesses. Pet owners could also be at risk of cross-contamination.

Nutritious home-cooked pet food

Because pets need a vitamin-rich diet, the CMVA recommends owners talk to their veterinarian for information on healthy recipes and diet plans. While the internet is filled with home-made pet recipes, not all may right for your pet. Generally speaking, the association says to select recipes calling for cooked meat, such as hamburger or chicken, as well as potato or rice and a mineral supplement.

Recipes should also be tailored to your pet's age, food sensitivities and general health. Some foods are toxic to dogs including onion, garlic, chocolate, raisins and grapes. Household plants such as Easter lilies can also cause acute kidney failure in dogs.

To prevent food poisoning, never feed animals foods that have gone bad.

If you decide to go the home-cooked route, here are two web sites recommended by the American College of Veterinary Nutritionistst

• Petdiets :
• Consulting company for vets, pet owners and food and supplement companies. You'll find information on basic nutrition facts and myths. The site also sells nutritionist-certified recipes for cats and dogs and offers individual, nutritional consultations.

• Balanceit
• Run by Davis Veterinary Medical Consulting, the website sells nutritional supplements for dogs and cats. Owners can also receive advice on choosing balanced recipes using human food from the grocery store. Recipes are reviewed by board-certified veterinary nutritionists.

• Free pet food recipes can be found on websites

Vegetarian pet foods

Experts say that healthy vegetarian diets can be formulated for cats and dogs. But because cats are carnivores, developing a vegetarian diet is a more complicated than the case with dogs, who are classified as omnivores. The main source of protein in vegetarian diets consists of millet, beans, lentils, grains and legumes. Dogs appear to require a slightly larger proportion of protein in their diets than humans.

As with home-cooked meals, consult your veterinarian on how to provide a nutritious vegetarian diet.

Pet Food Off The Radar Of Regulators

A year after the tainted pet food scandal at Menu Foods (TSX:MEW.UN) rattled animal lovers and sent the company's stock into a freefall, the pet food industry has slipped off the radar of Canadian regulators and other agencies.

Saturday marks a full-year since dog and cat owners were sent into a panic over the possibility that food they were giving their pets could be tainted by wheat gluten laced with poisonous melamine.

The chemical used for making plastics was added by a China-based supplier as a cheap way to make the food look like it had higher protein levels, but it was also killing some pets that consumed it.

Since then, little has been done in Canada to ensure that pet food is any safer, aside from continuing to rely on companies to self-regulate and monitor their international pet suppliers.

After the recalls started last year, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency began a review of its responsibilities to pet food and, according to their website, "determine if room for improvement exists within the Canadian system."

On Friday, it appeared as though nothing had changed.

"We don't have a regulatory role - that's the bottom line," said Marc Richard at the CFIA's headquarters in an interview.

"We're the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. We deal with food - and food is for humans."

Richard added that the agency has a "very minor role" related to pet food through its handling of traditional disease control, which means ensuring that livestock doesn't transfer avian influenza or mad cow disease.

Pet food regulations fall under three federal levels - the CFIA for disease control, Industry Canada for packaging and Health Canada's Veterinary Drugs Directorate for therapeutic food claims.

None of the departments seem to handle poisons or other contaminants that could get into food, which has made it especially difficult for pet advocates to lobby for changes.

Cathy Sterling euthanized her eight-year-old Australian Sheppard last March when the dog became ill, only a week before Menu Foods issued the recall and warning.

Since then, she has collected between 2,500 and 3,000 signatures from pet owners in an effort to convince the government to pay more attention to pet food.

"Pets today have taken on new levels of care in people's hearts and I think the legislation hasn't kept up with that aspect," said Sterling.

"We've recognized there's a problem... and we need a change."

Last fall, Health Minister Tony Clement outlined an action plan for the food and product regulatory system that encouraged greater prevention rather than responding to cases once they are detected.

The plan covers recalled products like children's toys, cosmetics, pesticides and sports equipment, but doesn't mention pet food.

Sterling said it's her goal to get pet food on that list, though she's facing an uphill battle.

"I did feel that it slowly faded from the public's consciousness," she said. "I think Menu Foods is getting exactly their wish, that it's all just going away."

The company beared the brunt of consumer backlash last year partly because it was North America's biggest supplier of pet food, selling one-billion containers in 2006 through store-brand labels and under contract for international names such as Iams.

Menu Foods has said it faces more than 100 class-action lawsuits.

Last month, many of the lawsuits filed in the U.S. were consolidated into one class-action suit because a judicial panel determined that they involved the same questions of fact.

Both sides of the case have said they are near a settlement, and a district judge has asked for a report this Wednesday.

Menu Foods declined repeated interview requests for this story. A company official said executives would not be available to speak because the "focus right now is on the legal settlement."

In the United States, the FDA has indicted both American and Chinese business owners over a scheme to import the melamine-contaminated wheat gluten into the country.

But while congressional hearings and proposed food safety legislation have come to fruition, the FDA still doesn't have any mandatory authority over recalling pet food.

Some suggest that the industry is already doing enough to regulate itself.

"Regulation would not have changed the recall situation that Menu Foods recently experienced in any way shape or form," said Martha Wilder, executive director of the Pet Food Association of Canada in an interview last year.

"Case in point (are) that the two plants in the U.S. that were found to be involved in the recall are regulated and it didn't do anything to stop this from happening."

Wilder was unavailable to provide further comment on Friday.

In Canada, industry organizations have also been backing off of pet food manufacturers.

Last year, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association wound up a longtime committee that monitored pet food nutrition standards around the same time the tainted food investigation was underway.

"After the recall happened people with our association met with government and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency was taking lead on the follow-up of the recall," said Kristin Wood, a spokeswoman for the veterinary association.

"The regulation of pet food is not really in our mandate anymore."