What We Knew Then
Twenty years ago, veterinarians recommended picking a pet food that your dog or cat liked to eat and sticking with it, avoiding digestive upsets from switching foods. We were told that if you must switch foods, do it very gradually, mixing in the new food over as long a time as possible to allow the pet to adjust slowly.
Twenty years ago, the average pet owner did not see a great variety of foods available for their pet. There were supplements, yes, but usually for existing conditions—relieving the effects of arthritis or hip dysplasia or counteracting allergic reactions. Preventing discomfort or disease through nutrition was not a major selling point for cat and dog foods then.
Today, it’s a whole new world of pet nutrition.
Variety is available to almost every pet owner, whether you shop at your local neighborhood grocery store or at a high-end boutique pet supply shop. We’re bombarded with advertising that tells us why each food is the very best one for our family pet. Veterinarians offer special diets for various physical conditions—prescription diets available only at veterinary clinics. We can read online about fixing home-made meals for pets . . . I wouldn’t be surprised if somewhere pet owners can actually order pet meals for delivery (maybe even by a drone!).
The average pet owner, however, knows very little about good pet nutrition, and the constant bombardment of buy-buy-buy messages can make researching your choices seem overwhelming. The basic problem is simple: most of us don’t know what we don’t know.
Here are some facts to keep in mind.
What We Know Now
- Today, we know that some of the most reputable pet food manufacturers of the last twenty years have been sold to corporations that appear to be more interested in profit than they are in providing a reliable product.
- We know that one of the most common occurrences today in the pet food world is a recall—often announced on a Friday afternoon going into a weekend, a time chosen to reach the fewest consumers, as opposed to the most.
- We know these recalls are mandatory and result from contamination (non-food detritus, salmonella, and worse).
- We know that some of these recalled, contaminated foods have caused enormous health challenges for many pets . . . sometimes even deaths.
- We know that, at any time, a recall may be announced for a pet food that our own pets are eating.
These inevitable recalls are one of the major reasons that veterinarians and pet nutrition specialists now advocate feeding a variety of foods to every pet. Practically speaking, a pet who is used to eating a variety of foods is less likely to experience a disruption in his meals than a pet who’s eaten only one particular food all his life.
Recalls aren’t the only reason pet diets change. Large corporations that manufacture many products may see more profit in periodically changing the makeup of the foods they offer. Your pet’s food may be discontinued or its ingredients changed without notice, giving you no opportunity to plan ahead or make adjustments. One day, you go shopping and find that Fluffy’s Favorite Feline Kibble is simply not being made any more. What do you do then? Now is a good time to consider how to prevent such surprises!
My best advice is to find a locally owned pet supply store that sells the sort of foods that your pet eats.
I have three species of pets—two dogs, a cat, two ferrets—and I’ve found a family business in my city that answers my pet supply needs. The staff are friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. They have instant access to nutritional information on every food they sell. They have the experience and training to answer both easy and hard questions . . . and if they can’t answer immediately, they research the issues thoroughly and let you know the results. They care, they sincerely care, about their customers, their customers’ pets, their customers’ families, and the community in which we all live. They are willing and able to offer choices, evaluate results, and make recommendations.
- Find a similar pet supply store in your community, if you can.
- Take your pet with you, if the pet is used to visiting shops. Most dogs will enjoy the trip. (Cats maybe not so much.)
- If the pet is not present in person, fill in the staffer helping you on the pet’s needs and wants, including preferences in taste and texture of foods.
- Don’t forget a complete list of possible food allergies, including your anecdotal observations and any specific testing done by your veterinarian.
- Hold off on investing in the jumbo sack of kibble or the big case of cans, though! Take home some samples—smaller sacks of kibble, several cans of different kinds—and try those out first.
- Once you’ve decided which foods you’d like to feed for the long run, you’ll probably find the larger quantities of food more economical, of course. Ask if the store has offers like the tenth or twelfth sack free. Many stores do (and there is nothing nicer than getting a free sack of food every now and then).
- Be sure that the shop you choose has a reasonable return policy. Most manufacturers will accept returns of open and partially used sacks of food, so the shops where you buy those products may offer a refund or store credit for returns.
Do the prices for pet food seem much higher in a local pet supply store than they are at your local grocery store? Well, rightly so, I say! Keep in mind that when you feed an excellent quality of pet food, you feed less food overall and have fewer solid pet emissions to clean up afterward.
That’s right—a higher-quality food equals a smaller amount fed and less poop to scoop! Figure the real cost before you protest the expense . . . and don’t forget to add in the benefit of better health for life!
