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SHOP SMART: DECODING PET FOOD NAMES
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By
Andrea S. Mullen, DVM and Nancy Smith
Get out your
decoder rings. It's time to find out where law, science and smart
shopping meet--all in the name of your pet's food.
Much attention
has been given to deciphering the fine print on food labels, checking
out ingredients and looking at charts call "guaranteed analysis."
But what about
the NAME of the pet food? Here are a few tips, courtesy of the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration, that can help you know what's in your
pet's food by reading the "Big Print." When reading, remember that our
cat companions are "obligate carnivores," meaning they need meat to
survive and would only eat meat if they were in the wild. Dogs, on the
other hand, are omnivores who can eat both meat and veggies. Dogs can
survive on vegetable carbohydrates, but need meat to thrive.
Read the name
carefully.
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THE 95% RULE. If the pet
food is named for a meat ingredient, it's got to be 95% of the named
meat. "Beef for Dogs" must be 95% beef. "Tuna Cat Food" must
contain 95% tuna. Look for the named product to be first on the
ingredient list. |
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THE 25% RULE or THE "DINNER" RULE: A food named "Beef
Dinner" or "Chicken Formula Cat Food" or anything described as an
entree or platter must contain only 25% of the named ingredient.
Look for the named meat to be in the top four items on the
ingredient list. Beware that fish could be the first ingredient in
a "Chicken Formula." If there are two meats named in the "dinner,"
the two items together must equal 25% of the product. The second
item must be at least 3% of the product. So, the "Chicken and Fish
Formula" for cats should be at least 22% chicken and 3% fish.
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THE 3% RULE or THE "WITH" RULE: The item described
as being "with" must be at least 3% of the food. "Dog Food with
Beef" must only contain 3% beef. "Chicken Dinner with Cheese"
should contain at least 3% cheese. |
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THE "FLAVOR" RULE: The FDA requires that the
description be in the same type size and style as the rest of the
name. The good news: the "beef" in "Beef Flavored Dog Food" can't
be highlighted in a star-burst or in a bold or bright color compared
to the rest of the name. The bad news: there are no scientific
standards requiring any "beef" be contained in "beef flavoring." As
long as specially trained animals "detect" a beef flavor, the name
can be used, even if the beef flavoring is actually composed of
vegetable materials (like whey). |
Here's the
quiz: What is the difference between "Cat Food with Tuna" and "Tuna Cat
Food"?
Answer: "Cat
Food with Tuna" falls under the 3% rule and must contain at least 3%
tuna. "Tuna Cat Food" falls under the 95% rule and contains 95% tuna.
What's in a name? In this case it's a 92% difference in the meat
content.
For further
information on federal pet food labeling requirements, see
www.fda.gov/cvm/petlabel.htm. |
| DRUMROLL FOR CALIFORNIA CAT
CENTER II |
| The second California Cat Center luxury
cat boarding facility is about to be unveiled. "We're on schedule
for our planned November 1, 2007 opening," according to proprietor Nancy
Smith. "We are pleased and proud to expand our services to
Westside residents." The
3,500-square-foot facility will feature five cage-free full-room suites
with sofas, televisions and natural light from windows. The
facility is located on the second floor of the well-known Centinela Feed
and Pet Store, 3860 S. Centinela Ave. in Mar Vista, providing cat lovers
with convenient shopping for quality food and supplies while visiting
the California Cat Center.
The full-room suites will be available for
up to four cats at $100 per night. Additional cats sharing the
suites will be $25 per night. Reservations are currently being
made for the new facility, Ms. Smith said. For information or to
schedule a tour, call toll free 1-866-780-CATS (2287). |
| NEW RATES FOR CAT BOARDING |
| Effective November 15, 2007, boarding
rates at the Van Nuys California Cat Center will change. Also, the
following rates will apply upon opening of the Mar Vista location.
For one condo, per night:
One cat: $45; two cats: $75; three cats:
$100; each additional cat: $25 per night.
For full-room suites in Mar Vista: $100
per night for up to four cats; $25 per night for each additional cat. |
| PAINFUL MATS REMOVED WITH
VETERINARY MONITORING |
| California Cat Center Van Nuys offers
pain-free, stress-free removal of painful mats under fully monitored
veterinary anesthesia by Andrea S. Mullen, DVM. Experienced
groomer, Kate Uphold, provides full body shaving "lion cuts" to remove
mats. "It's easy for grooming
long-haired cats to get ahead of you and your cat, resulting in knotted
hair," explained Dr. Mullen. "Those hair mats are close to the
skin and painful, making it impossible to brush out. Shaving under
anesthesia provides a painless alternative."
Dr. Mullen, a certified registered nurse
anesthetist as well as a veterinarian, administered anesthesia to humans
for more than decade before switching to veterinary medicine. "The
isoflourane gas anesthesia we use is one of the safest agents,
especially when actively monitored by an experienced professional.
It is breathed into the lungs and not metabolized by the kidney or liver
like other forms of sedation sometimes used when grooming pets," Dr.
Mullen explained.
Call 818-780-7060 for grooming
appointments, available at the Van Nuys location on Saturdays. |
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