How to Choose Food for Your Pet

Pets generally fall into one of the following categories: 

A ferret and a rabbit, for example, are both small furry pets, but their diets are quite different. A ferret is a carnivore and eats mostly meat. A rabbit is an herbivore and eats plants. 

 

Pets Classified by Diet

 

 

 "Complete" Food

We recommend pet foods whose label includes the word ‘complete.’ This is a regulated term and indicates that the food has been designed and tested to meet the full nutritional requirements for that species. Foods that read ‘supplemental’ are treats and can be offered in addition to a complete food.

 

Price / Nutrition / Quality

Let us consider for a moment, the foods that you eat. Perhaps your diet consists of hamburgers, strawberries, cereal, tacos, steak, snack cakes, green beans, ice cream, tuna…

• Each has a price. A steak is typically more expensive than a hamburger, for instance. But, most of us cannot afford to eat steak every day.
• Each has its own nutritional value. Some are high in nutrition like tuna, others offer little to no nutrition, like snack cakes.
• Each has its own quality level. Some hamburger patties are made from high quality grass-fed beef while other patties might contain preservatives, unhealthy fats / oils, cornstarch, and sugar.

Pet foods vary in quality, nutrition, and price as well.

When choosing pet food, always start with the highest quality foods and work down until you find the best quality/price for your budget.

 

Birds, Snakes, Small Animals, and Lizards

When it comes to feeding birds, snakes, small animals, and lizards, there is a lot to know! To guide you, each of our stores have Buying Guide posters to help choose the right foods. These Buying Guides can also be found on our website. Here is an example: 

 

Dogs and Cats 

Dogs and cats have survived on our planet for thousands of years. They survived long before you and I could walk into a store and buy a bag of food for them. In fact, wild cats and dogs still live on our planet without pet stores. So, what do they eat to survive and thrive?

First off, dogs and cats are primarily carnivores or meat-eaters (vetstreet.com). They need water, protein, and fat, to survive. They need vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and healthy bacteria to thrive. This does not mean that they cannot survive without meat, and it does not mean that they never eat plants. Domestic dogs do have genetics that allow for slightly better absorption of plant nutrients than wild dogs, but they are still carnivores. Cats are pure carnivores. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5035952/

 

Diets of Wild Cats and Dogs

Let's take a closer look at the diet of wild cats and dogs to provide perspective as you make choices for your pet dog or cat. 

In this chart, notice that the diet for cats and dogs is mainly meat.

 

 

Look again at the plant column in the chart above. While many eat some green plants, the only hint of grains in their diet is 'digestive content.' In other words, wild dogs and cats eat stomach and intestine content which likely contains some grains, but it has been pre-digested.

 

YUCK! My pet eats vomit, feces, and decaying flesh!

You have likely heard of probiotics, or healthy bacteria, right?  Well, guess what? Vomit, feces, and even decaying flesh, all contain millions of healthy bacteria, proteins, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, enzymes, and fiber. 

Choose a food that fits your pet's age. 

Babies - Young pets are generally more active. They require foods with more protein, fat, and nutrients for energy and growth.

Adults - Choose a high quality pet food with sufficient nutrients for your pet's size and activity level. Try rotating protein sources; beef, lamb, fish, etc. 

 Seniors - Seniors are generally less active and require less calories and more fiber. Many benefit from food with added joint supplements like glucosamine. 

Some pet foods have fillers, preservatives, and more. An easy way to check for this...see if you can pronounce the ingredients!

Note the ingredients on the left. It includes many foods we recognize. Some we cannot, like 'lactobacillus.' However, if you look this one up on the internet, you will discover that it is actually a healthy bacteria. A probiotic! 

If you cannot pronounce it, you might do a quick internet search to see if it is a good or bad thing. 

 

By-products can contain good things like liver, hearts, kidneys, bones, and lungs, all of which provide essential nutrients. But by-products can also contain euthanized animals, roadkill, and diseased livestock. (dogfoodadvisor.com / truthaboutpetfood.com) 

By-product contents vary! Contents are dependent upon the purchasing practices of the pet food company. 

Here are some buying tips for you: 

• NEVER purchase a food that lists by-products as the first ingredient.
• Quality products will list the specific meat source and body part. For example: 'Venison Liver.' 
• If a products lists 'by-product' as an ingredient, assume it is a lower quality food. NEVER pay top dollar for these products. 

Dogs and cats get important nutrients from eating and chewing on raw, meaty uncooked bones. Bones contain calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, glucosamine, and more. 

Dogs and cats should NOT be fed cooked bones from your kitchen. They become brittle and can cause choking. 

Bone meal is made from cooked, ground bones. Cooking reduces nutrient density, but bone meal is considered generally safe for cats/dogs if you follow these general guidelines: 

• NEVER feed your pet bone meal from a garden supply store. These are likely not food quality. They may contain toxic fertilizers. Buy bone meal from your vet or a pet store. 
• Look for bone meal that is free of lead and other toxic ingredients. 
• Feed bone meal based upon your pet's size. Too much can lead to digestive issues. If your pet gets too much, give them lots if water. If they are vomiting, seem sluggish, or have a fever, get them to the vet!
• Dogs should NEVER have bone meal rich in Vitamin D. (truthaboutpetfood.com)

In the pet industry, here are some term and definitions that may help you understand chicken, chicken, meal, and chicken by-product. 

Chicken is "the combination of flesh and skin with or without accompanying bone derived form parts or whole carcasses of chicken exclusive (not including) of feathers, heads, feet, and intestines." 

Meal is "dry, rendered product from a combination of clean flesh and skin with or without accompanying bone, derived from the parts of a whole carcass (of chicken) exclusive (does not include) feathers, heads, feet, entrails."

Chicken by-product meal "may contain varying amounts of clean flesh and skin, plus chicken heads, feet, and guts." 

 

Grains can include wheat, rice, oats, corn, barley, sorghum, and more. Except for fox (above) which might consume a bit of corn, grain is not a primary ingredient in a  wild cat or dog's diet. 

• Quality dog/cat foods never list grains as their first few ingredients.
• Not sure you can afford grain-free? Switch to a food that has a different grain if you pet experiences health issues. For example, if your pet has corn, switch to one that uses rice, instead. 

Choosing pet food with antioxidants helps your pet's body fight off the effects of stressors and toxins like smoke, UV rays, air pollution, etc. Antioxidants are often rich in color like shrimp, salmon, cherries, carrots, beets, and cranberries. Vitamin C, E, and zinc, are also considered antioxidants. 

 

Pets (and humans) need a healthy balance of good bacteria in their bodies to ward off bad bacteria. 

Probiotics - Tiny living microorganisms, including the 'good' bacteria and yeast.

Prebiotics - Type of fiber that the body cannot digest. Provides food for the probiotic.

Antibiotic - Kills bad bacteria. Unfortunately, it also kills good bacteria. 

Should you buy pet food in a can? In a bag? Frozen? So many options, right?!? Maybe this will help...

Choose the diet that is right for your pet and your budget. 

 

Serving Size