The most common question asked of the pet professional is “What should I feed my pet”?  The answer we give will impact every aspect of that pet’s life.  It determines whether the pet reaches its full genetic potential and becomes a healthy, energetic pet or whether it leads a lackluster, disease-prone life.  Dietary management is the control of nutrient intake to meet the requirements of both healthy and diseased pets, in order to maximize the quality and length of life.

Premium Diets:
Since their introduction, we have recommended the use of premium diets (consult with your veterinarian about which diets may be available in your area).  The quality of ingredients and attention given to balancing the diet are imperative to the health of our pets.  Even more important is the absence of “junk” (such as fillers, corn husks, etc.) in the premium brands.  Excesses of unwanted nutrients can also be very harmful to your pet.  Although the analysis of foods may look similar, the digestibility and availability of ingredients can be very different.

Price relates to quality of food; however, remember that cost per feeding is the only way to evaluate the true cost of a food.  Diets composed of poor quality ingredients may be cheaper per pound, but the pet may need to eat a lot more of the diet to get the required nutrition.  Often, comparing cost per feeding shows premium diets to be comparable, or even less expensive than regular cat foods.

Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease

10 to 20 percent of male cats are susceptible to this life threatening disease if not fed the correct type of diet.  The disease is characterized by the development of crystals and grit in the cat's bladder which may eventually plug the urethra (outflow from the bladder) thereby rendering the cat unable to urinate.  Cats usually develop the disease between 2 and 4 years of age.  Cat foods often claim to be "low in ash", resulting in a common misconception that this will prevent urinary tract problems.  Ash simply is a chemical measure of all of the minerals in a food.  The two minerals of concern in this disease are Magnesium and Phosphorus which bind together to form struvite crystals.  The term low ash does not imply that neither Magnesium or Phosphorus levels are reduced,  simply that the total mineral amount is.  Regardless of this, even reduced amounts of these minerals can still lead to problems.  The development of crystals relies on a number of chemical factors,   largely pH of the urine.  Urine pH is a measure of acidity and ranges from 0 to 14.  A cats normal pH is approximately 6 to 6.5.  At this level,   struvite crystals will not form.  The trigger for crystal formation occurs as a result of digestion.  As food is digested,  the body's metabolism causes a rise in urine pH.  If the pH rises above 7.4 then struvite crystals will form and that cat will be susceptible to urinary tract obstruction.  In order to prevent this, premium pet food companies add ingredients to lower urine pH when a food is eating and thereby preventing the urine pH from rising to a level where crystals will form.