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I am thinking of feeding my pet homemade meals. What factors should I consider?
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) does not recommend homemade meals for pets, due in large part to pets’ hard-to-manage dietary needs. Pets have different needs from humans, and dogs and cats have distinct needs as well. Therefore, it is extremely difficult for even the best-intentioned pet owner to meet a pet’s nutrition requirements at home. Many basic human foods like onions and chocolate are unsafe for pets, and the chance for bacterial contamination from microorganisms like salmonella and E. coli is high in raw or incorrectly cooked homemade foods.
What are potential problems with homemade pet meals?
Homemade pet diets can result in a variety of problems:
- Raw foods carry a high risk of bacterial contamination as well as the possibility of transmitting diseases to humans
- Too much calcium can result in growth problems, particularly for puppies and kittens, but too little calcium can cause weak bones that are susceptible to breaks
- Mismanaged fat intake, often a result of feeding pets the same poultry skins and meats common in human foods, can result in pancreatic problems
In addition to dog- and cat-specific recipes, another obstacle to homemade pet meals is in formulating diets that account for age, breed, size, and level of activity of the animal. According to the American College of Veterinary Nutritionists, “Many recipes found on the web or elsewhere, even from well-meaning sources, may not be complete and balanced, creating the possibility of significant long-term harm to animals fed diets based on these recipes.”
Should I feed my pet raw meat?
The FDA does not believe feeding a pet raw meat is consistent with the goal of protecting the public from significant health risks: 1) animals consuming the raw meat are at risk of infection by organisms contained in the raw tissues, and 2) the people handling the product are also at risk.
The FDA is not aware of scientific evidence to support claims that raw meat foods are preferable to other products substantiated to be complete and balanced.
Also, raw meat foods tend to be high in fat.
Why are commercial pet foods better for my pet than homemade foods?
Pet foods available on store shelves have been developed following years of study by manufacturers’ own food scientists, chemists, pet nutritionists and veterinarians to offer pets the healthiest meals possible. These meals are fortified with proper vitamins and are nutritionally balanced.
These recipes are the result of experience, study and consumer feedback combined to make the best product for your pet at all stages of its life.
My regular brand of pet food has been recalled. What are my choices?
Rest assured that there are still hundreds of alternative commercial pet foods that are unaffected by the recall and that you can feel confident in feeding to your pet. The best advice is to check your pet’s current brand against the FDA’s list of recalled pet food (www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html).
The American Veterinary Medical Association has compiled and posted a list of recalled pet food products in an easy to use format at www.avma.org/aa/menufoodsrecall/default.asp.
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