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01-31-09 -- Consumer Reports: Pricey Pet Food Not Necessarily Better
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YONKERS, NY — When it comes to buying pet food, higher
cost doesn't always mean higher quality, according to the
March issue of Consumer Reports. A higher price could
indicate better ingredients and better quality control during
and after manufacturing, but it could also just mean prettier
packaging, more marketing, or a fancy name. And despite
food safety concerns that resulted from a recall of pet food
tainted with melamine in 2007, Consumer Reports urges
caution for consumers who are considering making their
own pet food, a growing trend.

The full report is available in the March 2009 issue of
Consumer Reports and online at
www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org

Consumer Reports asked eight experts in dog and cat nutrition
at seven top veterinary schools what consumers get by spending
more for pet food.

They were also asked what they served their own pets: Most of
the experts said they use a variety of common brands sold at
pet stores or supermarkets.

A recent survey by the Associated Press found that although
Americans may be spending less on themselves, they're not
scrimping on their pets. According to the survey, just one in
seven pet owners said they had curtailed spending on their pet
during the past year, even as they cut back on other expenses.

Thirty-seven percent of U.S. households have dogs, and 32
percent have cats. But because of multi-cat households, felines
outnumber canines: As of 2007, there were almost 82 million
cats and 72 million dogs.

The bottom line, says Consumer Reports: It's more important
to look for the overall nutrient profile of a particular pet food
brand than it is to shop by price or even individual ingredients.
"As a pet owner, your main goal is to ensure that your animal
is active and healthy," says Jamie Hirsh, associate health editor
at Consumer Reports. "That suggests that the food you're buying
is doing its job. But it's also important to know that you don't
have to choose the most expensive food to get what's best for
your pet. Look for food labeled ‘complete and balanced,' which
indicates it can be the pet's sole nourishment."

Hirsh advises pet owners to look for labels stating that the
food's nutritional adequacy was validated by animal-feeding
tests based on protocols from the American Association of
Feed Control Officials, a regulatory group. That statement is a
step above the other one that AAFCO allows – that a food was
formulated to meet the group's nutrient profiles. "In addition,
make sure the package has contact information for the food's
manufacturer, in case you have questions," Hirsh says.

Consumers should also take into consideration the age of their
pet and whether he or she has special needs. For example, cats
with kidney or urinary problems might benefit from the moisture
in wet food, while animals with dental issues might do better
with dry food.

What Pet-Food Labels Really Mean

For pet food, there's no official definition of organic, human-
grade, premium, no fillers, or gourmet. Gluten-free foods
are generally necessary only for the tiny percentages of pets
that are intolerant of that protein. There's some evidence that
antioxidants – such as vitamin E – and some omega-3 fatty
acids might enhance pets' immunity or help protect against
certain diseases, but the experts interviewed by Consumer
Reports were split on whether consumers need to look for them.

Consumer Reports recommends that consumers educate
themselves about pet food labeling, which is mostly defined
by AAFCO, which sets standards for pet food manufacturing.
Here are some examples:

The 95 percent rule (Beef for Dogs). Named ingredient(s)
must account for a least 95 percent of the product by weight.

Dinner; also Entrée, Formula, Nuggets, Platter, Recipe (Chicken
and Salmon Dinner for Cats). The named ingredients must
make up at least 25 percent of the product by weight, not
counting water. Each individual food must make up at least
3 percent.

"With ..." (Gourmet Fillets with Turkey for Dogs). Contains 3
percent or more of the named ingredient.

Flavor (Beef flavor). No specific percentage required, but the
product must contain enough of the food to impart the claimed
flavor, or another substance that tastes like it (beef stock,
for example).

Guaranteed analysis. Mandatory guarantee that the food
contains the labeled percentages of crude protein, fat, fiber,
and moisture.

Light, lite, low-calorie. Meets AAFCO limits for a reduced-calorie
diet for overweight dogs and cats. "Lean" and "low-fat" have a
similar meaning for fat.

Natural. Technically, the food has few or no synthetic ingredients.
But the claim is loosely defined.

Grain-free. Protein in the product comes from nongrain sources
(perhaps for people who want pets to eat more animal protein).
It's unclear whether there's any benefit to a diet high in animal
protein.

What Consumers Can Do

The experts also offered this advice to pet owners:

Be careful when making your own pet food. Most experts said
they hadn't seen a pet get sick from inexpensive food; however,
half said they had seen pets become ill from eating homemade
pet food, a growing trend since the 2007 recall of some
commercial pet food contaminated by melamine. Dogs and cats
each require about 40 different nutrients in very specific
proportions, so pet owners who insist on making their own pet
food should consider enlisting a nutritionist certified by the
American College of Veterinary Nutrition (Acvn.org) or get help
from the Web sites Balanceit.com (http://www.balanceit.com/)
or Petdiets.com (http://www.petdiets.com/).

Consider your pet's age. Age-specific food is very important
for puppies, kittens, and pregnant pets, who have especially
stringent nutritional needs.

Foods labeled either "for growth" or "for all life stages" meet
those needs. Foods "for maintenance" are for healthy adult
animals only. "Senior" is a marketing term, not a nutritional term.

Weigh the costs and benefits of wet versus dry food. There's no
nutritional difference between wet and dry pet food, but there is
a cost difference.

Wet foods contain about 75 percent water, so pets need more to
get the same calories, and that makes wet food more expensive
per serving.