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Chapter 2: Pet Nutrition

Pet Nutrition

Whatever diet you decide for your pet, it's important to check the labels and nutritional information on any of the products you choose. The nutritional labels show you what ingredients are in the food you are giving your pet, and ultimately can help you determine the overall quality of the product.

Common Ingredients

Whether it's dog or cat food, the main ingredient should be some type of meat or protein. The diets of dogs and cats differ and the nutritional requirements vary a bit, so the meats used will differ between the two, but essentially the food's main ingredient will be some type of beef, chicken, lamb or fish. Grains and various kinds of rice are also used, but it's important that they are not the main ingredients. Many grains can trigger allergic reactions in certain dogs or cats, and they do not naturally eat much of those foods as a part of their diets in the wild. Grains are used for some nutritional value, but mainly for constitution. If they are being used to substitute protein because of low meat content, then the food product is of lesser quality. Soy and corn are other commonly used ingredients in pet food as nutritional supplements or texturizers, but also should not constitute the main ingredient unless your pet is a vegetarian.

Label Listings

According to the FDA, ingredients on pet food products must be listed in descending order of amounts used. So an ingredient list of "chicken, rice, barley, and corn" has more chicken used than a label that lists "rice, barley, corn, and chicken." Reading these labels can help you determine the overall levels of meat constitution and subsequently the overall nutritional value of the food product. It's still important to know how your food is made however, as the ingredients are listed in order of pre-cooking weight. Since meats carry so much more moisture than grains pre-cooked, sometimes the ingredient list can be a bit deceiving.

Specially Formulated Food

There are many foods out there geared to different types of pets or their stages in life. There are foods for labeled for puppies, foods labeled for adult pets, foods that are formulated for arthritis care, foods with special formulas specific to breed, you name it—the list of pet food sub divisions is enormous. These foods can be beneficial, but usually only one or two ingredients are altered as compared to the regular line. Be wary of the different marketing and use the ingredients and your pet's reaction and overall health as your ultimate judge in choosing a food.