 | Tips for finding a great pet food
1. One of the first two ingredients should be a whole meat source, like chicken or chicken meal. Even better if there are two whole meat sources in the top three ingredients. Remember, ingredients are listed in order of weight, and a whole meat is going to weigh more than 'meal' simply because of all the water weight. A whole meat (chicken, pork, fish, etc.) has the highest biological value for your pet (protein and amino acids that can be used by the body). The next highest value protein sources would be chicken or meat by-product, and then chicken or meat meal and bone meal. Just make sure that the protein source is actually identified (beef or venison by-products vs. meat by-products), or you may be getting some type of "meat" you didn't bargain for.
2. The top three allergens in pet foods today are wheat, corn, and soy. This doesn't mean that you have to run out and find a food that doesn't have any of these, but keep it in mind when you're changing foods, especially if you believe your pet is allergic to something in what he was eating already. Also, pet food manufacturers are allowed to break one ingredient down into several smaller ingredients and list them individually; presumably, this makes it appear that there is a smaller amount of an undesirable ingredient than there technically is. For example, you might see ground corn, corn gluten, and corn bran. If these appear among the first six ingredients, you can bet it's likely that together the corn products would outweigh the protein source (such as chicken) listed first.
3. If you are changing foods, make sure you mix the old food with the new for a week to ten days. And I don't mean half and half right off the bat. Just start with a little bit at a time of the new food, and gradually increase it. Otherwise, unless your pet has an iron stomach, they will likely get "runny tummy," as one of my friends calls it (see the bottom of this page for a good home remedy). Look at it this way, if you switched from eating twinkies and potato chips every day to eating a well-balanced meal, you wouldn't be the picture of health either. But in a couple of weeks, you would be feeling much healthier overall.
4. Rotating to a different food a few times a year might be a good thing. Wouldn't you get a little bored with your food, even if it was your favorite thing to eat, if you had to eat it every day, for every meal? Even switching to a different "flavor," but staying in the same brand can be a pretty easy transition (i.e., Merrick Grammy's Pot Pie to Merrick Turducken).
5. Lastly, remember, even if you have found the best, most nutritious, greatest food to feed your pet, what good does it do you if he hates it and won't eat it? Or if you can't afford it? Or if he just doesn't seem to be doing well on it? Your pet should thrive on its food. It should have a shiny coat, itch-free skin, clear, bright eyes, and an alert demeanor.
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Not Feeling so Hot?
Even if your doggy or kitty is eating the greatest, healthiest food, you might find that occasionally they get a bit of runny tummy. Two nice home remedies to help settle their stomach is feeding them a little bit of unsweetened plain yogurt or canned pumpkin. Yogurt is best if they are barfing, and pumpkin if they have diarrhea, because it helps bind everything together. Depending on pet size, just feed a teaspoon to a tablespoon at a time. And if they are having a hard time keeping anything down, besides making an appointment to see the vet, plain, cooked white rice and boiled chicken is pretty easy on their tummy.
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just a bad idea...
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