Pet Health | Nutrition Information
The veterinary community has been realizing through many years of experience, and, more recently through scientific research, that the source of the nutrients that pets need is vitally important. The source of the nutrients impacts how well your pet is able to extract and actually utilize those nutrients. Just because a food has a certain percentage of fat or protein on a calorie basis does not mean that that amount of fat or protein is available for your pet to digest. Some ingredients, such as soybeans and their by-products, not only don't provide bioavailable protein to pets, but also can actually cause health problems. When a food lists something as a "by-product" that usually means it is not made of something that your pet would choose to eat. In fact, there are many things placed in pet food that your pets would never actually choose to eat naturally and, therefore, they are not able to digest it properly, nor are their systems capable of handling some of it correctly. When the term "by-products" is used with a meat source it usually means anything left when the edible materials have been removed for other uses. When the term is used with other types of food sources then it usually means the leftovers from processing some sort of human product such as beer brewing or bread making. These things do not look edible nor are they edible to our pets or us but they are not recognizable in pet foods once the food is made. Bottom line: it does matter what ingredients go into your pet's food.
Canyon Pet Hospital has recently started carrying Natural Balance and Solid Gold foods as they are made with natural ingredients. By natural, they do not mean "organic," as that has a very specific meaning of its own. However, it does mean, "occurring naturally" and something your pet would likely encounter and eat naturally. It also means, at least in the case of these diets, that the ingredients are "human grade" and all of the ingredients have passed inspection for human consumption.
To help you evaluate your pet's current diet and to see what things are good in pet food and what things are not, we have included a grading sheet that has been put together by people interested in pet nutrition. Please take a look at it and other information that you can find so you can make an informed decision on what is best for you and your pets.
To use the grading sheet click here.
Here at Canyon Pet Hospital, we feel your pets deserve the very best and we know you feel the same. We are recommending Natural Balance and Solid Gold brands, not on a whim or because someone told us to, but because we truly believe, after much research and discussion, that they are the best choice for your pet. And, yes, we do feed it to our own pets, so please feel free to ask about our experiences.
For a list of foods for sale here at Canyon Pet Hospital, click here.
As always, please let us know how we can best serve you and your pet's needs. And remember to live healthy, have fun and enjoy your fur-kids.