By Dr. Bruce Carstens
Willow Rock Pet Hospital
I am often asked, "Why should I pay more for a premium pet food, when I can get more for my money with a cheap brand?" The answer is you get what you pay for. Pet food is not regulated as tightly as human food. Manufacturers are required to put in certain minimum levels of protein, fat and carbohydrates, but there is no requirement for the quality of the ingredients.
Here's an example using chicken. Many foods list "chicken" as an ingredient. The cheapest brands use chicken feet and wattles and other cheap sources of protein. Middle-priced brands use the whole ground-up chicken, which costs more, but has more digestible protein. The premium foods use only chicken breast, which is expensive, but the most nutritious.
In general, I would stay away from the cheapest foods, which are usually generic type diets. They can contain high levels of minerals which can cause kidney problems. Dogs and cats on these diets generally have a dry, scruffy coat, because the nutrients aren't balanced properly, or are of such poor quality they can't be absorbed.
Most "Name Brands" fall into the middle level of diets, where the nutrition is adequate, and they don't cause problems as often. Still these diets typically don't contain enough fatty acids for some dogs. The heat from the pasteurization process will destroy many fatty acids, and they are expensive to replace. Again this can lead to a dry skin and coat. In addition, new research shows some of these diets may contain too much phosphorous. When bone meal is added to supplement the calcium, phosphorous goes in as well. This is expensive to remove, so most manufacturers simply leave it in, but this can be hard on the kidneys.
If you can afford to spend a little bit more for a premium diet, most dogs and cats do better on these diets. They contain the proper balance of nutrients. They contain high quality ingredients. They contain fewer fillers (implicated in some urinary tract and allergy problems). Many pet food companies, such as Hill's and Iams make specialty diets, available through your veterinarian to address specific health problems.
Obesity is a common problem which can lead to diabetes, joint problems, and liver disease. Most light diets keep pets from gaining weight, but they don't actually lose it. Your vet has reducing diets which have 50% fewer calories for pain-free weight loss. If only we had that for people!
Skin and coat problems can be remedied by hypoallergenic diets, such as Eukanuba's Fish and Potato diet. Urinary tract and kidney problems have their own specialized diets - don't trust the grocery store brands on this one.
Most people visit their dentist regularly, but their pets don't brush their teeth. There is a tartar control diet from Hill's which is made to scrub the pet's teeth clean while they eat. It's called T/D and research shows it can reduce tartar buildup as good as weekly brushing. You can feed it as a complete diet, or feed a few kibble daily as a biscuit snack. This leads to my topic for next month - Pet Dental Care.
I believe pets live longer nowadays due to improvements in their care and due to extensive research into their nutrition. Take advantage of it and help your pet to live a long healthy life by asking your veterinarian what diet they recommend. Don't ask a pet store "expert" who is usually an hourly paid temp for the food company. Remember - don't price shop. Look at the price and ask yourself, "Can I afford it?" If you can, it is worth the extra cost.