How to choose a dog or cat food
1. What kind of cat/dog do you have?
2. How much do they weight?
3. What kind of food were you on before?
4. Is there any allergies that we need to watch out for?
5. What do you want out of your food?
6. Does your animal have any conditions or diseases?
7. Do you have a price range?
8. Have you heard of any specific brands you would like to try?
1. Some breeds have special needs, or things that should be included in their food. For example, any dog over 50 pounds is considered large breed. Most breeds this size and larger typically end up with joint problems much earlier in life than smaller breeds. Rottweilers, German Shepherds, Australian Shepherds and Boxers are know for Hip dysplasia. Larger breed formulas should have some degree of Glucosamine and Chondroitin supplements in their formulas. These help with the synovial fluid inside the joint, keeping the hyaline (the "smooth" cartilage found in every joint in your body) cartilage in good condition for longer. This cartilage when damaged, rarely repairs itself to the full extent it once was due to the low blood supply. Prevention is the best way to postpone this.
Cats are a little different. When I ask what kind, I want to know what breed, how long the hair is, the sex, and the age. Breed is to sort out for a few specifics: Persians and siamese. Siamese cats are typically harder to please food-wise. They have sensitive stomachs and this bad habit of not chewing their food to the extent they should due to the narrow jaw. This causes many to throw back up what they ate. Choosing the correct kibble size can help with this. Or finding a sensitive stomach kibble. Persians with their usual "smooshed" noses, have a wider jaw, and "flip" their tongue when picking up food. Football shaped kibble appeals to this. Take a look.
Hair I am typically looking for hairball problems. Anything over a inch and a half usually has a little bit of a hairball problem.
Sex is for urinary tract, or if you are planning on breeding your cat. Male cats tend to have more urinary tract problems than females. And un-neutered males more so. LUTD This is NOT fun and it's best to avoid this at all costs. Breeding, then we will be going for a high quality kitten food or higher quality adult food.
Age is to figure out what one of the 3 categories age foods are in. 3 months to 1 year = Kitten. 1 year to 7 years = Adult. 7 years to ? = Senior.
2. Most weight problems owners are already aware of, and are brought to my attention as soon as we start.
3. If we are transitioning off of another food, you are going to need 10-14 days worth of food to make sure that your animal doesn't have problems with the switch. Most of the time it's diarrhea. Some never have problems, and can do a cold turkey switch from kibble to kibble. There is a different deal with switching to raw, which I won't cover in this.
4. Food allergies are actually less common than one might think. Typically only 10% of dogs that are having itching problems actually have an allergy to food. But as I'm not a vet, I'm only here to try to change to a good food to eliminate the possibility of that. As a general rule, for dogs I stay away from corn and wheat, and cats away from ocean fish/menhaden fish meal.
5. Some people have certain requirements for their animals in the food department. They want to avoid some ingredients, or desire ingredients in their foods. I'm going to ask why they want to take out/keep in that ingredient. In about 50% of the cases, the customer has done their research and they have a solid back on why their animal should/should not have the ingredient. The other half, have heard things from sources that aren't always right or not right for their situation. I'm not going to be telling anyone they are flat out wrong. It's rude. Many beliefs have a base, and I learn just as much from customers as I do from books.
6. In many conditions or diseases, vets will put the animal on a special vet diet. ASK WHY THEY ARE DOING THIS. Ask what is different about this food that will make your animal better. So many veterinary diets are not that different, but they make money off of it. Again, I hate to say that your vet is using you, but they make money off using the company that gives them money to carry it. Holistic vets aren't going to play to this. Some special diets work, but they are expensive. They can charge that, because people treasure their pets. There is a lot of the time, another diet you can change to. I'm not saying you should change just to spite your vet, as he did put your pet on the diet for a reason, but not everyone can afford this.
7. This is a BIG motivator for people when looking for pet food. What's on sale or what's cheapest. I found a quote in the book Enhanced Dog Care from The Good Dog Library that is a little harsh, but I think gets the point across.
"So, if I want to save money I should raise my children on Top Ramen and generic Cheerios? I tell people that if you can't afford to feed three children properly, you shouldn't have three children, and they understand me. But when I say that if you can't afford to feed three dogs properly, you shouldn't have three dogs, they come unglued. Why people will try to defend cheap with the health and well-being of their loved ones is beyond me."
This is a quote from a raw-food feeder when asked about price versus benefit of raw food.
Moral of the story? Don't feed crappy food, and you'll only get good things out of it. Lower or non-existant vet bills, shiny coats, better energy levels, no bad breath, ect ect ect.
8.