pets
Feeding Time
Confused about the best food for your pet? What’s safe, what’s not,
what’s healthy, and what’s pricey, courtesy of our on-call vet.
IT’S BEEN A YEAR
since pet food
stopped being a boring topic and
turned into one that scared people
half to death, thanks to a headline-
making contamination with a
deadly toxin called melamine.
My fears have quieted since then,
though many pet owners still have
questions. My bottom line: Feeding
your pet a healthy, tasty diet doesn’t
have to be complicated—so long as
you keep a few key points in mind.
■ COMMERCIAL PET FOOD IS A
HEALTHY OPTION. If you’re straining your purse to buy a boutique
brand, relax. All the brands sold
in supermarkets or pet stores are
nutritionally adequate: They’re
regulated by the FDA and the Asso-
ciation of American Feed Control Officials, guaranteeing
that they meet a cat’s or dog’s “basic” nutritional needs.
JUSTINE
LEE, DVM,
DACVECC, is a
veterinary emergency
critical care specialist
and the associate
director of veterinary
services at Pet Poison
Helpline. She is the
author of It’s a Cat’s
World…You Just
Live in It.
■ BU T YOU GE T WHAT YOU PAY FOR. Though I’ve seen some
dogs live to a ripe old age on discount brands, I’m not a fan of
buying the cheapest bag of pet food. Cut-rate labels typically
use relatively large amounts of filler (such as bulk fiber, meaning your dog will poop threefold!). They’re also more likely
to contain less nutritious or less palatable ingredients from
cheaper meat sources, such as chicken by-product meal—it’s
made from some particularly gross parts of the bird, like the
bones and intestines, among other things. (Plain old chicken
meal has a lower ick factor.) Stick with a large, reputable,
research-based pet food company (such as Purina, Science
Diet, or Iams) that has a commitment to quality food sources.
You can check a company’s Web site to make sure it does
ingredient- and quality-control testing.
