• DVM360_Conference_Charlotte,NC_banner
  • ACVCACVC
  • DVM 360
  • Fetch DVM 360Fetch DVM 360
DVM 360
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
By Role
AssociatesOwnersPractice ManagerStudentsTechnicians
Subscriptions
dvm360 Newsletterdvm360 Magazine
News
All News
Association
Breaking News
Conference Coverage
Education
Equine
FDA
Law & Ethics
Market Trends
Medical
Politics
Products
Recalls
Regulatory
Digital Media
dvm360 LIVE!™
Expert Interviews
The Vet Blast Podcast
Medical World News
Pet Connections
The Dilemma Live
Vet Perspectives™
Weekly Newscast
dvm360 Insights™
Publications
All Publications
dvm360
Firstline
Supplements
Vetted
Clinical
All Clinical
Anesthesia
Animal Welfare
Behavior
Cardiology
CBD in Pets
Dentistry
Dermatology
Diabetes
Emergency & Critical Care
Endocrinology
Equine Medicine
Exotic Animal Medicine
Feline Medicine
Gastroenterology
Imaging
Infectious Diseases
Integrative Medicine
Nutrition
Oncology
Ophthalmology
Orthopedics
Pain Management
Parasitology
Pharmacy
Surgery
Toxicology
Urology & Nephrology
Virtual Care
Business
All Business
Business & Personal Finance
Hospital Design
Personnel Management
Practice Finances
Practice Operations
Wellbeing & Lifestyle
Continuing Education
Conferences
Conference Listing
Conference Proceedings
Resources
CBD in Pets
CE Requirements by State
Contests
Veterinary Heroes
Partners
Spotlight Series
Team Meeting in a Box
Toolkit
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vet to Vet
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Advertisement
By Role
  • Associates
  • Owners
  • Practice Manager
  • Students
  • Technicians
Subscriptions
  • dvm360 Newsletter
  • dvm360 Magazine
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us
  • MJHLS Brand Logo

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences™ and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Consumer Reports tackles pet food

February 4, 2009

Veterinary expert Dr. Ernie Ward says that if clients ask questions as a result, it's a chance for you to bond.

More expensive pet food isn't always better quality, according to a story in the March 2009 issue of

Consumer Reports

. The consumer advocacy magazine talked to eight pet nutrition experts at universities nationwide and concluded that a higher price may mean better ingredients and quality control-or just good-looking packaging and more money spent on marketing.

The story doesn't encourage consumers to talk to veterinarians (click here to read the whole story), but it does offer information on what pet food labels really mean as well as these three tips for pet nutrition:

1. Pet owners should be careful if they make their own pet food. The article warns pet owners about the risks of contamination, unhealthy ingredients, and unbalanced nutrition. It also guides consumers to online resources for homemade pet food information: The American College of Veterinary Nutrition and the Web sites petdiets.com and balanceit.com.

2. Age-appropriate diets are important. Foods labeled “for growth” or “for all life stages” meet the needs of kittens, puppies, and pregnant pets, the authors state. Foods marked “for maintenance” are for healthy adult animals. “Senior” is a marketing term, not a nutritional term, according to the article.

Advertisement

3. Wet foods are more expensive per calorie per serving than dry foods, because wet foods contain 75 percent water.

Veterinary Economics Editorial Advisory Board member Dr. Ernest Ward Jr. loves it when stories about pet products show up in Consumer Reports and other watchdog magazines. “I encourage clients to be curious and inquisitive,” Dr. Ward says. “These types of clients are the most exciting ones. They're really being advocates for their pets.”

If clients question Dr. Ward's pet food recommendations, he doesn't take it personally. “I don't get defensive. I don't assume I have all the answers,” he says. When Dr. Ward's clients bring him mainstream news stories on veterinary care or pet health conditions, he takes the articles, reads them, then calls or e-mails the client with his response.

He also isn't perturbed when a client doesn't agree with his pet food choice. He's toured pet food manufacturing facilities, explored nutrition companies, and trusts the products, so he can explain his recommendations thoroughly. He encourages clients to ask the same questions and do the same type of research. Transparency and open conversations usually lead to smiles all around.

For client handouts on pet nutrition and exercise, see the Related Links below.

Related Content:

NutritionTechnicians
3 concerns with homemade diets for pets
3 concerns with homemade diets for pets
Veterinary tech students awarded national scholarship
Veterinary tech students awarded national scholarship
Veterinary nutritionist discusses fresh pet foods
Veterinary nutritionist discusses fresh pet foods

Advertisement

Latest News

Freshpet and Petco partner launch fresh pet food subscription

AAHA Con heads to San Diego

VHMA announces latest class of CVPMs

Jaguar undergoes anesthesia to determine cause of appetite loss

View More Latest News
Advertisement