Nutrition Fact #6

Ingredients are listed in descending order by their predominance by weight. However, weight values are not included in the ingredient statement, meaning that the listed ingredients could vary by weight only 0.1 percent, or by 20 percent.

Nutrition Fact #5

Formulation method v. feeding trial method: If your pet's food label says something to the effect of "This food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials..." rather than "Animal feeding test using AAFCO procedures substantiate that this food provides complete and balanced nutrition...", it means that the food did not undergo actual feeding or digestibility trials. The formulation method is quicker and cheaper, but does not document the effect on animals.

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.