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            Talk with the Tech              

Is Raw Better?

7/5/2021

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A raw food diet usually includes raw muscle meat, organ meat, and ground bones.  It also can contain vegetables, fruits, and some dairy.  The most common proteins in cat raw food are chicken, egg, and fish.  Although raw diets may seem to resemble a wild diet it may not be suitable for our domestic cats and dogs who often have a much longer life expectancy than their "wild ancestors". 
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Myths about Raw Diets
1.  Many people believe raw chicken, fish and eggs have more protein and higher nutrient content and that the cooking process reduces those nutrients, but this isn’t true

2.  Better digestibility is another perceived benefit of raw diets.  This has not been proven by any scientific studies, in fact, some cooking processes may even make certain foods more digestible and nutrients more available than they were raw. 

3.   C
laim health benefits such as improved digestion, firmer stool, healthier skin and coats, and nutrition more akin to the “wild diet,” very few of these claims are supported by published research. 
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When choosing a diet, it’s essential to look for formulas that are complete and balanced. Although commercially prepared raw food diets may be complete and balanced, the raw food prepared at home probably won’t be.  If you are considering feeding raw food, we want to make sure your pet is getting all the nutrients they need through both their food and supplements.  If not, cats are at a higher risk of developing nutrient deficiencies, like thiamine, which can affect nerve, brain and metabolism function.  Nutrient deficiencies in both cats and dogs can also affect bone health and development. 
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Are Raw Foods Safe?
-   Any bones not completely ground up could cause intestinal blockages or even lacerations. ​
-     Risk of nutrient deficiencies 
-   More likely to be contaminated with harmful bacteria like Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria. These food-borne pathogens can cause a variety of problems, including diarrhea and vomiting. In severe cases, the results can be fatal.  These bacteria aren’t just a risk for your pets, they also pose a threat to you and your entire family.
Your pets can spread the bacteria from food either by grooming/licking and then interacting with you or through  feces.  Reduce the spread of bacteria by using gloves when handling the raw food and thoroughly cleaning the prep surfaces. 
This link goes over what percentage of each type of food makes up a raw diet.
https://perfectlyrawsome.com/raw-feeding-knowledgebase/biologically-appropriate-raw-food-barf-adult-dogs/
I personally do not feed my dogs or cats raw food diets because of the risks of nutrient deficiencies and illnesses, but what you feed your pet is ultimately a personal choice. ​ I recommend talking with your Veterinarian and RVT if a raw diet is something you are thinking about implementing or want more information about.
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Add personal trainer to the job description!

4/1/2021

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Pet obesity is a chronic disease with serious consequences like diabetes, fatty liver syndrome, skin disease, urinary tract disease, and arthritis.  We say it is a chronic disease because it is something the owners and pets live with. Owners must be aware that their pets are prone to obesity and could be again if changes are not made.  Scottie has been dealing with weight issues for a few years now.
Scottie’s owner brought him to the clinic in August 2020.  At that time, I talked to her about the importance of weight loss for Scottie and his friend Charlie (after all, it is always better to have a work out partner!). Scottie started his weight loss journey weighing in at fifteen pounds while a Chihuahua’s ideal weight should be closer to 9lbs.  The end goal is not just to get down to an ideal weight but to look and feel better. 

There are a few things that I take into consideration when I make a weight loss program for a pet.  Each animal and household is different, so it is best to learn about the owners and pets daily schedule and lifestyle.  To be successful, I need to make a program that is suitable and easy for the owner.  Body condition scoring can be easily taught to owners to be able to track their pets progress at home. 
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Body conditioning is based on a scale from one to five. One being underweight, three being ideal, over three bring overweight, and five being obese.  This scale can also go from one to nine and five is ideal.  The areas we look for to decide the scoring is the amount of fat coverage over the ribs and a distinct waistline. 
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Scottie came back to the clinic for weight check-ins periodically and I would address the owner’s concerns or worries as well.  I check in on my weight loss program patients weekly for the first few weeks and then monthly after that.  This personal interaction can help with success because it can be very frustrating for the owner.  To get Scottie to his goal, his owner took him and his work out partner on walks, gave vegetables as treats, and stuck to the diet plan. ​Will Power is what got Scottie’s owner through the journey.  
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Scottie came in to the clinic at the end of March and he weighed nine pounds.  Scottie lost six pounds total and that is a huge success for a small breed dog!  It took a lot of work and perseverance from Scottie’s owner. 
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Scottie now has a defined waistline and is a perfect 3/5 for body condition score.  He is also more active and loves running around with the other dogs at home.  His hair coat is also very shiny so I know that is a good indication of health. 
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Insight on pet nutrition

1/18/2021

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Pet food bags are marketed to intrigue the customers.  The manufacturers will bold words and use different fonts to catch your eye. They make the ingredients listed look good enough for humans to eat. Why would we not want to feed our pet food that is equal in value as our own food? Another marketing trick is putting pictures of fresh whole produce or protein on the bag. It not only looks appetizing to you the customer (let's face it your pet doesn't know there is a chicken breast on the bag) it also makes you think that is what's contained in the bag of food which can be misleading. Just because there is an apple shown does not mean it is a healthier choice over the bag that does not have an apple on the bag.  With companies purposely trying to mislead you, how do you know which food is best for your pet?

Things to look for when buying your pet's food. 

1. Look for the AAFCO Nutritional Adequacy Statement
This means that they have marketed this food for a specific life stage. An example of this statement would be, "Pet Food" provides complete and balanced nutrition for **Selected Life Stage** and is comparable to a product which has been substantiated using AAFCO feeding tests. 
**Life stages would be one of the following: gestation/lactation, growth (kitten/puppy), maintenance (adult or senior), or all life stages.  A food that says for all life stages would be best for a growing animal instead of an adult because of the high calories. I suggest getting the appropriate food that fits with your pet's life stage. This will help prevent obesity or improper caloric intake. Different quantities and ratios of nutrients are needed for different life stages. 

2. Look for key words
If a specific protein like chicken, beef, or pork is listed in the name or title it must account for at least 95% of the product weight not including water. The other 5% will be vitamins and minerals. If the words dinner, entrée, or platter are in the name or title the protein listed must account for at least 25% of the product weight not including water. If you see "with" or "similar" in the name or title, for example chicken with rice would contain at least 3% chicken and 3% rice. 

3. Check the first five ingredients
Ingredients have to be listed in descending order according to weight. Meaning the first few ingredients weigh the most.  What the companies do not disclose is what they do with the products after they weigh them. For example, if you see chicken as the first ingredient you might think this is a great food because it is full of chicken. That might not be the case. If the food companies choose to weigh a raw chicken breast it will be pretty heavy because it contains a large amount of water. If chicken is listed as the third ingredient the food companies might have weighed it cooked instead of raw. This would mean there could actually be more chicken added to the food that has cooked chicken versus raw. It is very difficult to read a list of ingredients so don't get too focused on this. I would also like to say that a good quality plant protein is better for your animals than a poor quality animal protein. 


If you are ever questioning or uncertain if a bag of food is right for your pet, take a picture of the bag and ingredients list and email or text the clinic and I will gladly help you. 

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    Ashlyn, RVT

    Join me in learning a few tips about being the best owner that you possibly can be.

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​59525 Range Road 235, Westlock County
   
     
  • Home
  • About SRVS
    • Our Team
    • Hours
    • Emergency Services
    • Contact SRVS
    • Our Facility
  • Services
    • Equine Services
    • Bovine Services
    • Small Animal Services
    • Other Species Services
    • VSMT Services
    • Drugs and Supplies >
      • Store
    • On-line Store
  • Client Information
  • Ashlyn's Blog
  • Christie's Blog
  • What's new?