Food for thought for your pet

STORY BY DEBBIE OLSEN
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KRISTINA DEMBINSKI

According to a Statistics Canada survey, more than half of Canadians own a household pet and in Alberta, 32% have at least two pets. Consequently, Albertans purchase about 50% more pet food than the national average.

What you may not know is that Alberta is also home to two major manufacturers of pet food and numerous smaller manufacturers of pet snacks. In fact, Champion Petfoods Ltd., located in Morinville, produces the ACANA line of pet food that is the best selling premium Canadian pet food worldwide and is sold in more than forty countries. “We’ve been at this business for twenty-five years and we sell more pet food in international markets than any other Canadian brand,” says Peter Muhlenfeld, sales manager of Champion Petfoods. “Canadian pet food resonates with consumers worldwide, because we use modern technology combined with strict regulations and controls to produce exceptionally high quality products and that’s what consumers are demanding.” Muhlenfeld went on to say that although the BSE scare has temporarily closed some markets to Canadian products, things continue to look promising for this industry in Alberta.

EAT WELL—LIVE WELL

When it comes to feeding your pet, sometimes less is more. Your pet may require half as much of a high quality pet food, for example, than he or she may need of a poorer quality food. This is because low quality foods are often made up of less digestible ingredients like wheat or glutens that are not readily absorbed into an animal’s system and result in greater stool volumes.

So how can you tell the difference between a good quality pet food and a poor quality one? It’s always a good idea to consult your veterinarian especially if your pet has specific dietary needs, but for the average healthy cat or dog, the best way to determine the quality of a specific brand of pet food is by reading the label. Here are a few tips to help you understand what the label is telling you on packaged dog or cat food.

• Look for a pet food that contains high quality meat ingredients first. Cats and dogs are carnivores. Their bodies are built differently than ours and a basic meat-based diet is best for them, as meat is more digestible and nutrient rich than vegetable protein sources. It’s best to avoid meat ingredients like “meat meal” or “animal tallow”.
  
• A quality pet food will contain fewer starches like rice, corn or wheat. This is particularly true for cats. If carbohydrates like rice, corn or wheat are first ingredients, you are probably looking at a poorer quality food.
  
• Avoid foods that contain wheat, glutens, or soy products. Wheat tends to cause digestive upset and allergies, and gluten and soy are vegetable based protein sources that are less digestible than chicken or lamb.
  
• Vitamins and minerals should be at levels above the minimum recommendations. Minimum recommendations only provide for basic survival. Focus has now shifted to optimum health that includes extra vitamins and minerals to boost the immune system and fight disease.
  
• Look at the extra ingredients in the food. Many of these improve the health of the pet and can extend its quality of life. Some ingredients that fall into this category include: omega-3 fatty acids from flax or fish for better skin and coat, and improved immune function, oligosaccharides for better digestive tract health, and chelated minerals for better absorption and utilization. There are also some nutrients such as glucosamine for joint health, L carnitine to aid fat digestion in obese animals, and high chromium yeast for blood sugar control in diabetic animals.