RAW FOOD DONE RIGHT

Unfortunately, many well-meaning pet owners confuse feeding a balanced, species-appropriate diet with feeding pieces of raw grocery store meat to their dog or cat. Although this is a good source of protein and some minerals, it doesn't represent a balanced diet. A diet of muscle meat doesn't contain many of the vital nutrients our pets need, including vitamins A, D, E, and the B vitamins. It also lacks minerals like potassium, copper, zinc, iron, iodine, and choline. The diet will be deficient in Omega 3 fatty acids, enzymes, and antioxidants.

Over time, these deficiencies will wreak havoc on the pet's health. This is one of the reasons traditional veterinarians are against "raw feeding" - it needs to be done right. Not only do you need to feed muscle meat, but 10 to 15% of the diet should also be made of organs - not just one type of organ. Vegetables and fruits can add some really important nutrients, but many prey-model folks are against feeding any vegetable or fruit matter. A diet of 10% organs, 55-60% muscle meat, and 25% vegetable and fruit ingredients would be close to ideal (for cats, the mix should be closer to 90% meat and organs and 10% vegetable matter).

A vitamin and mineral mix (home made or store bought) should be added to balance the diet if you are not willing to balance the diet completely using food sources. The mix needs to contain sources of vitamin D, iron, manganese, zinc, copper, iodine, and folic acid (taurine for cats). 

Some people try to do a better job at raw feeding by buying a special "butcher's dog food blend" containing ground meat, bone, and organs. In my opinion, this is also dangerous. There are a lot of missing vitamins and minerals here. And unless the butcher can provide an analysis of the food, how do you have any idea how much fat, protein, and moisture are present? Because you are probably getting the waste pieces that are not fit for human consumption, there is a good chance you are feeding a very high fat product. For dogs prone to pancreatitis, this could be a nightmare. I checked many "butcher's" dog food sites and few of them provided a nutritional analysis on their products. Most products were incomplete diets.

For people that are old hands and well educated in raw feeding dogs, there's a good chance they are getting the diet more closely balanced. If they weren't, their dogs would show signs of trouble. For the new folks to raw feeding, don't just "wing it". Get good advice from people who have the knowledge to teach you how to balance the diet. Buy a good book on raw feeding, like Dr. Karen Becker's Real Food For Healthy Dogs and Cats. 

If you are just starting out with raw feeding, stick with a pre-made raw food with a guaranteed analysis so that you know you are feeding a balanced diet. That way, if you have a pet with special needs, you will know exactly how much fat and protein are in the diet. It won't be a guessing game. Most of my dogs currently eat Allprovide raw food because there is a guaranteed analysis on every batch and the ingredients are all human grade. Two dogs eat Stella N Chewy's frozen raw rabbit because they have protein allergies. Raw feeding is probably the healthiest way to feed our pets, but make sure you are feeding a balanced, high quality diet.

ARE INDIVIDUALLY OWNED VETERINARY CLINICS GOING THE WAY OF THE MOM AND POP DRUGSTORE?

Mars Petcare announced October 9th it will acquire Blue Pearl, the nation's biggest chain of companion animal specialty and emergency care clinics. They already own more than 900 Banfield pet hospitals, Royal Canin, Pedigree, Iams, Eukanuba, and Natura pet foods, with a total of 38 brands in their portfolio. (I'm guessing we won't be seeing Hill's prescription diets offered at Banfield.)

VCA (WOOF on NASDAQ) is a leading provider of pet health care services, owning over 600 small animal veterinary hospitals (VCA Animal Hospitals) in the US and Canada. They also own one of the largest veterinary diagnostic laboratories in the US and Canada (Antech Diagnostics), the leading animal diagnostic imaging company in the market (Sound), and VetSTREET, a leading provider of veterinary practice marketing solutions. Word is they have also bought a PR firm to handle their advertising and marketing.

Smaller corporate ventures like Vetcor, Brightheart, National Veterinary Associates, Petpartners, Vetpartners, and others are also buying up privately owned veterinary practices. Most veterinary corporations are not owned by veterinarians. They are owned by investors and business folks. Do they have the best interest of our pets or their bank accounts as their main concern? They certainly have greater buying power by purchasing items in huge quantities, getting discounts the independent practices will never see. To be efficient, large corporations often set up standards of what the doctors can and can't do, how they can and can't do it, and what they can and can't buy. They standardize everything. Does that jeopardize the healthcare of the patients? Can doctors and pet owners make their own choices?

The days of the independent veterinary practice may be numbered, like the mom and pop drugstores of my youth. Does this really matter to the pet owner? Statistics show that most clients choose their veterinarian based on location and the doctor. If they like the doctor, they stick with the practice. Most people don't really seem to care whether the practice is corporate-owned or independently owned.

I think there are pros and cons to every situation. My best advice is to find a practice you like, whether it is close to home or far away. Find a doctor that communicates with you and loves your pets. After all, the pets are what really matter.

WE JUST NEED TO LISTEN TO WHAT THEY TELL US

Two weeks ago one of our 14-year-old Cocker Spaniels that we adopted 6 months ago started licking his right front foot. He has some breathing problems, so he made VERY loud, annoying slurping noises. It was so annoying I checked to see what he was doing. There was an ulcerated mass on the top of his last toe. I figured it was a typical Cocker wart, so I took him to the office and removed it using a local anesthetic. I threw the mass away with no further thought. That night, Scout continued licking the foot. I figured that now he was licking because of the tiny sutures in his foot. I applied LickGuard ointment, which he hated. Three or four times every day for a week, we coated the foot in LickGuard. Scout would run around the house like we had just really made him mad.

Fast forward ten days. The licking is constant. By now the sutures have healed. So I took an x-ray of his foot. Just what I feared: there was a problem with the toe itself. The bone within the nail was disintegrating. Most likely we were dealing with a nail bed tumor and those are rarely anything good. Surgery is risky with Scout due to his breathing issues and the fact that he can only open his mouth about an inch, due to scarring from infections earlier in his life. Intubation of his airway is difficult. But I was left with no choice.

I am happy to say that Scout was a champ through surgery. I amputated the toe at the level of the metacarpal/phalangeal joint, working really hard to focus on the surgery and not on the fact that I own this guy. It's hard to remain calm when it's my own pet on the table.

This is a photo during recovery. He is wearing a bandage and a boot. Now that he is home, he is trying to figure out how to hop on three legs when all legs are arthritic. I had to giggle when he tried to lift his hind leg on the same side to urinate the first time after surgery. Obviously, standing on two legs on the same side did not work out so well. He's still working on figuring that out, but for now, I help hold up the back end.

Biopsy results won't be back for a week, but I expect it won't be good news. We'll figure out what to do when we get them. I tell clients all the time not to ignore what their pets are trying to tell them. Scout was diligently telling me there was a problem. I kept trying to tell him to leave it alone. Sometimes we just need to listen better.

5 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO MAKE VETERINARY VISITS BETTER FOR EVERYONE

1. Bring your dog on a leash or your cat in a sturdy carrier. Keep the dog on a short leash in the clinic. Accustom your pet to its carrier and to traveling in the car ahead of time. If your pet is aggressive toward other animals, let the staff know that in advance. They may be able to take your pet in through a private entrance.
2. If your veterinarian doesn't already have your pet's medical record on file, bring it with you or have your previous veterinary team send or fax the records. At a minimum, bring your own notes on your pet's health and medical history. Have a list of medications with strength, dosing schedule, and length of time your pet has been receiving medication.
3. Arrive on time or a few minutes early for your appointment. Call ahead if you are running behind. (You can also request your veterinary office to call you if they are running behind.) Turn off your cell phone.
4. If you have financial concerns, be upfront about that. Knowing this in advance can help your veterinarian make recommendations that will provide the most efficient use of your financial resources.
5. Have a list of questions ready so you will be sure to cover any concerns you may have. If your pet has been ill, bring a list of symptoms, length of time they have been present, and whether the pet has had similar symptoms in the past or has been treated for similar problems. If you do not vaccinate your pet or use limited vaccinations, make sure the veterinarian understands your point of view.

ANOTHER ADVERTISING GIMMICK

I really should stay out of pet stores. I see products that make me want to slit my wrists because I know they are popular, but they are so misleading to the pet owner! Dribble some shizzle on that kibble? I'm not sure of the definition of shizzle, but I don't think it's a good thing. This product is touted as a cute way to add vitamins and minerals to the diet. Two problems: if you are feeding a complete and balanced diet, you shouldn't need to add more vitamins and minerals. And if your ARE going to add supplemental vitamins and minerals, please add high quality ingredients. I would consider the chemical soup in this product to be of low quality, including ingredients whose safety have been questioned for years, like sodium selenite, potassium sorbate, tricalcium phosphate, and maltodextrin - yup, that's sugar. The amounts of omega 3 fatty acid and glucosamine are negligible, so you are not providing a useful joint or coat supplement. If you are using this to balance a home cooked diet, the calcium levels are far too low. If you have a dog with allergies, I would definitely steer clear. Please don't be fooled by cute advertising gimmicks. My rating on this product - 1 star (most websites don't allow you to use zero stars).

CONFUSING LABELING OR IS IT DECEITFUL?

These lovely jarred stews for dogs caught my attention while I was in a pet store today. I thought they looked appetizing and I'm sure many people would think the same thing. My big question: how many pet owners believe this is a complete and balanced meal for their pets? How many people are making the mistake of feeding this food by itself? There are so many nutritional deficiencies I can't begin to list them all. (One jar contains venison and yams. Nothing else.) The label is not complete and does not come close to AAFCO and FDA standards (not that I'm a big fan of those guys, but the standards are there for a reason). Amount to feed is left up to the pet owner. Calories are listed per 100 grams, but the food is 32 ounces. Who is going to do the math?
The directions state "feed alone OR WITH your favorite kibble for a COMPLETE MEAL. This is so ambiguous I wonder how many pet owners will not realize that this needs to be fed with a complete diet to supply the necessary nutrients. No mention of calcium and phosphorous content. Do I need to add a mineral supplement? (The answer is yes, but that's only because I know this diet is way off in calcium/phosphorous balance based on ingredients.)
Website for this company? Useless. They also sell dog coats. There is more information on the coats than there is on the food. Yet this product is available nationwide. While they may be using good ingredients, there is a lot of confusion for how much to feed and the fact that this is not meant to be fed as a complete diet.
If the commercial diet you are feeding does not say "complete and balanced" and name the life stage it is meant for (all life stages, growth, mature, senior, puppy, etc), it is meant to be used as a supplement, not as a complete diet. Don't be fooled into feeding your pet an incomplete diet.

GRAIN FREE PET FOOD SELLS LIKE HOT-CAKES!

Is grain-free really better? According to a national survey, grain-free items now account for 1/3 of all pet food sales, bringing in 2.6 BILLION dollars last year. What happened to all the grains? They were replaced by potatoes or legumes: peas, lentils, chickpeas. Many pets have allergies to legumes and these are definitely not good for dogs used for breeding, as legumes contain phytoestrogens. Grain free isn't always better, but it is the new buzz-word. Dogs with allergies may fare no better when fed legumes or potatoes than when they are fed grains. Cats are carnivores and these ingredients have no place in cat food. Some pets will do better on grain-free diets, but that may be because, historically, grain-free foods have been made by companies that supply better ingredients overall. But even the worst pet food companies can see the results of the survey and realize they can benefit monetarily by producing "grain-free" diets, even if the rest of the ingredients are awful. Bottom line: buyer beware! Do your research. Know the company producing the food. Make sure you are buying a high-quality product.