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- Cat Feeding Recommendations
posted: December 02, 2011 by: McClintock Animal Care Center
The general public, scientists and veterinarians have recommended for years to feed cats like dogs; free choice dry food or meals of dry with some wet. Finally after years of this misaligned thinking, food standards for cats have changed. To understand why our standards have changed, we must understand cats.
Cats are “obligate” carnivores which means they depend on nutrients solely from animal flesh for their survival. They are hunters of meat and would eat small rodents and birds multiple times daily if they were not domesticated. A cat’s stomach is designed for these small frequent meals. Cats get their water from the animals they eat and do not drink much in the wild. They also lack specific digestive enzymes which make them less able to digest and absorb energy from carbohydrates compared to proteins. Due to these facts, we recommend a canned grain free diet with protein as the number one ingredient and that they should eat many small meals throughout the day. Cats can eat dry food, but should get most of their water from wet food rather than drinking.
Our recommendations for feeding cats are as follows:
Feed small frequent meals throughout the day.
Ideally 3+ meals of a GRAIN-FREE canned food.
If it is not possible to do only canned food multiple times throughout the day,
then we recommend keeping a dry grain free food out for your cat at all times.
This allows them to have so they snacks or small meals along with their 2 canned meals a day.
In order for cats to get enough essential fatty acids in their diet
we recommend feeding them 1 can of wild caught canned salmon per week
OR supplementing their diet with pure DHA
(omega 3 fatty acids—we carry a couple of quality products here).
How to Choose the Right Pet Food
4,000 Pet Food Options and Counting
Choosing the Most Appropriate Diet for Your Pet
With over 4,000 pet food options on the market, pet owners need a sensible way to weed through all the crazy amount of information out there. Pet food companies use marketing ploys to convince consumers to buy a product. Unfortunately, advertising is not always truthful, and most commercial diets out there are not safe for our pets. Diet related health issues may not show up immediately, but they can become very serious over time.
Most of the 4,000 foods are ‘AAFCO approved’ (Association of American Feed Control Officials) by following AAFCO guidelines and passing stringent testing. This may sound good, but they are actually very basic guidelines. The stringent testing is required to be performed on only 8 animals over a 6 month period. The guidelines require that “the animal must not die of nutritional related causes or lose more than 15% of their body weight”. As long as 6 of the 8 animals did not die they pass or finish the study, the food is ‘AAFCO approved’. Sadly, this is a pretty arbitrary test for a food that you feed your pet every day for the rest of it’s life. The pet food industry standards do not watch out for your pet’s overall health and well-being.
However, without this testing we actually do know what has worked for hundreds of years of evolutionary trial and error for many similar species. Dogs, cats and their close relatives have been eating carnivore/scavenger food for hundreds of years. Over time, we have not bred our domesticated pets to become wheat or corn-eating animals. We need to remember that their ancestors and current wild relatives live well on carnivorous diets and that they have essentially the same inner workings and gastrointestinal tracts that our domesticated pets have.
In most pet foods, there are too many grains and many unhealthy ingredients, including onions and garlic that are known to be toxic to dogs and cats. Instead of meat-based proteins, many foods have inappropriate protein sources, such as soy. In most maintenance dry foods, 70% of ingredients in the non-protein portion are all carbohydrates. It is true that dogs, cats and other carnivores can eat other foods; they can survive, but they can not thrive on inadequate foods. Animals are suffering from the same maladies as people – obesity, diabetes, arthritis, allergies, and seizures. Our own bad habits of supersized, processed foods and foods high in carbohydrates are creating the same problems in our pets. Just like us, their lives are shortened by the foods they are eating.
In conclusion, carnivore, grain free to low grain diets make animals healthier.
CARNIVORE FOODS FOR DOGS & CATS
- NO Corn, NO Wheat, NO Soy
- Read ALL the ingredients on the label of pet food, treats, and anything that goes in your pet’s mouth
- No wheat or corn in ANY form in food or treats = glutens, spelt, maize, high fructose corn syrup, pasta, etc.
- AVOID white potato, garlic and onion, molasses and sugars, alfalfa, and sorghum
- Peas, sweet potatoes, beets and other vegetables are good carbs
- Try to avoid preservatives, especially BHA/BHT and Ethoxyquin that have been shown to have detrimental health effects and possibly cause cancer in people
- Avoid foods with large amounts of additives, food colorings, etc.
- Avoid foods made in CHINA
- Foods with higher protein percentages and GRAIN FREE labels are ideal*
- Good options include Wellness, Natural Balance, California Naturals, Evo, Call of the Wild, Solid Gold, Wysong, Merrick, Orijen, Newman’s Own and many others. *Read the labels.
Try Canned Foods:
- Prefer wet or canned food over dry food, if tolerated by your pets
- Easier to eat and digest
- Include an appropriate amount of water already in the food
- Beneficial in pets with kidney or other chronic diseases that would benefit from increased hydration
- Many canned foods are available without corn or wheat
Treat Guidelines:
- Avoid baked and other treats with corn, wheat, and sugars in them
- Protein content is not as crucial, unless there are a large number of treats in the diet
- Consider freeze-dried chicken, beef, liver, or other meats
- Avoid treats made in China
- Plain rice cakes and low salt canned or frozen green beans are great low calorie and fun treats
Useful Supplements:
- Omega 3 Fatty Acids (high concentrations of DHA & EPA)
- From Algae (Algal-source) or purified fish oil to remove Mercury and other heavy metals
- Excellent anti-inflammatory functions that can help the skin, liver, kidneys, joints, and heart
- Unsweetened canned pumpkin and Metamucil are terrific ‘stool regulators’
- Good for constipation & diarrhea
- Pumpkin – use 1 Tbsp per 30 pounds 1-2 times a day in food or as a treat
- Metamucil – use 1 tsp per meal per 50 pounds
Dental Information:
- Dry food is not better for the teeth – it does not ‘chip off tartar’ and can actually contribute to tartar production by sticking to the teeth.
- Canned food is not worse for the teeth – animals lick their teeth clean after eating canned food.
- Foods & treats low in sticky carbs are best – avoid wheat, corn, soy, and peanut butter.
- Brushing the teeth at least 3 times a week, (even with a piece of gauze with pet toothpaste) will help prevent tartar build-up. Daily is best if possible.
Diet Change Recommendations:
- When changing foods, be sure to do it SLOWLY – over 10-14 days, a little at a time
- i.e. 1st day 10% new food with 90% old food and by the 10th day 90% new food with 10% old food
- Unsweetened canned pumpkin (1 Tbsp per 30 pounds) can help to keep stools firm.
- Over-cooked white rice (not Minute Rice) that is gloppy (extra water added while cooking) can help firm up stools and encourage eating.
- Probiotic to maintain normal/’good’ bacteria within the gastrointestinal tract during the food transition.
- We carry Prostora for dogs that contains dehydrated intestinal bacteria in a ‘treat’ form and Forti-Flora for Cats that is in a powder form to mix with the food
- Monitor for vomiting, diarrhea, or other GI signs
- If a new diet is not working for your pet, go to a bland diet (boiled meat, meat baby food, or overcooked gloppy rice for a few feedings to help to get stools back to normal).
Vaccination: The Pet Controversy
Image courtesy of petinsurance.com
Reprinted from NaturalNews.com
(NaturalNews) In the history of human vaccines, the numbers clearly show that in every case, the disease itself was already on the decline when the vaccine was introduced. Most vaccines were scarcely a blip on the radar, not affecting the natural decline of the disease at all. In a few unfortunate cases such as polio, the disease actually increased after vaccinations began.
For example, when people contract measles, their overall immune system is strengthened in response to the mild challenge of this disease. (Death as a consequence of measles is generally seen only in undernourished populations.) When doctors started routinely vaccinating children against measles, we started to see babies who contracted measles at a dangerously early age because their vaccinated mothers were not able to pass on immunity to them. And what was the medical community's solution to this dilemma? Vaccinate infants for measles even earlier!
Remember that humans are vaccinated only a few times in their lives, (although we can certainly see that Big Pharma is trying their best to see to it that this changes) whereas animals are so treated once or twice a year for their entire life. Most people with chronically ill animals believe the animals were already sick when they got them, but often we can trace their problems to the time of vaccination (or to their parents having been vaccinated). It's true that vaccinosis (a condition which refers to a chronic disease pattern occurring after vaccination) does not afflict all vaccinated animals; some are lucky enough to have very strong immune systems. But if you or your animals have ever been affected by it, you'll never forget it. You take a risk every time you allow your animals, your children, or yourself to be vaccinated unnecessarily. Remember, it's your decision, unless the laws in your state complicate your freedom of choice.
Vaccines do not work all the time. In both human and veterinary medicine, there are many recorded instances of no immunity developing, or of so-called "vaccine breaks" occurring, whereby the stimulation of antibodies isn't sufficient to protect against the natural disease. Conventional medicine claims those are body faults and problems. There does appear to be a genetic component to which animals may have trouble responding to a vaccine, however, giving a nonresponding animal more vaccines is unlikely to force an appropriate immune response, and it certainly can cause more problems.
Vaccination has become a highly charged subject in the news media of late and both doctors and individuals who challenge the concept are most often treated as if they were lepers. Entire reputations of certain individuals have been disgraced for their challenge of the vaccine issue. The facts are clear however in veterinary medicine that the way vaccines are typically used today are extremely dangerous and potentially one of the most harmful things we could do to our animals.
WHY DO WE VACCINATE OUR DOGS AND CATS?
We vaccinate because we're afraid our animals will contract certain diseases. We've accepted annual vaccines without considering where that recommendation came from and what it really means. Most veterinarians recommend that cats, for example, receive a combination vaccine against panleukopenia (feline distemper), calicivirus, and rhinotracheitis (upper respiratory infections). Many also encourage injections for Chlamydia, feline leukemia (FeLV), feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV or feline AIDS), feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), and even ringworm. These vaccines are typically repeated every year for the cat's whole life, despite overwhelming scientific evidence that they are unnecessary.
Since the vast majority of vaccines are unnecessary and even unsafe, more and more people are not getting their animals vaccinated at all. However, recent outbreaks of panleukopenia in cats are of great concern. Therefore some believe that no vaccines can be just as dangerous as too many vaccines; the basic kitten shots (panleukopenia and rabies) are still recommended by most experts, at least once, between 12-16 weeks of age.
Ron Schultz, Ph.D., professor and chair of the department of pathobiological sciences at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, and Tom R. Phillips, D.V.M., Ph.D., wrote in Kirk's Current Veterinary Therapy XI (a book even conventional veterinarians most likely have on the shelf) that:
"A practice that was started many years ago and that lacks scientific validity or verification is annual revaccinations. Almost without exception there is no immunologic requirement for annual revaccination. Immunity to viruses persists for years or for the life of the animal. Successful vaccination to most bacterial pathogens produces an immunologic memory that remains for years allowing an animal to develop a protective anamnestic (secondary) response when exposed to virulent organisms. Only the immune response to toxins requires boosters (e.g., tetanus toxin booster, in humans, is recommended once every seven to ten years), and no toxin vaccines are currently used for dogs or cats. Furthermore, revaccination with most viral vaccines fails to stimulate an anamnestic (secondary) response as a result of interference by existing antibody (similar to maternal antibody interference). The practice of annual vaccination in our opinion should be considered of questionable efficacy unless it is used as a mechanism to provide an annual physical examination or is required by law."
In plain English, this means that the authors believe there is no valid scientific reason to vaccinate pets every year. That practice, instead, emerged as a default judgement between the pharmaceutical companies making the vaccines, and the veterinarians. The vets wanted to get their patients in once a year for a check-up, and the vaccine makers wanted to sell more vaccines. Tying the annual physical to vaccines was a stroke of genius. It simplified life for veterinarians, who now only had to say "We'll see Fluffy next year for his shots" and send a postcard, and it made boatloads of money for the drug companies. When this "suggestion" was added to vaccine labels, it added an air of "requirement" and ensured that the system would continue to make everyone happy. At the time, vaccines were considered benign and harmless -- so this lucrative state of affairs went unquestioned until the late 1980s, when vaccines began to be linked to injection-site cancers in cats.
Today, it is known that vaccines are not so harmless, and they are now considered a medical procedure like any other, with both risks and benefits. In order to realistically assess the situation and make wise decisions for our dogs and cats, we need to examine the big question on animal companions minds today.
ARE VACCINES ACTUALLY SAFE?
Conventional veterinarians consider a symptom or condition to be an adverse reaction only if it occurs within seventy-two hours of vaccination. Acute reactions are uncommon, but they can be extremely serious, and they can have long-lasting effects.
Holistic veterinarians agree that symptoms of vaccine-induced diseases can occur any time during the life of our dogs and cats. In addition, the following known long-term risks are associated with one or more vaccines.
AUTOANTIBODIES
Antibodies, blood proteins that attack and destroy invading organisms, are the goal of vaccination. We want the body to produce antibodies against the disease being vaccinated against. However, the vaccine manufacturing process contains some quirks that cause the body to make antibodies to a wide variety of components in the vaccine.
Adopt a Chihuahua!
Rescue Chihuahua's! They need your help!
Image courtesy of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.
Copied from East Valley Tribune website.
LOOKING TO ADD a Chihuahua to your family? Maricopa County Animal Care and Control has nearly 200 for you to choose from. In fact, according to a news release, the shelter is so stuffed with Chihuahuas that some kennels are housing four dogs.
To help ease the crowding and prevent euthanasia of adoptable pets, the county is offering the Super Chihuahua Adoption Special through June 30. During this time, the adoption fee for all small dogs over 1 year old is $51, and includes spay/neuter surgery, a 4-in-1 vaccination and a rabies vaccination.
“We ask all residents of Maricopa County to consider a shelter pet as the next addition to their household,” Andy Kunasek, chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, said in a news release. “Get out there and save a life.”
Information: www.pets.maricopa.gov or (602) 506-7387.
Jak & Sabastian Walking w/ a Coupler
So You Might Want A Reptile?
** NOTE from blogger**
It is worth your time to try and find a reptiles that need to be rescued. Not all reptiles for sale are from private breeders that take care of their reptiles. A lot of reptiles are brought illegally into the US in cramped, unsanitary conditions. Most of them die before they arrive in US soil and are sold. Many reptile sanctuaries exist that are looking for fosters or homes.
Also, try not to buy reptiles from places like that are "Big Box Pet Stores". We have many colleagues who have seen horrors with reptiles and those stores. It is worth it to adopt or go to a specialty reptile store that is both knowledgeable and helpful.
Steps to determining which reptile species is right for you.
Do you think you might want to try your hand at keeping a pet reptile? There are several things to take into consideration before you bring your new scaly friend home!
First consideration: Size
How much room do you have to house a reptile? Some species can be kept in a cage the size of a 10 gallon fish tank, while others may require an entire room.
Tiny reptiles include dwarf geckos and lizards such as anoles, day geckos, and curly tails. Snakes such as DeKay's, ring-necked, ribbon, and green snakes also fall into this category, as do many more. Most of these animals can be housed in enclosures ranging in size from a 10 gallon to 20 gallon glass tank, or similar-sized cage.
Small reptiles include leopard and fat-tail geckos, most colubrid snakes including king, milk, garter, and corn snakes, childrens pythons, sand boas, grandis day geckos, crested geckos, and carpet chameleons, just to name a few. Reptiles of this size can be housed in 20 to 30 gallon tanks or similar-sized enclosures. Breeding groups of some species may require more space.
Medium reptiles include bearded dragons, water dragons, frilled lizards, uromastyx, ball pythons, rainbow boas, small island forms of Boa constrictor, large rats snakes, painted turtles, and mediterranean tortoises, among others. Animals in this size range often require 50 gallon to 100 gallon tanks or similar-sized cages, or 3ft by 4ft enclosures.
Large reptiles include giant green iguanas, savannah monitors, blood pythons, some boa constrictors, leopard tortoises, red-eared sliders, and similar animals. These animals need large enclosures, or ponds, measuring over 6 ft by 4 ft in some cases.
Giant reptiles include large monitor lizards such as Nile and Water monitors, giant constrictors such as Burmese and Reticulated pythons, the largest subspecies of boa constrictor, spur-thighed tortoises, alligator snapping turtles, and crocodilians. These animals need very large enclosures - in some cases, entire rooms set up just for them.
Second consideration: Experience
Whether you have successfully kept reptiles before, and which species you have kept, will have a lot to do with choosing which species is best for you now.
Are you a new reptile keeper? If so, you definitely do not want to start out with a giant reptile, or with a species that is difficult to care for, nor with a species that lives for a very, very long time. Some good choices for beginners include tiny lizards such as green anoles, house geckos, and dwarf geckos that live for 5 to 10 years, small reptiles such as leopard geckos and garter, and corn snakes that live for 15 to 30 years, and medium-sized reptiles such as ball pythons and that live for 15 to 30 years.
Have you kept reptiles successfully in the past, and are ready for something more difficult? Consider species such as day geckos, crested geckos, bearded dragons, mediterranean tortoises, rainbow boas, or uromastyx.
Are you an experienced reptile keeper who has kept reptiles for many years, and you feel you're ready for a real challenge? Chameleons and giant reptiles are among the most challenging animals to keep, for various reasons.
Third consideration: Time
Some species require more commitment of time and labor than others do. If you have very little time to care for a pet, then a python or boa could be the right choice for you. Most species of pythons and boas spend the majority of their time hiding or resting. Due to their low metabolic rate, they eat once every week to 10 days, or even only once every 2 or 3 weeks for a few species, once they are fully grown. Since they eat just once a week, this also means they defecate once a week - so you may only have to clean the cage 2 or 3 times per week to remove urates and feces, and disinfected once a month. Providing clean, fresh water is your only other task. You can leave a ball python with a clean full bowl of water and a clean cage, and go away on vacation for a weekend without needing to have someone come to look after it.
If you have a bit more time, then consider a small lizard, or a garter snake. Most lizards need to be fed only every other day. They do eat live insects, which have to fed good food themselves, and then be dusted with calcium. Crested geckos can be fed a commercial diet exclusively. Some lizards require a daily misting of water, though automatic misting systems are available. Most small lizard and garter snake cages will need to be spot-cleaned 3 or 4 times per week, and disinfected twice a month. Some tiny lizards can be kept in planted vivariums which, if set up properly with isopods and springtails in the soil, do not require more than occasional cleaning of the glass and plant leaves, and may only need to be thoroughly cleaned and broken down once a year.
If you have plenty of time to care for a reptile, then you may consider an omnivorous or herbivorous species, such as a blue-tongued skink, bearded dragon, uromastyx, or tortoise. Some chameleons also fall into this category.
If you can devote huge amounts of time and labor to reptile care, then you may consider some of the most high-maintenance types of reptiles, including water turtles, water dragons, crocodilians, and many chameleons. These animals may be very messy, requiring frequent changes of cage bedding and water - or they may have special requirements such as daily spraying of the eyes for some chameleons, and weekly showers in the bathtub. Keeping these species will keep you busy, but many people feel they are worth it!
Fourth consideration: Interaction
Reptiles do not like to be handled, but some species can learn to tolerate it, and a few may even learn to look to humans for food, and seek them out.
If you really want an animal you can hold that will seek attention: Bearded dragons, uromastyx, tortoises, and some other herbivorous and omnivorous species are well known for learning that humans bring good food. These species may come to you for a handout, and become extremely comfortable with handling.
If you want an animal that will be fine with handling, but don't mind if it doesn't come to you: Ball pythons, corn snakes, leopard geckos, red-eared sliders, and boa constrictors are examples of species that are generally docile and calm, and will eat from an owner's hand and tolerate quite a bit of handling.
If you want an animal that can be held occasionally, but don't mind if you can't handle it often: Rainbow boas and water dragons are a couple examples of species that you need to take time to tame, and won't overly appreciate much handling.
If you want an animal that you can handle in a pinch, but do not plan to touch it unless necessary: Tiny lizards can become tame and eat from your hands or from forceps, but are too fragile to handle often. Chameleons also cannot be handled extensively, due to their sensitivity to stress. Green tree pythons can be aggressive, and will often try to bite. Decide if you are willing to deal with aggressive species, or simply species that are best looked at rather than touched.
If you want an animal that you really cannot handle, but is there just to look at: The most aggressive animals fall into this category. Crocodilians should not be handled. Crocodile monitors, many Nile monitors, and some tiny dwarf geckos which are too delicate to handle directly are all examples of reptiles that can only be moved through indirect handling - hooks, catch-poles, cages, or a deli cup, depending on the size and reason. These species are strictly hands-off.
Fifth consideration: Price
The cost of the equipment needed to maintain your pet should be the first thing you determine when you're considering purchasing a pet reptile. Some species with high price tags are fairly inexpensive to keep, while other species with very low price tags can be VERY expensive to care for properly. Snakes are the least expensive reptiles to keep, followed by lizards and tortoises, then turtles, then crocodilians. There are some exceptions, but this is a general rule. Expect to spend at least $100 minimum to outfit ANY reptile. Expenses can go up from there. Prices for actual animals can range from $5 for a green anole, all the way up to $20,000 for a prize ball python color mutation. The more difficult species are definitely not necessarily the most expensive.
Sixth consideration: Longevity
Are you going off to college in 2 years? Are you new to reptiles, and unsure if they're right for you? Do you really love them and want a pet that will be with you forever? Reptiles with short lifespans include tiny lizards and chameleons. These animals tend to live for less than 10 years. These are a great choice for teenagers and for adults who are new to reptiles, and don't want a huge commitment yet. Keep in mind that there really are no reptiles with a lifespan less than 5 years.
Reptiles with more modest lifespans of 30 years or so include leopard geckos, corn snakes, and ball pythons. The biggest commitment of course comes with tortoises, which may live longer than human beings do, and must be put in your will!
When you consider what species of reptile you want to keep, rate it using all of the above factors, so that you can choose a reptile that best fits in with your lifestyle and home!
