Monday, January 9, 2012

Pet Food . . . More Ingredients is not always better!


I am just gonna put it out there: PLEASE DO NOT FEED YOUR PET FOOD WITH EXOTIC INGREDIENTS ~ and~ DO NOT SWITCH FOODS ALL OF THE TIME!
Why?  For the simple reason that your dog (or cat) may become one of the rare pets that develops food intolerance.  If this is the unfortunate case, the more carbohydrate sources and the more protein sources you expose your pet to, the fewer options you will have when it comes to offering them a novel diet.

It used to be that high quality pet food had commonly found ingredients.  Now, when you read the bags, you see a myriad of carb and protein sources.  Even those which claim to be single source carb and protein, are actually One Animal Protein and one Major Carb Source.  However, when you read further, that Bison and Potato diet also contains Pea Protein.  Pea Protein used to only be found in Veterinary Prescription Diets, keeping it on the novel (new to your pet) list.

My wonderful 11 year old hound/terrier mix developed food intolerance when she was 3 or 4.  We started out on Hill's Prescription i/d at first.  She did well for several years, then we had to switch to Nature's Recipe Vegetarian Formula.  Once again, after several years, we are searching for a new diet.  We started out on Nature's Recipe Salmon grain Free Formula,  she started getting itchy (her normal response was to develop GI distress, THEN itchiness. . . . apparently, not in her old age!) . So we switched Carb Sources, but stayed with Salmon; repeated with a third formula containing Salmon and yet another Carb Source.

We are now on our fourth food in 6 months.  Back to chicken, a protein source that she has not been on in nearly 7 years.  It's only day two. Keep your fingers crossed.

So please, talk to your veterinarian.  Maintain consistency in your pet's food.  You never know when you may be at your wit's end trying to avoid the veterinary prescription diets with their prohibitive costs.  My dog would eat nearly $75 worth of food a month and she only weighs 45 lbs.


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