2016.01.12 alternative diets workshop -...

January 11 & 12, 2016

J Parr, DVM, MSc, BScH, Dip ACVN 1

JACKIE PARR, DVM, MSC, BSCH

DIPLOMATE ACVN

Alternative Diets

Reference: Parr JM, Remillard RL. Handling alternative dietary requests from pet owners. Vet Clinics of North Am: Sm Anim Pract 2014;44:667-688.

Presentation Outline

� Changing landscape of pet food industry

� Veterinary advice to owners

� Nutritional Assessment

� Reasons for feeding alternative diets

� Categories of alternative diets

� Homemade diet concerns

� 1) Complete and balanced?

� 2) Food safety and public health?

� Quick assessment of homemade diets

� What are your options?

January 11 & 12, 2016


The Changing Landscape of the Pet Food Industry

Commercial Pet Foods

� A plethora of diets are manufactured

� Typically of dry (kibble) or wet (canned) foods

� Majority of dogs and cats in the US and Canada are fed a commercial pet foods

� A 2008 survey in the US and Australia revealed:

�>90% of dogs and ~99% of cats receive at least half of their dietary intake from commercial pet foods

�Dry kibble is most commonly fed to dogs

�Cats are more likely to receive wet foods than dogs

Reference: Laflamme et al. Pet feeding practices of dog and cat owners in the United States and Australia. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2008;232(5):687-94.

January 11 & 12, 2016


Alternative Diets

� Traditionally defined as:

� Homemade or home-prepared diets

� Either cooked or raw ingredients

� Pet owners prepare themselves for their pets

� 2008 Survey:

� ~15% of cats and ~30% of dogs in the US and Australia consumed a combination of alternative (e.g., homemade, table scraps, raw meat and bones) and commercial foods

Reference: Laflamme, et al. Pet feeding practices of dog and cat owners in the United States and Australia. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2008;232(5):687-94.

Blurred Lines

� Distinct line between commercial and alternative diets has become blurred

� Introduction of diets that resemble homemade into commercial pet food marketplace

� Started with raw food diets in pet specialty stores

� Progressed to include products resembling TV dinners (heat and serve) and Hamburger Helper® (just add meat) for pets

� Market locations: pet specialty stores, grocery stores, mass merchandisers, and veterinary clinics

January 11 & 12, 2016


Veterinary Advice

� Pet owners want to have conversations regarding nutrition with their veterinarians

� If questions are dismissed/ignored this is not in the best interests of the patient

� E.g. “I’m not familiar with that diet”

� E.g. “Just feed a good quality kibble or canned food”

Photo courtesy of Mars Petcare

Veterinary Advice

� If a veterinarian does not provide advice with respect to pet nutrition, then the pet owner turns to less reliable sources for this information

Photos Copyright WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition 2014

January 11 & 12, 2016


Nutritional Assessment Guidelines

AAHA NA Guidelines 2010; WSAVA NA Guidelines 2011

Why Nutrition?Why Nutrition? Vital AssessmentsVital Assessments

� Good nutrition enhances quality and quantity of life

� Awareness of the importance of nutritional assessment

� Temperature

� Heart function

� Lung function

� Pain

� NUTRITION

The Fifth Vital Assessment


January 11 & 12, 2016


� Iterative Process:

�Each factor is assessed and re-assessed as many times as necessary

� 1) Animal-specific factors

�2) Diet-specific factors

�3) Feeding management & environmental factors

Nutritional assessment


Circle of Nutrition

Iterative Process

Develop


Nutrition Support Plan

Monitor & Reassess

January 11 & 12, 2016


� 1) Screening evaluation

�Every patient

�Healthy without risk factors � COMPLETE!

� 2) Extended evaluation

�One or more nutrition-related risk factors

�Based on screening evaluation

�Ensures complete & accurate nutritional assessment of each patient

Nutritional assessment


Global Nutrition Committee Toolkit provided courtesy of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association

Screening evaluation

January 11 & 12, 2016


Example:

� Healthy animal

� No risk factors

� Single pet household

� Adult maintenance life-stage

� No “index of suspicion”

1) Screening evaluation

Healthy 2 year old MN Rottweiler with an ideal body condition (BCS 5/9, normal muscling), eating

a dry large breed diet over two meals per day Photo courtesy of Royal Canin

� Pets at risk for any nutrition-related problems

�Based on screening evaluation

�Suggests nutrition plays an important role

� 1) Review & summarize information obtained during the screening evaluation

� 2) Obtain additional information on “circle of nutrition”

2) Extended evaluation


January 11 & 12, 2016



Example:

� Multiple pet household

� Different life-stages

� Healthy kitten & health compromised adult cat

� Adult: canned veterinary diet twice daily with insulin

� Kitten: free choice dry kitten food

6 year old MN DSH feline with BCS of 9/9 and

diabetes

Healthy 8 month old FS DMH feline

with BCS of 4/9


Example:

� Feeding raw chicken necks and backs, chicken livers/hearts, variety of raw veggies, and cod liver oil

� Switched to raw food diet ~1 year ago

Photo courtesy of Royal Canin

3 year old MN German Shepherd, BCS 3/9, mild wasting, and soft stools 4 times daily

January 11 & 12, 2016


� Obtain additional data on “circle of nutrition”

� 1) Animal-specific factors

�2) Diet-specific factors

�3) Feeding management & environmental factors

The Extended Evaluation


The Decision to Feed an Alternative Diet

Photos courtesy of Mars Petcare

January 11 & 12, 2016


Common TermsTerm Definition

Ancestral • Eating foods similar to ancestors (e.g. wolves)• Typically high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets

Fillers• Provides no nutritional value (Dr. Parr)• Hard to find ingredients that do not provide any value

Holistic

• Philosophy for eating based on nourishing the mind, body, and spirit

• Defined as being concerned with the whole, not just the parts (Dr. Parr)

Human-Grade

• Government bodies have established regulations for human foods to address safety and sanitation standards

• A pet food company needs to comply with all these standards, otherwise as soon as ingredients enter the facility, they are no longer considered “human-grade”

• Need to contact companies to ask about standards

Grain-Free• Does not mean carbohydrate-free• Makes use of carbohydrates other than grains (e.g. potatoes, peas, etc.)

Reference: Carter et al. JAVMA (2014)

Natural - AAFCO

� A feed or ingredient derived from:

� Plant

� Animal

� Mined sources

� Either in unprocessed state or subjected to:

� Physical processing (e.g. grinding, chopping)

� Heat (e.g. extruding, canning)

� Rendering

� Purification extraction

� Hydrolysis (not allowed in Texas)

� Enzymolysis

� Fermentation

January 11 & 12, 2016


Nutritional AdequacyNutritional Adequacy ExcludesExcludes

� Trace nutrients �synthetic

� Either NOT complete & balanced

� OR “Natural with added vitamin, minerals, and trace nutrients”

� No artificial/synthetic:

� Flavours

� Colours

� Preservatives

Natural - AAFCO

Natural – AAFCO vs. FEDIAF

Reference: Buff et al. J ANIM SCI (2014)

January 11 & 12, 2016


Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

� What are GMOs?

� Plants that have been genetically modified to be resistant to certain stresses (e.g. insects, droughts, herbicides, etc.)

Organic

� What does the term “organic” refer to?

� “Organic” refers to a form of production

�E.g. Organic agriculture

� The procedure by which the ingredients are grown, harvested and processed (USDA, 2002)

� What does the term “organic” tell us about quality?

� Nothing!

�Organic tells us how the products were produced, not the quality of the products

January 11 & 12, 2016


Organic Pet Food

� United States:

� Recommendation made in Nov. 2008

� No further updates available

Website: www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/Organic%20Pet%20Food%20NOSB%20Final%20Rec.pdf

Organic Pet Food

� Canada:

� Pet food cannot be certified as organic (Feb. 2015)

Website: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/organic-products/certification-and-verification/guidance-documents/canada-organic-regime/certification-of-organic-products/eng/1425487885156/1425487955740

January 11 & 12, 2016


By-Products

Reference: Freeman and Heinze. Deciphering Fact From Fiction. Dec. 2012

Misconception: “By-products are bad”

References: Freeman and Heinze. Deciphering Fact From Fiction. Dec. 2012; Freeman et al. Nutritional and microbial analysis of bully sticks and survey of opinions about pet treats. Can Vet J 2013;54(1):50-54.

• Survey of 852 consumers (majority dog owners)• > 50% incorrectly identified “by-products”

January 11 & 12, 2016



References: Freeman and Heinze. Deciphering Fact From Fiction. Dec. 2012; Freeman et al. Nutritional and microbial analysis of bully sticks and survey of opinions about pet treats. Can Vet J 2013;54(1):50-54.

• 26% who said that they avoided “by-products” fed bully sticks

• Bully sticks = dehydrated bull penis (bacterial contamination)

By-products = secondary products produced in addition to

the principal product (AAFCO, 2014)


January 11 & 12, 2016


By-Products: Solution

“Purchasing food only from reputable manufacturers who are very selective about their suppliers, have full-time, qualified nutritionists and

perform analytical testing to ensure that every ingredient, as well as the finished product, meets their exact nutrient specifications, will help avoid

problems due to poor quality ingredients.”

Reference: Freeman and Heinze. Deciphering Fact From Fiction. Dec. 2012

January 11 & 12, 2016


Misconception: “Corn is bad”

Reference: Murray et al. 1998, 1999

Dry matter digestibility

Corn gluten meal 85.4%

Fresh beef 84.4%

Fresh poultry 84.0 %

Highly digestible & readily absorbableProcessing: grinding, cooking (extrusion or canning)

Misconception: “Corn is bad”

• Filler = an ingredient with NOnutritional purpose

• Well-rounded nutritional package

• High quality protein (corn gluten meal)

• Essential amino acids (methionine)

• High quality carbohydrates (starch)

• Essential fatty acids (linoleic acid)

• Natural antioxidants (vitamin E, lutein, β-carotene)

January 11 & 12, 2016


Gluten

� What is gluten?

� Gluten is simply protein that comes from grains

� Is all gluten the same?

� No, it is actually the gliadin component of certain glutens that cause a problem for people with Celiac disease

� Where do you find gliadin?

� Wheat, barley, rye, and triticale (wheat x rye cross)

� IMPORTANT: corn is not on the list!

Reference: Elli et al. World J Gastroenterol (2015)

Gluten

� Why would a person need a gliadin-free diet?

� Celiac disease: gliadin� inflammation of small intestine

Reference: Elli et al. World J Gastroenterol (2015)Website: www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/gluten-free-

diet/art-20048530

Avoid unless labeled as gluten-free or made with corn, rice, soy, or other gluten-free grains: Beer,

breads, cakes and pies, candies, cereals, communion wafers, cookies and crackers, croutons, French fries, gravies, imitation meat or seafood, matzo, pastas, processed luncheon meats, salad dressings, sauces (including soy sauce), seasoned rice mixes, seasoned snack foods (such as potato and tortilla chips), soups and soup bases, vegetables in sauce, etc.

January 11 & 12, 2016


Gluten

� What about non-celiac gluten sensitivity in people?

� May or may not benefit from a gliadin-free diet

� It may actually be FODMAPs that are the problem

(fermentable, oligo-, di-, monosaccharides, and polyols)

Reference: Elli et al. World J Gastroenterol (2015)

“The recent evidence about the efficacy of a low-FODMAPs diet in this subset of patients suggests the hypothesis that some

components of wheat other than gluten may be responsible for triggering symptoms.”

Gluten

� Do dogs and cats get Celiac disease?

� No� Irish setters from certain breeding lines can develop gluten-sensitive enteropathy, but it is not the same as Celiac disease

� When should you recommend a gliadin-free pet food?

� When humans in the household have confirmed Celiac disease� any contact with gluten can be detrimental

� Diets containing corn, rice, or soy would be great options

January 11 & 12, 2016


The Decision to Feed an Alternative Diet

Photos courtesy of Mars Petcare

Decision to Feed Alternative Diets

� Pet owners:

� Human-animal bond (family, children)

� Personal identity (anthropomorphism)

� Very invested in pet’s health and well being

� Spend a lot of time with pets (retired, work at home)

� “Mistrust” of commercial pet food manufacturers

� Negative “attitudes” toward food processing

� Internet can exacerbate these concerns

� Misinformation (no one “polices” the Internet)

Reference: Michel, et al. Attitudes of pet owners toward pet foods and feeding management of cats and dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2008;233(11):1699-1703.

January 11 & 12, 2016


Decision to Feed Alternative Diets

� Dog owners tend to have greater “mistrust” and worse “attitudes” than cat owners when it comes to commercial pet foods

� Owners who feed alternative diets more likely to believe:

� “Dogs need a meat-based diet”

� “Raw meat provides better nutrition than cooked foods”

Reference: Michel, et al. Attitudes of pet owners toward pet foods and feeding management of cats and dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2008;233(11):1699-1703.

I am a ferocious hunter!


Incomplete & High CalorieIncomplete & High Calorie Complete & BalancedComplete & Balanced

How Did These Become Equal???

January 11 & 12, 2016


BASED ON NUTRITIONAL ADEQUACY

Categories of Alternative Diets

Categories of Nutritional Adequacy

1. Diet is adequate as the sole source of nutrition

2. Diet is inadequate as the sole source of nutrition with instructions for the owner to complete the diet (e.g., add meat, oil, water, +/- cooking)

3. Diet is inadequate as the sole source of nutrition

January 11 & 12, 2016


Categories of Alternative Diets

1. Homemade or home-prepared diets

2. Pre-made “homemade” diets

3. Pre-made products

4. Individual ingredients (toppers/mixers)

1. Homemade or Home-Prepared Diets

DescriptionAdequate as Sole

Source of Nutrition

Inadequate as Sole Source of Nutrition WITH Instructions

Inadequate as Sole Source of Nutrition

Prepared at home by the owner after

purchasing ingredients

(e.g. meats, grains, vegetables, oils,

vitamins, minerals).

Check credentials or nutritional adequacy statement.

Research: 95% of available recipes cannot be used as sole source of nutrition

(Stockman et al., 2013).

January 11 & 12, 2016


2. Pre-made “Homemade” Diets


Source of Nutrition



Product prepared commercially to

resemble homemade diet. Preserved as shelf-stable or frozen.


N/A


3. Pre-made Products


Source of Nutrition



Premade blend of ingredients. Owneris required to make additions to the diet (e.g. meat, oil, water) +/- cook the

product.

No

Nutritional adequacy depends on the competency of the instructions provided and the owner’s ability to comply with

instructions. Check credentials.

Inadequate if instructions are not

correct or not followed exactly by the owner (room for error). Check credentials.

January 11 & 12, 2016


4. Toppers and Mixers

*Could add up to 10% of calories from toppers to a complete and balanced diet without unbalancing the diet


Source of Nutrition



Frozen,dehydrated, canned (usually game or novel) meat. Sometimes vegetables.

No*

Potentially if product is used as part of a recipe. Check credentials.

If only product being fed to pet. If the rest of the diet was invented by the owner or recipe is

not from a reputable source.

Estimating 10% of calories

January 11 & 12, 2016



Concerns with Homemade Diets

January 11 & 12, 2016


WSAVA Nutrition Toolkit available at http://www.wsava.org/nutrition-toolkit

Major Concerns with Homemade Diets

� Three major areas of concern:

� Is the nutrient profile appropriate?

� Does the client make the recipe according to instructions?

� Has the client deviated from the original recipe? (i.e. diet drift over time)

� Each of these areas of concerns have been reported to cause malnutrition in pets

Reference: Remillard and Crane. Making Pet Foods at Home. In: Hand MS, Thatcher CD, Remillard RL, et al., editors. Small Animal Clinical Nutrition, 5th edition. Kansas: Mark Morris Institute; 2010. p. 207-23.

January 11 & 12, 2016


Nutritional Adequacy of Recipes

� Checking the nutritional adequacy of recipes:

� Not a simple task

� Most often beyond the skill set and time available to most practitioners

� To correctly assess the nutrient profile requires:

� Software

� Formulation skills

� Nutritional knowledge

� Clinical expertise (acquired during a residency program)

� Access to databases of available ingredients

Practitioners Should be Willing to . . .

� Assess the homemade diet recipe for five key nutrient sources and refer to a veterinary nutritionist if any nutrient source is missing

� Offer nutritionally adequate recipes formulated by veterinary nutritionists

� If a specific dietary formulation is necessary for medical reasons, help the client obtain advice from a veterinary nutritionist

January 11 & 12, 2016


Let’s Implement the Quick Assessment!

Photos Copyright WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition 2014

Quick Assessment of Homemade Diets

� Macronutrients:

� 1) Protein(s)

�2) Fat(s)

�3) Carbohydrate(s) (including fibres)

� Micronutrients:

�4) Calcium source (calcium carbonate)

�5) Dog/cat specific vitamin/mineral supplement


January 11 & 12, 2016



Present(Y/N)

Protein Source(s)

• Overall protein quality (amino acid profile) is good to excellent with animal (muscle or organ meat) protein

• Eggs can correct most potential amino acid deficiencies in homemade diets using vegetable protein sources

• Ovo-lacto vegetarian diet � eggs are the best protein• Not recommended for cats!

• Vegan diet � high protein (e.g., soy, pinto, or garbanzo) beans provide an incomplete amino acid profile• Challenging to formulate• Not recommended for cats!


Protein Requirements

Essential Amino Acids Units

Arginine (ARG) g

Histidine (HIS) g

Isoleucine (ILE) g

Methionine (MET) g

Leucine (LEU) g

Lysine (LYS) g

Phenylalanine (PHE) g

Threonine (THR) g

Tryptophan (TRP) g

Valine (VAL) g

Taurine (CATS!) g

Small Animal Clinical Nutrition (2010)

January 11 & 12, 2016



Present(Y/N)

Carbohydrate (Including Fibre) Source(s)

• Grain generally supplies little protein and mostly carbohydrate (as starch or fibre)

• Carbohydrates are not essential, but are beneficial• Carbohydrate-free diets � constipation• Harder to transition to carbohydrates later on

• Highly digestible � cooked corn (ground), rice, wheat, white potato (peeled) are >85% digested by dogs and cats

• Fibre sources � brown rice, sweet potato, or oatmeal



Present(Y/N)

Lipid (fat or oil) Source(s)

A separate source of fat may or may not be present and the diet still be adequate.

• Fat provides essential fatty acids and increases palatability

• If a more calorie dense diet is required � add more fat

• Lean meats (e.g., white or game meats) � additional fat source may be needed

• Changing the cut of meat (e.g., sirloin to chuck) or fat content (e.g., 10 to 35%) in ground meat changes the fat content of the whole diet

• All types of fat (animal [e.g., butter, poultry skin, or meat trimmings], vegetable, or fish oils) can be used


January 11 & 12, 2016


Hall (1996)

Quick Assessment of Homemade DietsPresent(Y/N)

Calcium Source

• Require a specific calcium supplement (calcium carbonate)

• Most often no additional phosphorous is needed (bone meal)


Present(Y/N)

Multivitamin and Mineral Source

• Supplements providing vitamins and minerals are not optional!

• Nutrient requirements cannot be met using “whole” foods (fruits and vegetables) because the pet can simply not consume enough material to meet the stated AAFCO recommendations

• Synthetic supplements are required to ensure a complete diet

January 11 & 12, 2016


Multivitamin and Mineral Sources

� Balance IT (www.BalanceIT.com)

� Canine

� Canine Plus

� Feline

� Canine-K (low phosphorus)

� Feline-K (low phosphorus)

� Canine-Cu (low copper)

� Chef’s Canine Complete (www.mypetgrocer.com)

� Canine only

Homemade Diet Recipe #1

Canine Kidney Diet:

� Rice cooked 237g

� Beef cooked 178g

� Egg large boiled

� Bread white 50g

� Oil vegetable 3g

� Calcium carbonate 1.5g

� Salt iodized 0.5g

January 11 & 12, 2016



Urinary Tract Recipe:� 1.5 lbs. of cooked ground chuck beef, fat retained � 1/4 lbs. of cooked calf’s liver� 1 cup cooked rice or mashed potatoes � 1 teaspoon canola oil� 1 teaspoon of calcium carbonate (crushed calcium

lactate/gluconate) or 8 "regular Tums" � 1/4 children’s multivitamin� 100 IU of vitamin E� 56-84 mL (2-3 oz.) of water can be added during

cooking if the dog prefers or needs a moist food


Diet Evaluation for Pet Owner

� 2.5 lbs. 75% lean raw ground beef

� 1 cup blueberries (freeze dried)

� 1 cup peas (freeze dried)

� 1 cup corn (free dried)

� 1 tablespoon golden flax meal

� 1/4 cup sliced almonds

� 3 cups water

� 5 crushed acidophilus probiotic tabs

January 11 & 12, 2016



Tuna Diet: for the healthy dog or cat

� 4 ounces of tuna, canned, in water, without salt

� 1 egg, large, hard boiled

� 1 tbsp. canola oil

� 2 bone meal tablets

� 1 multiple vitamin/ mineral tablet

Bone Meal (100 g)Bone Meal (100 g) Chicken Breast (1000 g)Chicken Breast (1000 g)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Calcium Phosphorus0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

Calcium Phosphorus

Concerns with Bone Meal

January 11 & 12, 2016



Canine Turkey and Barley

� 7 oz. ground turkey, 93% lean, cooked

� 1 cup green beans, cooked, no salt

� 5/8 cups carrots, cooked, no salt

� 1 whole egg, cooked (no shell)

� 3/4 teaspoons canola oil

� 2 cups pearled barley, cooked

� 6.1 scoops Balance IT Canine

What are your options?

January 11 & 12, 2016


What are your options?

� Refer to a veterinary clinical nutritionist

�Patients with medical conditions

�Unusual requests (E.g. vegan or vegetarian diets)

�Healthy patients (especially if pet owner’s have questions)

� Offer complete and balanced diet options from nutritionists with advanced training (e.g. PhD, MS)

�Healthy pets only

Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionists

� www.PetDiets.com, Dr. Rebecca Remillard

� www.BalanceIT.com, Dr. Shawn Delaney

� www.veterinarynutritioncare.com/, Dr. Amy Farcas

� All Creatures Veterinary Nutrition Consulting, Dr. Meri Stratton-Phelps

� University of California Davis, Drs. Jennifer Larsen and Andrea Fascetti

� Cornell University Hospital for Animals Nutrition Service, Dr. Joseph J. Wakshlag

January 11 & 12, 2016


� Bookmark this webpage!

www.BalanceIT.com

� Bookmark this webpage!

� Example for a healthy 23 kg dog:

January 11 & 12, 2016


Veterinary Nutrition Care

Testing the Homemade Diet

� What if the owner is convinced their recipe is providing complete and balanced nutrition?

�Submit the diet for testing!

AddressUnit 1 - 503 Imperial Road NorthGuelph, ON N1H 6T9

Toll-Free: 1-800-265-7175

Phone: 519-837-1600

e-mail: [email protected]

http://www.agtest.com/index.cfm

January 11 & 12, 2016


Testing the Homemade Diet

� Call SGS Labs for a pricing quote

� Sample test options: �Moisture�Crude protein�Crude fat�Crude fibre�Minerals: Calcium, Phosphorus, (calculate

Ca:Phos ratio), Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium �Trace Minerals: Iron, Zinc, Iodine, Copper�No vitamin testing available

REMEMBER: YOU ARE THE VETERINARIAN AND ARE

LEGALLY ACCOUNTABLE FOR YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS

Is it safe?

January 11 & 12, 2016


Is it safe?

� Legally accountable for either recommending or ignoring unsafe feeding practices

� Raw meat and eggs, even if sold as “human-grade” or for “human consumption”, can be contaminated with pathogenic bacteria

� E.g., Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Clostridium, Campylobacter, and Listeria

� Freezing or freeze-drying are not effective means of destroying these pathogens

� Animal proteins should be cooked thoroughly to an internal temperature to 180 °F (or 80 °Celsius) for at least 10 minutes

Reference: Freeman, et al. Current knowledge about the risks and benefits of raw meat based diets. J Am Anim Hosp Assoc 2013;243(11):1549-58.

Human Salmonellosis Example

� Associated with animal-derived pet treats

� US and Canada (2004-2005)

� Reviews of 9 culture-confirmed cases in humans where Salmonella was associated with feeding dehydrated beef or seafood-based pet treats

� "Although the pet treats were dehydrated at the BC and Washington plants, the dehydration temperatures were not high enough to kill bacteria that might have been present. No processing step, such as irradiation, that would destroy Salmonella and other bacteria was used during the processing.”

� The scary part � only 1 one dog was symptomatic

Reference:Human Salmonellosis Associated with Animal-Derived Pet Treats, United States and Canada (2005)

January 11 & 12, 2016


Human Salmonellosis Example

Reference:Human Salmonellosis Associated with Animal-Derived Pet Treats, United States and Canada (2005)

FDA-CVM Study: 2011 & 2012

Reference: www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/resourcesforyou/animalhealthliteracy/ucm373757.htm

January 11 & 12, 2016


FDA-CVM Study: 2011 & 2012

� “Based on the study’s results, CVM is concerned about the public health risk of raw pet food diets.”

� The study “identified a potential health risk for the pets eating the raw food, and for the owners handling the product.”

� “Owners who feed their pet a raw diet may have a higher risk of getting infected with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes.”

� “If you choose to feed raw pet food to your pet, be aware that you can infect yourself with Salmonella or L. monocytogenes”

Reference: www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/resourcesforyou/animalhealthliteracy/ucm373757.htm

January 11 & 12, 2016


Available at: http://www.tufts.edu/vet/nutrition/resources/raw_meat_diets.pdf

January 11 & 12, 2016


January 11 & 12, 2016


Is the diet/product safe to feed to the pet?

� Many concerns with feeding bones:

� Fractured teeth

� Mouth or jaw injuries

� Obstructions (e.g., esophagus, trachea, stomach, small intestine, colon, rectum)

� Complications of obstructions (e.g., sepsis, peritonitis)

� Constipation

References: Freeman, et al. Current knowledge about the risks and benefits of raw meat based diets. J Am Anim Hosp Assoc 2013;243(11):1549-58.; FDA website. No Bones About It: Bones Are Unsafe for Your Dog. Available at:

http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm208365.htm.

Summary

� Speak with every pet owner regarding their pet’s diet

� Nutritional assessment

� Determine the nutritional adequacy of the diet

� Address homemade diet concerns

� Complete and balanced? Perform quick assessment

� Food safety and public healthy? Inform pet owners

� Know your options

� Refer to veterinary nutritionists

� Provide complete and balanced recipes

� Analyze the diet

2016.01.12 alternative diets workshop -...

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