{"id":1619,"date":"2021-10-18T14:47:18","date_gmt":"2021-10-18T19:47:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/?p=1619"},"modified":"2021-10-18T15:45:33","modified_gmt":"2021-10-18T20:45:33","slug":"what-food-is-best-for-your-pet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.medicaldistrictvet.com\/blog\/what-food-is-best-for-your-pet\/","title":{"rendered":"What Food Is Best for Your Dog or Cat?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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This is a question and a discussion that I have with clients daily. And to be honest, it\u2019s a very difficult question to answer. I am going to give you a few tips on how to pick out a food that is best suited for your dog or cat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From the American Association of Feline Practitioners: https:\/\/catvets.com\/guidelines\/practice-guidelines\/life-stage-guidelines<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Life Stages<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I recommend feeding a food based on the life stage of your pet. The four life stages include growth, young adult, mature adult and senior. The below picture helps illustrate the life stages of cats. Canine life stages are pretty similar, but with more variation due to the vast size difference we see in the canine species. The growth life stage is typically done by 6-12 months of age. For cats the growth phase is typically finished by 6-10 months of age and I recommend transitioning to adult food around that time. If you have a puppy or kitten it is very important for proper growth and development to feed a puppy or kitten food. In the same manner as your pet is aging feeding a senior diet is important as they have different nutrient profiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may ask what about an \u201cAll Life Stages\u201d dog or cat food. For a company to market their food as \u201cAll Life Stages\u201d the food must meet the nutritional requirements for all life stages. Therefore, most of these foods are formulated as a puppy\/kitten food because puppies and kittens have the highest nutritional requirements of the four life stages. These foods can be good foods and well balanced, but they typically have a high caloric density. Therefore, in my experience, dogs are more likely to become overweight than if they were fed some other diets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medical Conditions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Does your pet have any health conditions that require a special diet? Prescription diets can play a vital role in management of many health conditions, including kidney disease, diabetes, obesity, allergies, and feline lower urinary tract disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your pet suffers from a medical condition, diet can manage and help many conditions, so I always recommend considering a prescription diet if you pet has one of the above conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More Expensive Does Not Mean Better<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many pet food companies are great at marketing but might not be as good at formulating diets. You can always look for the Nutritional Advocacy AFFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) Statement on each bag or can of food. These statements will tell you if the food has been through a food trial or formulated to meet particular feeding guidelines. The ingredient list should also list all ingredients in decreasing amounts by weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Labels are very confusing and often misleading to consumers. For example, if I made up a food with the following labels, the variation in ingredients can be drastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n