I keep hearing the grain free diets for pets is just a fad that isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. My cat’s food that I chose happens to be grain free but I more chose it because of the high protein and organs in the ingredient list then it being grain free. Is there anything inherently bad about grain free diets? Or are they just a way to up the price tag?
gettingvetted here.
Yep, grain-free diets are a way to up the price tag. They started out as a fad since so many humans were adopting a gluten-free diet, and these days brands often like to claim that dogs and cats should not eat grains as part of their diet since they wouldn’t do so “in the wild”. Since dogs and cats are domesticated, they shouldn’t be eating anything in the wild, and are so far removed from their wild ancestors that their ability to digest grains have substantially increased. More recently, grain-free diets have been shown to contribute to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM, or heart failure).
However, it’s not just about grain-free diets. The diets that are causing DCM are now referred to as “BEG” diets – boutique companies, exotic ingredients, or grain-free diets. The apparent link between BEG diets and DCM may be due to ingredients used to replace grains in grain-free diets, such as lentils or chickpeas, but also may be due to other common ingredients commonly found in BEG diets, such as exotic meats, vegetables, and fruits. In addition, not all pet food manufacturers have the same level of nutritional expertise and quality control, and this variability could introduce potential issues with some products.
A diet should not be selected based on ingredients (or lack thereof). Rather, a pet owner should be asking these questions of a company:
1. Does the manufacturer employ at least one full-time qualified nutritionist? This means a PhD in animal nutrition or board-certification (and, ideally, both) by the American College of Veterinary Nutrition or the European College of Veterinary Comparative Nutrition.
2. What are the qualifications of the person who formulates their food (if it’s not the same person as their nutritionist)? This expert should have the same qualifications as in #1.
3. Does the manufacturer own the plant(s) where their food is manufactured? Most small companies do not own their own plants which can reduce the control they have over quality.
4. What quality control measures does the manufacturer practice? These vary widely among manufacturers but strict quality-control measures are critical to ensure safe, consistent, and nutritious food for your pet. Saying it’s the highest quality doesn’t make it true. Nor does having a statement on the label saying the food is complete and balanced. In fact, many of our studies have shown nutritional deficiencies in pet foods that claim on the label to be nutritionally complete and balanced (and the foods that had those deficiencies would not have met the standards detailed on this list). Examples of quality control measures the manufacturers should be using include certification of a manufacturer’s procedures (e.g., Global Food Safety Initiative, Hazard Analysis, and Critical Control Points, or American Feeding Industry Association); testing ingredients and end products for nutrient content, pathogens, and aflatoxins; materials risk assessments; and supplier audits.
5. Are their foods tested with the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) feeding trials? (this information also can be found on the label – find out how). If AAFCO feeding trials are not conducted, the manufacturer should at least ensure their diets meet AAFCO nutrient profiles through analysis of the finished product (rather than by predicting they meet the profiles based only on the recipe). This information can only be determined by asking the manufacturer.
6. Does the company conduct any research? Do they publish it in peer-reviewed journals?
7. Can the manufacturer provide you with the amount of any nutrient of interest (for example, sodium, protein, copper, or calcium)? They should be able to provide this information not just as guaranteed analysis numbers (which will be only minimums or maximums and are nearly useless), but as the average (or typical) analysis. This should ideally be provided on an energy basis (i.e., grams per 100 kilocalories or grams per 1,000 kilocalories), rather than on an as-fed or dry-matter percent basis, which does not account for the variation in energy density among foods.
8. Can the manufacturer provide you with the number of calories for any of their foods on any requested weight or volume basis (for example, per cup, per can, or per kilogram)?
9. Does the manufacturer bash other pet food companies (especially using information that is based on myths, rather than factual information) in their advertisements or on their websites?
These questions are all based on the checklist from the WSAVA Nutrition Toolkit, which is a very cool set of resources!
Unfortunately, there’s a lot of misconceptions surrounding raw feeding and alleged health benefits.The American Animal Hospital Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, World Small Animal Veterinary Association, Food & Drug Administration, and Center for Disease Control ALL currently advise against feeding companion animals meats that have not been processed to eliminate pathogens. Links to their statements can be found at the end of this post. There’s a number of reasons why, but it ultimately boils down to a risk-benefit analysis. We know there are dangers associated with raw feeding, and we have no documented evidence of significant benefit to outweigh those risks. Additionally, many home made raw diets are not appropriately balanced for complete nutrition. If you are interested in feeding a raw diet, you should consult with a boarded Veterinary Nutritionist (DACVN) to discuss options.
I’ve written about raw diets here: https://www.docofalltrades.net/.../pet-food-facts-fiction...
Here are some studies on the subject of raw diets.
1: “The genomic signature of dog domestication reveals adaptation to a starch-rich diet” www.nature.com/articles/nature11837
2: “Perceptions, practices, and consequences associated with foodborne pathogens and the feeding of raw meat to dogs” www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2684052/
3: “Raw diets for dogs and cats: a review, with particular reference to microbiological hazards” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/31025713/
4: “Tuberculosis due to Mycobacterium bovis in pet cats associated with feeding a commercial raw food diet” https://journals.sagepub.com/.../10.1177/1098612X19848455
5: “Enteropathogenic Bacteria in Dogs and Cats: Diagnosis, Epidemiology, Treatment, and Control” https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/.../j.1939-1676.2011.00821.x
6: “Intake of minerals, trace elements and vitamins in bone and raw food rations in adult dogs” https://www.cambridge.org/.../7520574DA173F4DB29330A6F858...
7: “Evaluation of recipes of home-prepared maintenance diets for dogs” https://avmajournals.avma.org/.../10.2460/javma.242.11.1500
8: “Raw food diets in companion animals: A critical review” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3003575/
9: “Apparent total tract energy and macronutrient digestibility and fecal fermentative end-product concentrations of domestic cats fed extruded, raw beef-based, and cooked beef-based diets” https://academic.oup.com/jas/article/90/2/515/4764443
10: “Raw meat-based diets for companion animals: a potential source of transmission of pathogenic and antimicrobial-resistant Enterobacteriaceae”https://royalsocietypublishing.org/.../10.../rsos.191170...&
"RMBDs have a high risk for contamination with bacteria, parasites, and other pathogens. In addition to the risks of nutritional inadequacy and contamination with bacteria and parasites, other health concerns for an animal eating a RMBD include risks from ingestion of bones if they are included (e.g., constipation, diarrhea, dental fractures, gastrointestinal obstructions) and diet-induced hyperthyroidism from excessive ingestion of thyroid tissue. There is currently no properly documented evidence of health benefits for RMBD, but there are well documented risks. As such, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association Global Nutrition Committee recommends that RMBD not be fed to dogs and cats.
"https://www.wsava.org/.../WSAVA-GNC-raw-diet-statement-12...
"At this time, the vast majority of purported benefits of feeding raw foods remain unproven, while the risks and consequences have been documented. It is best to discuss the choice of feeding raw foods with your veterinarian so that an informed decision can be made with regard to your pet’s diet.
https://acvn.org/frequently-asked-questions/#canned
"The AVMA discourages the feeding to cats and dogs of any animal-source protein that has not first been subjected to a process to eliminate pathogens because of the risk of illness to cats and dogs as well as humans.
https://www.avma.org/.../Raw-or-Undercooked-Animal-Source...
“RAW PROTEIN DIET Past proponents of raw food diets believed that this was the healthiest food choice for pets. It was also assumed that feeding such a diet would cause no harm to other animals or to humans. There have subsequently been multiple studies showing both these premises to be false. Based on overwhelming scientific evidence, AAHA does not advocate nor endorse feeding pets any raw or dehydrated nonsterilized foods, including treats that are of animal origin.”
https://www.aaha.org/.../aaha-position.../raw-protein-diet/"
The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) accepts the evidence for potential health risks to pets fed raw meat-based diets (RMBDs), and to humans who are in contact with RMBDs, or with pets fed RMBDs. The CVMA holds that the documented scientific evidence of potential animal and public health risks in feeding RMBDs outweighs any perceived benefits of this feeding practice.
"https://www.canadianveterinarians.net/.../raw-meat-based...
Hi! There's a post currently going around on facebook that someone I know shared and insisted that vets only give boosters to make money and they're incredibly harmful. I just wanted to know your thoughts if you have time? Thanks :) facebook[.]com / photo[.]php?fbid=4532781316140&set=a.1782621123854.103418.1189235092&type=3&theater (hopefully you can remove the brackets and spaces and it should work)
The link does work, the post is here, and it’s just one big headache to sift through. In no particular order, we have:
Deliberate scare-mongering, repeatedly insinuating that vets are not telling you things and are uneducated.
Vague and broad concerns like ‘many ailments happen within 3 months of an annual vaccine’. I mean, sure, about 25% of ailments will happen within 3 months of an annual event, given there are only 12 months of the year in which it can occur.
Claims the World Small Animal Veterinary Association doesn’t recommend annual vaccines, but:
Calls it the ‘World Small Veterinary Association’
Doesn’t link to it.
Neglects to mention that the WSAVA guidelines discusses that up to 5 vaccine doses may be optimal for dogs under a year of are, rather than the usual 2 or 3, which is distinctly more than is usually done.
And I don’t even want to go to the other websites they link to, I want to enjoy my life.
But here are the WSAVA vaccination guidelines if you are actually interested, in a bunch of different languages.
Yes, the WSAVA does talk about triannual (every 3 year) vaccination of MLV core vaccines. That is, specifically, modified live vaccines, of the core diseases, which are parvo, distemper and hepatitis.
Rabies depends on where in the world you are. It is not core, or even recommended, in Australia, but will be mandatory and rightly so in other parts of the world.
The non-core vaccines do not provide 3 year immunity, which anyone can read in those guidelines, but do still require annual vaccination, if you elect to have them. These include kennel cough, leptospira and lyme disease.
To quote the WSAVA guidelines directly, which the Facebook post only alluded to and deliberately obscured:
Therefore an adult dog may, according to these guidelines, still be re-vaccinated annually, but the components of these vaccinations may differ each year.
Hmm, it’s almost like that’s not what the Facebook post is saying at all? Like the WSAVA has been deliberately misquoted?
I would make way, way more money treating a parvo case than I do from a vaccine, but believe it or not I don’t actually want to see pets that are sick and dying and in pain if I can help it.
I will say it’s worth actually reading the WSAVA guidelines, they’re not too complex to understand but do read the whole relevant chapter, and make up your mind for yourself.
This goes double if any of you out there intend to have an argument without reading the actual guidelines.
how exactly do you find WSAVA compliant cat foods? i have a senior cat who has been fed taste of the wild for years and i just found out that it isn’t WSAVA compliant (or wasn’t?). but it is really hard for me to navigate through all the science-y stuff or even tell if cat food labels are saying something genuine about the quality of their food. and price obviously has no meaning when it comes to quality. i have no idea what to look for but i just want to make sure that my pets get a good diet, are there any resources that can help with that? thank you all!
gettingvetted here.
The way to find any WSAVA compliant food, cat or dog, has been discussed here! The compliant brands are the same in cats and dogs.
I really love you're guy's work on this blog, thank you! After seeing all the things for dog and cat nutrition, I was wondering of there was an equivalent to the WSAVA for Large or small animals? Like horses, llamas, or hamsters and mice?
gettingvetted here.
The National Research Council publishes nutritional needs for just about every animal out there. Individual veterinary organizations, such as the American Association of Equine Practitioners, the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, etc will often have suggested nutritional guidelines depending on the age, type, and use of the animal. However it is typically up to the board-certified veterinary nutritionists and/or PhD nutritionists to formulate a diet for a commercial feed, individual farm, zoo animal, or research trial.
The WSAVA World Congress in Lisbon attracted nearly 3,800 delegates from 103 countries, showcasing new global guidelines and addressing important issues in the veterinary profession. Five new members also joined the association. Learn more about this event and the future congress in Suzhou, China. #WSAVA #veterinaryconference
WSAVA Issues Guidance on Pets and the New Coronavirus
WSAVA Issues Guidance on Pets and the New Coronavirus and urges pet owners not to panic...
WSAVA Issues Guidance on Pets and the New Coronavirus
The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) has prepared an advisory document offering guidance and a series of Frequently Asked Questions to help its members when talking with pet owners concerned about the risk of infection with the new coronavirus (2019 n-CoV), following the outbreak in China.
