Purina vs Blue -who is telling the TRUTH?

This week a client brought to my attention a law suit between Purina and Blue disputing the claims made by one company about the ingredients used by the other company.  Basically a"he said- she said" scenario.  OK I admit, this piqued my interest, so I googled for more information. 

As I followed the lawsuit story deeper, I came upon a webpage called Truth About Petfood.  It discussed  the need for TRANSPARENCY  by petfood companies (gee, what a great idea!).

 To date, the only assurance to actual quality/grade of ingredients pet food consumers have is the Pledge to Quality and Origin – a pet food transparency effort from their consumer group Association for Truth in Pet Food.  Pet food manufacturers can argue all they want through the National Advertising Division of the Better Business Bureau, but the real truth in pet food lies in actual grade/quality of ingredients.  Are they pet grade or are they certified human grade?

 TRUTH is a word not usually  associated with pet food ingredients, so I needed to find out more.     The Pledge provides company name, address and website.  All ingredients in your pet foods/treats will be listed on the Pledge.  This includes all meats, organ meats, by-products, by-product meals, meat meals, fish, fish meals, oils, fats, grains, vegetables, fruits, flavorings, supplements, vitamins and minerals.  The quality information and origin information in provided in respective columns.  And the stated information will be signed by a CEO or President of the company as their Pledge.

 Here is the interesting part -there are currently only  22 companies that have signed the PLEDGE, and not one of them is a big name.  Not Science Diet.  Not Iams. Not Royal Canin.  Not Purina.  Not Nutro.  Not Blue.
Check it out for yourself:
http://associationfortruthinpetfood.com/the-pledge/

I commend these 22 companies, and am going to look closer at their products and encourage you to do the same.  We as consumers need to make a stand about the importance of SAFETY, QUALITY and transparency in the petfoods on the market.  I want HEALTHY choices for my patients as well as my own pets, not just marketing hooey with nothing to back it up. 


Maureen Flatley, DVM
Fox Valley Cat Clinic

Keeping your ca'ts food FRESH is essential

A patient I saw recently, a cute little 3 year old orange and white tabby, was brought in for her annual wellness exam.  I was shocked to see that she had lost 2 1/2 lb since I had seen her last  (20% of her weight!!). 

After inquiring about her eating habits and diet, I discovered some dangerous facts:  She was being fed from a food dispenser.  Her large bag of dry food was being stored for months at room temperature.  One can of food was being fed a tablespoon at a time over a 2 week period.  This poor little girl was starving for fresh food, but unknowingly the owner was allowing the food to become rancid...

Here are the rules of thumb that I gave to the owner:

-Never -ever-ever (ever) use a free choice "fill-er-up" food dispenser.  Feed the cat fresh food DAILY, and throw away any of yesterdays leftovers.   This keeps the food fresh AND allows you to monitor your cats food intake.

-Only buy one month's supply of dry cat food at a time.  The food, once it is opened, will not stay fresh beyond 30 days at room temperature.  Store dry food in a sealed rubbermaid always.  Scrub the rubbermaid out completely between EACH fresh bag of food.  Oils go rancid quickly, especially in "natural" brands of food.  A cat's sensitive nose will detect this off-smell LONG BEFORE WE WILL, and they will stop eating!

-Canned cat food is meat.  Meat does not keep refrigerated beyond 5 days before going bad.  It is best to only store opened canned cat food for 1-2 days, as most cats are not fond of "old leftovers". 

The bottom line is that every cat needs and deserves FRESH food daily.  Along with lots of loving, play time, head scratches, brushing, belly rubs, a super clean litterbox, a fresh cool bowl of water, and any and all additional forms of feline appreciation!!

I firmly believe that health starts with good nutrition! 

Hug the cat,

Dr. Maureen Flatley, Fox Valley Cat Clinic
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