Pricey pet food not always worthwhile, experts say

Thursday, 9 March 2017

Is your dog's dinner more expensive than your own?

Animal owners are being told to be wary of pricey pet foods making big claims.

Feeding your animals can be an expensive exercise. While supermarkets sell dog biscuits for as little as $20 for an 8kg bag, it is possible to spend hundreds on a bag of food.

A 12kg bag of Royal Canin Veterinary Diet for large dogs, for example, costs $120 from Pet.co.nz.

But if your fluffy companions are dining out on a cut-rate dinner, it does not necessarily mean they are getting a poor deal, experts say.

* Kiwis spend a fortune on pets**

Consumer NZ pointed to a case in the US, where Mars Petcare, which makes Eukanuba, made ads saying a 10-year study had found labradors lived 30 per cent longer eating its products.

The lab results were false. Mars Petcare agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it falsely advertised its products.

Research writer Luke Harrison said there were some basic boxes that food should tick. He said owners should look for products that met the Association of American Feed Control Officials' standards. These have become an international benchmark.

'Pet foods that meet the AAFCO standard can claim they're complete and balanced. This is important if you're feeding your pet the same food day in and day out.'

But he said, beyond that, claims should be treated with care.

'There are foods formulated for specific breeds. But some of these foods have strikingly similar ingredients to more generic products. For instance, Eukanuba's Adult Large Breed, Adult Medium Breed, Golden Retriever and Boxer formulas contain the same 16 ingredients in slightly different ratios. So are the separate formulas really necessary?

'There are premium foods, which cost more and supposedly have better quality ingredients. But, in some cases, it's difficult to know whether A) the ingredients are significantly different to standard foods and B) if these purported differences will have a significant impact on your pet's health.'

Rochelle Ferguson, Companion Animal Vets operations manager at the New Zealand Veterinary Association, said owners should take into account their animal's breed, activity level an underlying health issues when they chose what to feed them.

'The best diet for your pet are based on an individual recommendations taking these factors into account from a veterinarian or veterinary nurse with nutrition training.'

She said claims that a type of food would suit 'older' dogs should be treated with caution. There is no AAFCO standard for 'senior' pets.

'There is no single nutritional recommendation that will apply to all animals. An elderly chihuahua has quite different needs to an elderly Rottweiler. What's good for an eight-year-old Huntaway who is still working will be quite different from an eight-year-old rottweiler who's virtually a granddad. But they are all what [manufacturer] would term geriatric.'

Some owners had good success when they bought a food product from a vet that was targeted specifically to an animal's health conditions, she said.

Some premium foods are good for reducing plaque, for instance. 'But the average Labrador with no gingivitis won't get the benefit in the same way a shitzu with a pushed-in face and crooked teeth will.'

Concerns about animals' food allergies or about the grains in commercial pet food tended to be overstated, she said.

'It's right that in the wild, they are not eating rice. But they are also dying at six as well. There is no good evidence that feeding higher-protein, low-carb diets makes a difference to the majority of dogs. There's no good evidence to suggest that just raw meat is the superior way to go. For the vast majority of dogs, a total dry diet will be just fine.'

She said pet owners should steer clear of unbranded food that did not meet an international standard.

Ferguson said premium foods could have another benefit, too. 'Premium foods tends to mean the quality of the ingredients is higher – chicken means chicken meat instead of chicken livers.

'You do get more bang for your buck and with dogs especially you can feed less and get the same nutrient density, which has implications at the other end in terms of what you have to pick up after your dog.'