Funnies with Riley Wednesday

Happy Wednesday Everyone

As many of you know, I am a bit of a prankster cat.  I like to joke with the doctors and staff any chance I get.  One of my best and longest running pranks was when I pretended to not like Dr.  Garnett.  It was really funny, I would hang out with all the other doctors, but not with her (and she’s the cat-aholic).  She would get so frustrated!  But like all good things, it came to an end.  One day she called my bluff and threatened to find me a new home. Needless to say, with that threat on board, I became an instant friend to Dr. Garnett and we’re pretty tight now.  In honor of these classic pranks I pull, and my fun loving spirit, as well as the many more pranks to come,  I’ve decided to make every Wednesday in October , “Funnies with Riley Wednesday”.  I hope you enjoy. 

Stay Classy Colorado 

Riley Introduces Dr. Karen Mitchell

HELLO!

My name is Riley!  As some of you may know, I am Care Animal Hospital’s resident clinic cat.  You may be wondering what a clinic cat does.  Well, let me tell you... it’s not an easy gig.  Most people think it involves a lot of treats, attention, and naps, but I am here to tell you there is a lot more to it.  For instance, the doctors can keep pretty messy desks.  So when the paper work piles up, I make sure to help out by filing all important documents on the floor.  I take great pride in keeping laps warm through the winter months, and I've been known to help with paper work by walking across keyboards.  Even though my schedule is pretty full, I have agreed to take a few moments each month to give you a behind the scenes look at Care Animal Hospital, discuss animal related topics, and answer any questions you may have. 

I would like to start off by welcoming a new member to CAH.  As many of you know Dr. Harris left the clinic a few months ago, which was quite upsetting for me.  It had taken me months to train her properly.  I can’t tell you how many extra meals I got from her simply by harassing her.  It was a beautiful system.  I would sit on her computer and meow at her incessantly, and then --POOF!-- my bowl would be full.  But now I have to train a new doctor all over again.  Her name is Dr. Kristen Mitchell and she originally is from Michigan.  She worked in Brighton, Colorado for the past 9 years before joining CAH.  She is in the process of moving to Golden where her feline companions are building a house for her, her husband and two children.    Thankfully, as she lives with three cats, she is pretty well trained already.  I am pretty sure she will give me extra food if only that stingy Dr. Gilbert will show her where the food is.  He says I am overweight, but I say there is just more of me to love.  Anyway, back to Dr. Mitchell...  I am pretty excited with my new friend and hope that all of you will help me welcome her into the CAH family.  Please stay tuned for my next installment where I will discuss the cleaning power of cat drool on iPhones.  Until then…

Stay Classy, Colorado

A few more definitions of terms on the label on a bag of food

What do these terms mean?  Guaranteed Analysis, Ingredient Statement, and Ash Content?

Also – what’s the difference between “dry matter basis” and “as fed” basis?

Guaranteed Analysis gives the minimum and maximum for protein, fat, fiber and moisture.  It does NOT give the true amount of the nutrient.  Looking at the actual nutrient content of the manufacturer is a better way to evaluate the food.

REQUIRED on the pet food bag is the minimum amount of protein, minimum amount of fat, maximum amount of fiber, and maximum amount of moisture.  

Ingredient Statement – Ingredients are listed in descending order by their predominance by WEIGHT according to the product’s formula.  The nutrient value of ingredients cannot be identified from the ingredient statement.  

Ash Content -  Ash is the total mineral element of the formula.  Ash is the sum of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, sodium etc.  The ash is the material that remains after combustion or hydrolysis of the organic material.  

Dry matter basis versus as fed:  The best way to compare foods is dry matter basis (DMB). Looking at the DMB helps us to understand what specific nutrients are in a product.

To convert a food from “as fed” to DMB

First:  Subtract 100 by the moisture content

Example – 100% - 75% moisture = 25% DMB

Another example – 100% - 10% moisture = 90 % DMB

Second:  Divide the nutrient by the DMB

Example – 10% protein, as fed / 25% DMB = 40% protein

Another example – 18% protein, as fed / 90% DMB = 20% protein

Should I consider a grain free diet for my cat?

As reviewed in the last newsletter, the new “Grain Free” craze for both dog and cat foods has very little merit.  Most pet food companies say that the reason their products are “Grain Free” is to prevent food allergies.  As discussed last month, both dogs AND cats are usually allergic to the protein in the pet food they are consuming.  Grains contain very little protein (corn is only 8% protein and 80% starch, and rice has less than 10 % protein).  So, claiming that grain free pet food leads to fewer food allergies cannot be substantiated.  Grains are VERY low on the lists of things that dogs and cats can become allergic to.

True or False – Cats are true carnivores

This is true.  Protein metabolism of cats is unique.  Kittens require 50% more protein than puppies to support growth.  The relative maintenance requirement for protein in the adult cat is even higher:  adult cats need about 200% more protein than adult dogs

True or False – Cats have amino acids that are essential to their health and MUST be in their cat food

This is true as well.  Cat food must have arginine, taurine and methionine to be nutritionally complete for cats.    This is why it is SO IMPORTANT that cats and kittens be fed products designed for them, and NOT dog food.

True or False  – Cats should not eat carbohydrates because they are carnivores.

False:  Although it is true that cats are carnivores and have a high dietary protein requirement, cats can use carbohydrates efficiently for energy.  The starch levels found in commercial cat foods (up to 35% of the food’s dry matter) are well tolerated.

True or False  - Cats should not eat carbohydrates because of the risk for diabetes

False:  Currently available evidence does not support a direct cause and effect relationship between increased carbohydrate intake and diabetes in cats.  Doctors at Care Animal Hospital do recommend a canned food diet plan (which usually does mean less carbohydrates) for diabetic cats because ONCE DIAGNOSED with diabetes, it has been proven that most diabetic cats require less insulin and do better overall when fed canned food. 

Suggestions in feeding cats:  The doctors at Care Animal Hospital recommend feeding a high quality dry as well as canned cat or kitten product to support growth.   As mentioned before, Purina’s Pro Plan and ONE, Hills Science Diet foods, Iams, and Royal Canin products are ones that are well studied and have been formulated to meet the needs of the age group they are intended for (cats or kittens).  These companies have veterinary nutritionists on staff formulating their foods. 

Next month – what do the terms Organic, Natural and Holistic REALLY MEAN?

What about using a "grain free" diet for my dog?

Dr. Paige Garnett's Food Corner

This month I'm going to talk about the new focus on "Grain Free" diets for pets and whether or not these diets truly help animals with suspected food allergies.  This article will focus on grain-free diets for dogs. 

 

Here are some nutritional facts to consider when listening to the new hype about these diets.

 

1.  Corn, wheat, rice  and soy are usually innocent when accused of causing food allergies in dogs.

 

2.  The recent negative thoughts about food grains as pet food ingredients may be myths started by small pet food companies as a way to compete with larger, established companies. 

 

3.  The idea that grains are negative comes from no current data.  There are excellent diets that contain one or more grains.

 

4.  Saying that these ingredients are "common causes of food allergies" is not accurate.

 

5.  If someone in marketing puts on a bag of dog food "Contains no soy" that immediately suggests something is WRONG with soy.  Then a consumer goes home, sees that soy is in the product they are feeding, and assumes they should stop feeding that food.  It is a marketing strategy with no facts or data to back up their implied  "warning".

 

6.  Food allergy is an abnormal immune response only to a protein, not to a fat or carbohydrate.  Corn is 8 % protein and 80% carbohydrate, and rice has less than 10% protein.  These grains are very rarely incriminated in a food allergy problem.

 

In summary, if a pet food says a grain-free diet will help a dog with allergies, that would be a company I would be suspicious of - as only a dog that has an allergy to a specific grain would improve on a grain-free diet, and grain allergies are quite rare. 

 

Next month - "How about grain free diets for cats?" 

Dr. Garnett's Food Corner: Some of the factors that make pet food brands different

Dr. Garnett's Food Corner: 

Since so many clients are confused about the wide array of products on the market for their pets, Dr. Garnett will be sharing a few of her ideas on how people can make intelligent choices about what to feed.

 

Click here to see last month's article:  What can you tell from the pet food bag?

 

This month I'm going to talk about some of the factors that do make pet foods different.  

      Commercial pet food diets are all processed and cooked in a similar fashion.  The big differences between the pet foods are in the quality of ingredients used, and how well they control manufacturing quality.  Higher price does not always mean higher quality; it may simply mean more profit for the pet food company.  I worry about diets from pet food marketing-distribution companies that don't make their own foods.  I think they may potentially fluctuate more from batch to batch than a company where it's all done in-house. 

     What do I recommend?  I strongly recommend using a food from one of the larger pet food manufacturing companies like Royal Canin, Hill's Pet Nutrition that makes Science Diet products, Nestle Purina, and Iams PetCare.  They will control all aspects of development, manufacturing and sales, so there is more company oversight of the pet food process.  These are also the companies that are investing in research that promotes veterinary medicine and veterinary nutrition.  They are pushing the bounds of what we know about improving health and treating disease through diets.  In contrast, a pet food marketing company may outsource all of the food development and manufacturing to a third party, which makes the food and returns it to the company to sell. 

     Next month - what about Grain Free Diets? 

What can you tell from the pet food bag? Dr. Garnett's September Food Corner Article

Dr. Garnett's Food Corner: 

Since so many clients are confused about the wide array of products on the market for their pets, Dr. Garnett will be sharing a few of her ideas on how people can make intelligent choices about what to feed.
 

Today's lesson:  What can you tell from the pet food bag? 

Dr. Garnett's answer - not a lot.  It is very difficult to look at the bag and determine the quality of the ingredients in the bag.  You also can't tell manufacturing quality either.  Some things to look at that are important:  Find the AAFCO seal (required on all non-prescription pet food) and look for the words "FEEDING TRIALS" instead of the word "formulated."  Pet food does not have to have been fed to the animals it is designed for, believe it or not, so a product tested with dogs or cats is going to be more reliable.  ALSO - look for the lifestage the food is designed for.  If you see the words "suitable for dogs (or cats) of all ages" - this is the same as saying puppy or kitten food.  A lot of these products have extra calories to support younger animals, so older pets may gain weight when eating these foods. To ensure optimum health and achieve an appropriate nutrient balance, it is better to feed a product appropriate for the life stage of your pet.  For example:  'suitable for health and maintenance of adult dogs'  would be good for dogs between 1 and 7 years of age, or for cats 1-10 years of age.

 

Coming up in future newsletters:

1)  What about grain free foods?

2)  Raw diets - should I be looking into these?