Nutrition Fact #4

Are by-products bad? Not really. They may actually be the best thing to feed pets because of the nutrition they contain and because they use parts of animals that would otherwise be thrown away when producing human food. By-products include vegetable oils, chicken fat and pork, chicken, and beef liver-the internal organs of animals used for human consumption that would otherwise be trashed.

Nutrition Fact #3

So what is organic? Foods that are labeled "organic" must be certified as organic in accordance with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and AAFCO regulations. In order for a product to carry the USDA organic seal, at least 95% of its content must be organic by weight. To be organic, the components of a product must be grown with only animal or vegetable fertilzers, such as manure, bone meal, compost etc.

Nutrition Fact #2

We hear the word "natural" all the time. When it refers to pet food what does that mean? According to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) the term "natural" requires a pet food to consist only of natural ingredients that have not been subjected to chemical synthesis. (My note: that would include most pet foods whether they are labeled "natural" or not). Natural does not mean that the food is also organic.

Nutrition Fact 1

Does your pet's food boast the label "holistic"? Don't believe it. There is no legal definition of the term under pet food laws. Anyone can claim that their food is "holistic".

New Year's Resolution

I resolve to blog more in 2012. The past few months have been extremely busy, not just with patients but we are in the process of computerizing the practice. We also started a facebook page and a website. The website for now is just a "canned one" that we'll be personalizing as we have time (www.southviewanimalclinic.com).

I'm going to start a series of blogs on 9 nutrition facts that appeared in an Article in "Trends" a publication for veterinarians published by the American Animal Hospital Association taken from the Association of American Feed Control Officials. Some of these surprised me.

August Topics

Blue Green Algae (Microcystin) blooms are a common late summer/fall problem in Iowa lakes and ponds. They're important to keep track of because the toxin from the algae can be deadly to pets and humans. The Iowa DNR and Iowa Public Health have issued warnings for Black Hawk Lake and Lake of Three Fires. I get notice of public health threats through IRVIN, the Iowa Rapid Veterinary Information Network, and try to pass them on as they occur. For more information on Microcystin toxin see my blog post for Sept. 15th, 2009.

I haven't seen the usual high numbers of fleas so far this summer. A couple of possible reasons: flea reproduction can actually slow down in extreme heat and dry conditions when fewer larvae survive to pupate. This will change soon. Also, the newer flea medications are getting more and more effective. Studies on Vectra have shown that that only 25 percent of fleas live long enough on protected pets to bite. This is the best in the industry. For more information see the Sept. 21st, 2010 post.

Cat Food Recall

Nestle Purina has issued a voluntary recall on Purina One Vibrant Maturity 7 Plus cat food because of possible Salmonella contamination. The 3.5 pound and 7 pound dry food bags are the target of the recall. No other Purina foods are suspected. The packages carry a "best by" date of 5/12. The UPC codes are 17800 01885 for the 3.5# bags and 17800 01887 for the 7# bags. If you have purchased the recalled food discard it and call Purina @800-982-6559 or visit their website for refund information. Iowa is one of several midwest states affected. If you're an out of state visitor to our blog google Vibrant Maturity cat food recall, you'll get a gazillion hits that list the affected states.