|
Organic Pets Is organic food the best way to keep pets healthy?The Denver Post Table scraps and dull canned goods are over for Fido. He's going organic. So are his feline pals. A growing number of health conscious pet owners are opting for organic pet food over traditional commercial pet products. Pet Food Ingredients Revealed! The true horrors of pet food revealed: Prepare to be shocked by what goes into dog food and cat food Sometimes the impetus for change is a cancer diagnosis f "People are becoming more aware that if they adjust their animals' diets, their animals can avoid certain illnesses, or perhaps Veterinarian Ted Cohn of University Animal Hospital in Denver says he Despite the organic pet food buzz, Cohn and other veterinarians don't necessarily think organic diets are better than more traditional pet foods. "I have concerns that not a lot of research has been done to assure the proper balance of nutrients," explains Cohn, referring to industry feeding trials and nutritional tests that are intended to ensure a pet food is balanced for species and stage of life. At the same time, Cohn acknowledges that traditional foods have higher levels of preservatives as well as dyes that appeal to people rather than pets and "don't do anything good for the animal." Pet health supplements, disease prevention and miracle pet cures: an exclusive interview with Dr. Lisa Newman, formulator of the Azmira Holistic Pet Care products All things being equal, CSU's Robinson says she would prefer to feed an organic food to pets. However, she says, "Many self-proclaimed animal-nutrition experts have little to no understanding of species-specific dietary requirements." For example, cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they need meat in their diet. Ferrets fall into this category as well. Cohn has seen two ferrets die of malnutrition after being fed vegetables. "They decided, 'Gee, this is really good. I'd rather have broccoli than the ferret diet,' " Cohn says. "We could not get them back to eating the proper diet." For that reason, always discuss any major changes in your pet's diet with your veterinarian. "If you're not honest with your veterinarian," Cohn warns, "you can't expect to get the best advice." For that reason, always discuss any major changes in your pet's diet with your veterinarian. "If you're not honest with your veterinarian," Cohn warns, "you can't expect to get the best advice." Pet health companies combine efforts to promote Dr. Marty Goldstein's new book on holistic pet health |