Read Those Food Labels

As pet parents, it's our job to ensure we're feeding the best food we can for our budget. Just as we read the food labels of the food we buy for ourselves, we should read the food labels of pet food before we buy it. These labels provide important information about the nutritional content and quality of the food. Here are a few reasons why:

1. Nutritional Information: The food label can tell you the specific ingredients used in the pet food and the nutritional content of the food, such as the amount of protein, fat, and carbohydrates. This can help you choose a food that meets your pet's specific nutritional needs and dietary restrictions.
2. Quality and Safety: The label can also tell you where the ingredients were sourced from and whether the food was made in a facility that meets certain quality and safety standards. This can help you ensure that you are buying a high-quality, safe food for your pet. Though sadly, that isn't always guaranteed. 
3. Allergies and Sensitivities: If your pet has allergies or sensitivities to certain ingredients, the food label can help you identify if the food contains those ingredients. This can help you avoid potentially harmful reactions and keep your pet healthy. For example, my cat Lilly has a food sensitivity towards fish and beef, so we pick food that does not have these ingredients. 
4. Feeding Guidelines: The label can also provide feeding guidelines based on your pet's weight, age, and activity level, which can help you ensure that you are feeding your pet the appropriate amount of food. But just between us, err on the side of a little less that their recommendations.

Overall, reading the food labels of pet food can help you make informed decisions about what to feed your pets, which can promote their pet's health and well-being.

To that end, be especially suspicious of cat food that has multiple sources of carbohydrates. High levels of carbohydrates in cat food are not good for a cat's diet because cats are obligate carnivores, meaning their digestive systems are designed to primarily process meat-based proteins. Their digestive systems are not efficient at breaking down and utilizing carbohydrates as other animals. So cats oftentimes will store those carbs as fat. 

Cats require high levels of protein, essential fatty acids, and certain vitamins and minerals to maintain their health (think Taurine). Carbohydrates provide mainly an unhealthy source of energy. A cats energy needs be obtained from other sources such as protein and fat. In fact, consuming too many carbohydrates can lead to a range of health problems for cats, such as obesity, diabetes, and digestive issues.

Additionally, many commercial cat foods that contain high levels of carbohydrates may not have the appropriate balance of other essential nutrients that cats need in their diet. This can lead to deficiencies or imbalances in their diet, which can have negative effects on their health over time.
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Therefore, it is important for cat owners to choose cat food that is high in protein and low in carbohydrates to ensure that their cat is getting the nutrients they need for optimal health. It is always recommended to consult with a veterinarian to determine the best diet for your individual cat based on their specific needs and health history.

Have a conversation with you vet. If they are recommending a food that you see is high in carbohydrates, ask them "Why are you recommending his high carbohydrate food when cats are obligate carnivores?" Mention your concern about diabetes and kidney failure in the future. Yes, it may be uncomfortable to ask these direct questions, but a good vet will be happy to answer these for you. An increase in diabetes and kidney failure in cats has been directly linked to dry food diets high in carbohydrates.

In the next blog post, we'll talk about what those weird ingredients in your pets food mean. What the heck is chicken bone meal? Is that wheat/corn gluten? Why is there powered cellulose in food?