# Interesting new research on pet nutrition



## SpaceyKP (May 8, 2010)

There is a channel on Sirius/XM radio called Doctor Radio that is hosted from NYU's Langone medical center by doctors affiliated with NYU. There is a nutrition show and last week there was a segment on animal nutrition, particularly cats and dogs. They talked to the authors of a new book, "Feed Your Pet Right" by Marion Nestle and Malden Nesheim. I didn't catch the whole segment so I didn't hear if they discussed wet vs. dry food, but I would imagine it is addressed in the book. There is one really interesting point they made that I wanted to share. *

The most important thing to look for in pet food, from the cheapest to the most expensive, are the words "Complete and Balanced Nutrition".* 

They said in their research, they found that grains are not as much of a problem as many people think (more for cats that dogs). Even though ancestorally cats didn't eat grains, as they have been domesticated over the years cats have evolved to be able to digest grains. They didn't say that cats have evolved to need grains, just that they can digest them. Which is why food with complete and balanced nutrition is so important: if the food provides complete and balance nutrition, then grains used as fillers aren't taking the place of nutrients. (Obviously there will be some cats who have trouble with grains, but that's no different than people have trouble with different foods.) They also said their research showed there isn't any data that shows that by-products cause health problems. However, they didn't clarify if that means that information hasn't been tracked, or they have data and it doesn't show any connection. They said there is a lot of labeling manipulation that goes on, so just because the ingredient list says "chicken" doesn't mean you're getting food made with a fresh juicy chicken breast. It's still a mechanically de-boned chicken by-product, it just may be made from meat leftover on chicken racks (basically bones with some meat on them) after McD's got what they needed for their McNuggets. Either the process that is used and/or the type of meat used allows them to call it chicken and not chicken by-product. (That's my assumption...I missed it if the authors explained the rules behind having to call something a by-product or not.) Because of all the labeling manipulation, it is that much more important to look for complete and balanced nutrition on the food. You may read the ingredients and think its healthy food, but you're reading it how the manufacturer wants you to read it. Just because it sounds healthier than another food, doesn't mean it is. Once you find the complete and balanced foods, then look for other factors important to you, like price, grain-free, no by-products, etc. I've noticed that some brands, like Purina, puts "complete & balanced" in big letters on the front of the bag. Not all of their cat foods have it, but I noticed our bag of Dog Chow does.

I decided to do my own little research. I just hopped on PetSmart's website since it's a good place to find a bunch of different foods. I checked the Blue Buffalo Spa Select Indoor Cat Dry Food that I had been feeding for awhile and my cats (and dog) loved so much. Nowhere on that $2.27/pound bag of food did it say that it offered complete and balanced nutrition. I even doubled-checked Blue Buffalo's website and couldn't find anything. So I went to the other end of the spectrum and looked at The Goodlife Recipe Food for Cats. The $1.00/pound food does offer complete and balanced nutrition. Fancy Feast, which seems to get such a bad rap, offers complete and balanced nutrition. Even my Boots and Barkley canned food (Target store brand food that is cheaper than Fancy Feast) offers complete and balanced nutrition. I was pretty surprised by the foods that do and don't offer complete and balanced nutrition. So much for "premium" cat food.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

I think you'll find that all the premium foods have AAFCO statements which is another way of saying "Complete and Balanced". There are a few foods that do indicate that they are not complete, some of the Wysong offerings and BG canned for example.

I find the evolution statement interesting. As far as I know, cats have been eating commercial food for about 60 years (give or take). Up until that time, they pretty much hunted for themselves, most people kept cats as mousers. They may have received some supplemental table scraps. Evolution takes a lot longer than 60 years, or even a few hundred years. So I'm not really buying into their theory. Can cats handle eating grains? Sure. Is eating grain a good substitute for animal protein and fat? No.

I agree that there is a lot of labeling manipulation going on, particularly in the lower end foods. Most of the super premiums foods are now advertising "made from human quality ingredients", manufacturing in plants that meet FDA and USDA requirements for human consumption etc. A food that doesn't make the "human quality" statement may have tons of chicken in it, but that chicken may have been laying dead in the back of a truck for 2 days. That's not an ingredient I want my cats to eat. That wholesome corn they have pictured on the label may be mold and insect infested. 

So anyway, my point is, there's a lot more to it than complete and balanced...


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## jusjim (Jun 30, 2009)

I've had trouble with cat food the cat won't eat. There have been three cats in my house in the past 13 months. The first, Zenobi (lung cancer) would not eat the dry Enova or some of the wet foods. I ended up feeding her Whiskas dry and Friskies Salmon Dinner. When she went Tigger came, but was a sick cat from the start and didn't stay long. Missy, now, would not eat the Science Diet dry that came from the shelter. She did eat what was left of the Whiskas dry, and the Salmon Dinner. For some reason my store doesn't have Friskies Salmon at the moment, so I'm trying to get by with Finicky Cat Salmon. Iffy! I bought some Fancy Feast dry and she pounced. I stopped the Whiskas dry which I also had out and she liked to chop and change. I tried Whiskas wet, and she threw up onto the plate.

I fed the Enova dry to a cat who likes to come around. Ran out yesterday and he refuses to eat any of the other dry foods. (A way of getting rid of them without throwing them out.)

All of this goes into my theory of feeding a cat what it will eat, and what it wants to eat. It's how I feed myself. Missy get lots of small portions because that's all she will eat at a time.

I was given to understand that all cat food had to contain essential ingredients, especially taurine.

Both the Fancy Feast and Whiskas dry mention complete and balanced in the small print. The others drys I don't know. The Finicky Cat wet doesn't 
say it.

I realise this covers more than the thread's intent, but I thought I needed to explain all the foods I've used.

Edit. Now I remember why I went through all those foods. I got the impression at times that some of the foods I put down seemed to smell bad to the cats. Rotten (smelling) food can have a complete balanced analysis.


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## SpaceyKP (May 8, 2010)

jusjim said:


> I was given to understand that all cat food had to contain essential ingredients, especially taurine.


I think all food has at least some essential ingredients, but foods that are complete and balanced supply the proper amounts of all needed ingredients. I think you made a good point with all the foods you listed. No matter how good a food might be, some cats just won't want to eat it. Plus, not everyone can afford the most expensive premium foods. But even if you can't afford "top of the line" food, then its important to find the foods in your price range that say "complete and balanced nutrition". Those foods will be better for your cat than similar quality foods that don't provide complete and balanced nutrition. That is one point they made on the show. If you can afford to spend a lot of money on the best premium foods, there is nothing wrong with that. But if you can't, there are still affordable foods that will provide your cat with proper nutrition. Also, just because premium foods have some better quality ingredients, if they don't supply complete and balanced nutrition then they aren't going to be good for your cat in the long run.

Note... by premium foods I don't mean just the really good brands like Wellness, Blue Buffalo, etc. Foods likes Purina One are technically considered premium even they they may not seem like they are.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

It's the rare exception that a food doesn't meet the AAFCO requirements. There are a few out there, so it is important to read the labels so you don't end up exclusively feeding a food that isn't complete, but it's not something that the average person is going to run into on a regular basis. 

I guess I'm reacting because it sounds like these people were trying to create the impression that there's all kinds of foods out there that don't meet the AAFCO requirements, and that's not true.


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