NOTE: This is a very fluid situation right now, with a lot of conflicting interpretations and ongoing research. I will update this article as needed. This already involves hundreds of dogs. FDA now admits that cats have also been affected,…
Category: Nutrition
What Cats Should Eat
Freshly expanded & updated for 2018! How do you know which food is the best to feed your cat? The answer depends on many factors, including your cat’s age and health… as well as the your wallet! However, whatever your…
Cat Feeding Myths
I admit, it really irks me when companies who know nothing about feline nutrition give bad advice to their customers. This is the case with Assisi Animal Health, which manufactures a device called the Assisi Loop. Now, the product is a…
Why Fish is Dangerous for Cats
The fish used in pet food may contain all kinds of toxins and drug residues, including persistent organic pollutants that actually stop the body from eliminating it and other toxins. Another common toxin, domoic acid, may be an unrecognized factor in chronic kidney disease.
Pet Food: Processed to Death?
Many thanks to Susan Thixton at TruthAboutPetFood.com for letting us reprint her excellent article here, which applies 100% to cat food as well as dog food. The multiple rounds of heat processing that pet food undergoes causes many deleterious changes…
Coconut Oil and Pets
Questions about coconut oil keep coming up, so I thought I’d explain in why I recommend not giving it to their cats and dogs. Humans evolved where coconut palms naturally grow. Primates, including early humans, ate, and still eat, coconuts. Coconut is a…
Pet Food Contaminants
Updated 3/23/18 As part of my duties as an AAFCO advisor and member of several Working Groups, I attend numerous webinars and teleconferences. In one group, the discussion centered around the use of 4D meats and other rotten junk in…
FDA Finds Toxic Sludge Going Into Animal Food
Many thanks to our good friend Mollie Morrissette for her excellent reporting on this issue. This is one more reason for why it is so important to have consumer representatives at AAFCO meetings–we provide a layer of protection (and a warning…
Yucca
There have been a few myths about the desert plant Yucca schidigera making the internet rounds lately. In particular, some are suggesting that yucca is not safe as a daily supplement, even though it’s present in many pet foods. So…
Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Cats
Changing diets at least every 3-4 months, to a food with different protein and carbohydrate sources, may prevent your cat from becoming allergic or intolerant to a food in the first place.
The Ideal Diet for Cats
Data suggest that diet is largely irrelevant in terms of extending longevity… On the other hand, there is plenty of research showing that the more prey-like the diet, the better for the cat. Certainly dry cat food has no place in the diet if longevity is the goal.
Pet Food Labels Don’t Match Ingredients (Part II)
Multiple studies have revealed that pet food manufacturers aren’t careful about handling their ingredients; and some are deliberately fraudulent. This has serious implications for pets with food allergies.
Pet Food Labels Don’t Match Ingredients (Part I)
Tests show that pet food labels aren’t always truthful. One study found that, “Only in two pet foods… did the results of both analyses match the ingredients listed on the label.”
Mars buys Iams, Eukanuba, and Natura
In a bid for world domination, the Martians…oops, I mean, Mars Petcare (the pet food arm of the candy giant)…is acquiring all of Procter & Gamble’s pet food brands for a mere $2.9 BILLION. It had been rumored for several…
Selecting a Good Commercial Pet Food
Packaged, manufactured pet food is a great convenience to dog and cat guardians. But responsible consumers who want the best for their animal companions have a bewildering array of foods and claims to choose from. So, how do you know…
Carrageenan: a Controversial Pet Food Additive
Carrageenan is a seaweed derivative that is commonly used as a food additive in a wide variety of products. There has been a lot of controversy about this ingredient, so let’s take a look at it in more detail. Carragreenan…
Choosing an Omega-3 Oil for Your Pet
You may already know how important Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation is for dogs and cats. I consider it to be the #1 most important supplement you can give your pet. The anti-inflammatory effects of Omega-3s EPA (eicosapentanoic acid) and DHA…
10 Reasons Why Dry Food Is Bad for Cats & Dogs
Strictly carnivorous cats preferentially use protein and fat for energy, and these pathways are mandatory. Felines can digest and absorb carbohydrates, but those carbs mostly turn quickly and directly into fat.
Food Allergies in Cats
Cats often develop “food intolerances” or “food allergies” to ingredients found in commercial cat food. Currently, the most common allergies in cats are: chicken, dairy, fish, beef, lamb, and eggs. However, an allergy can develop to any protein to which…
Homemade vs. Commercial Food for Cats and Dogs!
By Jean Hofve, DVM Preparing a home-made diet for one’s pets is a bit of a challenge. However, it is no more difficult than feeding one’s children a balanced and nutritious diet. Most human beings seem to be able to…
Feline Obesity
By Jean Hofve, DVM Obesity is a serious problem for our feline friends; it affects more than half of American cats today. Many serious health problems can result from obesity, including arthritis, diabetes, liver disease, heart failure, inflammatory bowel disease, urinary tract…
Fiber Facts
By Dr. Jean Hofve Recently there has been renewed interest in fiber as a pet food ingredient. One pet food manufacturer published an article on the Internet condemning beet pulp in pet food as unhealthy if not downright dangerous, while…
New Pet Food Standards – Finally?
The standards by which pet food are made are set by an organization called AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials). AAFCO provides model rules and standards that most states have adopted, and that pet food companies abide by. You’ve undoubtedly…
PetMD claims soy is good for carnivores
On a PetMD.com blog, Dr. Jennifer Coates discusses how nutrition impacts the immune system. No argument here, of course what you, your cat, your dog, or your pet elephant eats has multiple effects on the immune system and every other…
Study Slams Raw Diets for Cats
A study in the Journal of Animal Sciences (J. Anim. Sci. 2013.91:225–237) claims that raw diets aren’t quite the cat’s meow. Researchers from the University of Illinois and an Omaha zoo fed raw diets to domestic cats as well as African…
Rice Bran – No Good for Cats!
You would think that cat food manufacturers would make sure that the ingredients they use are safe for cats. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Rice bran is what makes brown rice brown. It is the fibrous outer portion…
AAFCO August 2012 Report
Thanks to an amazing and heartwarming outpouring of support from so many wonderful people, last weekend I was able to attend the 103rd Annual Convention of AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials), the organization that makes the rules about…
AVMA vs Raw Food
The AVMA recently adopted a policy position against raw meat diets for pets. Their reasoning is wrong and their science is unfounded. Here is my reasoning on why AVMA (as well as the AAHA which adopted the same policy almost as…
Tell FDA: Label Genetically Modified Foods!
Did you know that 85% of corn and more than 90% of soy in the US is genetically modified? GM foods may cause serious damage to your body, but the FDA does not want to give you a choice whether…
Mad Cow Discovered in California
I’m in California this week (May 2012) visiting family…and there are so many interesting things happening here! But of course, the one that may most profoundly affect our pets is the discovery of a cow infected with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy…
Pet food violates federal law–with FDA blessing
The FDA recently released a video about pet food to reassure us that commercial pet food is just fine: (FDA video)… But this video is incredibly misleading, and (if you ask me) even downright patronizing. A brand new, hard-hitting video from…
Overweight Pets
Dr. Karen Becker over at Mercola.com has written a fabulous article on overweight pets and the completely wrong-headed approach being taken by the pet food industry to a problem that they themselves created. I agree with every word! Please take…
Report from AAFCO Pet Food Committee
The meeting of AAFCO’s Pet Food Committee (PFC) was held Wednesday afternoon, with a very busy agenda. This committee is responsible for updates to the model pet food regulations that form the de facto standards for commercial pet foods. Sure,…
Hot News on Pet Food!
Little Big Cat is coming to you today from beautiful Reno, Nevada; I’m attending the mid-year meeting of AAFCO, the Association of American Feed Control Officials. If that organization sounds familiar, it’s because you’ve seen it on virtually every can,…
No Milk Today
It’s true that cats love milk. Most cats will drink it if you let them. And who hasn’t shared a little milk with their feline friend now and then? So, what’s the problem? Cow’s milk is not a natural food…
Vegetarian Cats?
By Jean Hofve, DVM There are several companies and websites that promote vegetarian (no meat or fish) or even vegan (no animal products at all) diets for cats. These products appeal to people who have chosen a vegetarian or vegan…
Dr. Jean Takes on More Absurd “Experts”!
Pet food. The truth about it is often hard to come by, especially because all the money and power are concentrated on making you, the consumer, believe that pet food companies know exactly how to make perfect food and are…
Study Supports Raw Meat Diet for Cats
A study was just published on the relative digestibility of different diets in cats. The researchers found that the raw-meat based diet (RB) and cooked meat diets (CB) were both better digested by cats than an extruded (dry kibble) food,…
Healthy Weight Management for Dogs and Cats
By Jean Hofve, DVM Nutrition experts like to portray weight control as a simple matter of “calories in minus calories out.” But as anyone who’s ever been on a diet knows all too well, it isn’t quite that easy! There…
Top 4 Pet Supplements
By Jean Hofve, DVM There are four nutritional supplements I recommend for every cat and dog, no matter what diet they’re eating or what else they’re taking. These four supplements will help your pet live a longer, more comfortable life!…