With all the food companies out there, it is truly difficult to know if you are feeding a balanced and nutritious diet to your pet. It can be very confusing, and not to mention, misleading when reading bags that say natural, organic, holistic and grain free. Although we try to educate everyone on proper nutrition for their dog and cat family members, we know we can only do so much. We recommend that every pet owner questioning the goodness of their pets food contact the food company (via website or telephone) with the following questions. *Do you have a veterinary nutritionist or equivalent on the staff of your company? *Is a nutritionist from your company available for consultations or questions? *Can your company provide a complete product nutrient profile for your products? *Has your company conducted published, peer-reviewed nutritional studies on your products to advance the scientific knowledge about natural nutrition for pets? *Does your company perform nutrient analysis on raw ingredients to ensure correct nutrient values and adjust for variability? *Are shelf life studies performed on your products to ensure effective preservation and nutrient stability? *Does your company own the manufacturing facilities that produce the pet food? *If your company does not own the manufacturing facilities, are external quality management procedures in place to ensure quality and safety of ingredients and products? *Does your company have a supplier quality-assurance program that evaluates and works with suppliers to optimize the quality of raw ingredients? *Does your company have a quality management system that incorporates good manufacturing practices, hazard analysis critical control point standard, incident management program, traceability standards, and risk management for microbiological, physical, chemical, and nutritional contaminants? *Have your manufacturing facilities received second-party conformity statements or third-party certifications for quality control and food safety procedures? *Are finished products tested for salmonellae and negative results received before products are released for distribution? As always, Cardiff Animal Hospital veterinarians are here to help you decide what food is best to feed your pet for their age, breed, size, activity level and nutritional needs if you should have any questions.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 18:13:02 +0000
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