Vital Essentials announces 2015 resolution focusing on pet health

Vital Essentials has announced its 2015 resolution—to encourage American pet parents to feed healthier diets. Throughout 2015, Vital Essentials is planning a number of events to call attention to its Alpha prey-model diet, which the company touts as a healthier way to feed dogs and cats.

“Most Americans are typically more health conscious during January,” said Lanny Viegut, Vital Essentials CEO. “We want them to think about a healthier lifestyle for the entire family, including their dogs and cats.” To kick off the new year, Vital Essentials will be promoting three of the top-selling Purely RAW frozen entrées in support of its Feed Healthycampaign at independent pet specialty retail stores throughout the US. These entrées will be marked with a “Special Price” tag on packages.

Study from FDA warns pet owners to avoid raw petfood diets

A new study from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that compared to other types of petfood tested, raw petfood was more likely to be contaminated with disease-causing bacteria. As a result, FDA is warning pet owners who feed pets a raw diet that they may be at a greater risk for infections from Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes.
The warning to pet owners comes after FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) screened more than 1,000 samples of petfood for foodborne illness-causing bacteria in the two-year study. 
The study involved more samplings from 196 commercial raw dog and cat food brands. CVM says it purchased a variety of raw petfood online from different manufacturers and had the products shipped directly to six laboratories for analysis. According to FDA, the raw petfood products were mostly frozen in tube-like packages and made from ground meat or sausage.
Of the samples analyzed, 15 tested positive for Salmonella and 32 tested positive for Listeria.
The study "identified a potential health risk for the pets eating the raw food, and for the owners handling the product," said Dr. Renate Reimschuessel, a researcher at CVM's Office of Research and one of the study's principal investigators.
FDA says the best way for pet owners to prevent infection is to avoid feeding pets a raw diet. More information on the study, including tips for pet owners to prevent infection from foodborne illness, is available on FDA's website.

Veterinarian addresses common pet food myths

Because pet owners can receive misguided information on the Internet about what they should be feeding their pets, Dr. Trish Kirby, a veterinarian, is dispelling some common myths about pet food ingredients and selecting the best pet food.
Dr. Kirby says a common myth is that pet owners believe they should avoid all pet food diets that include by-products. However, she says by-products are nutrient-rich organ meats that may contain a better quality protein than other muscle meats. She says some other food by-products are vitamin E, beef bouillon and vegetable oils.
Another common belief among pet owners, Dr. Kirby says, is that corn is a filler used in cheap petfoods. She says corn actually provides protein and carbohydrates, as well as contains antioxidants such as beta-carotene and vitamin E, as well as essential fatty acids that keep the skin and fur healthy.
It is also not necessarily true that petfoods labeled as "natural" or "organic" are healthier. Dr. Kirby clarifies the term "natural" as meaning a petfood is free of chemically synthesized ingredients, thought she says many key micronutrients, such as some vitamins, are actually synthesized. Diets marketed as "natural" will often also say "with added vitamins, minerals and other trace elements," she says. Foods labeled as "organic," Dr. Kirby says refers to the way the food is raised and regulated by the US Department of Agriculture, whereas the term "holistic" is used solely as a marketing tool with no real regulated definition.
Additionally, Dr. Kirby cautions that raw petfood is no necessarily healthier than store-bought petfoods. Raw petfood diets, the vet says, are often times not nutritionally balanced, and so do not meet all of a pet's nutritional needs. More importantly, she says, these raw petfood diets can be contaminated with bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli, which can sicken both humans and animals.
Finally, Dr. Kirby says that pet owners should realize that no pets are the same, so it is best to consult your veterinarian about the specific nutritional needs of your pet to select the proper diet.

State of Pet Health Report available online to pet owners, industry

Banfield Pet Hospital, a chain of veterinary practices throughout the US, has made The State of Pet Health Report available for the first time to consumers, retailers and pet industry members on a new website, www.stateofpethealth.com.
Visitors to the new site can not only access a full PDF version of the report, but also news, veterinarian insights, and tips on diseases affecting pets, including overweight and obesity, kidney disease, heart disease and thyroid disease.
Pet owners can also check their pet's Body Condition Score on the website, look up their pet's daily caloric needs, look into geographic trends and more to help pets live a longer, healthier life.

President Obama's dog depicted in new campaign against pet food from China

Food & Water Watch, a group that lobbies for stricter food-import laws, has launched a campaign criticizing the safety of food and pet food imported from China, which the group hopes will attract attention with the help of a new poster figure.
A recent article from Food & Water Watch features President Obama's dog, Bo Obama, in a photo in front of the White House, with the caption: “Is the First Dog being fed risky chicken treats from China? The president owes Bo and all of us finalized food safety rules to protect our health.”
The group criticizes the administration because it says there are currently no regulations on the safety of petfood imported from China, despite US Food and Drug Administration warnings about chicken jerky treats. Meanwhile, the group says the amount of food coming from China that is fed to US pets has increased by 85-fold from 2003 to 2011.
“China should not be allowed to export any food — for humans or pets — to the US until it gets its food safety act together,” Food & Water Watch says in the article.

FDA seeks comment on antimicrobial drug use data collection

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is seeking public comment on how the agency can collect more detailed information on antimicrobial drug use in food-producing animals and how best distribute the information, as part of an effort to better correlate antimicrobial drug use to antimicrobial resistance.
The Government Accountability Office said information currently collected by FDA does not provide sufficient data to analyze trends in antimicrobial resistance, so the agency is requesting that manufacturers provide an estimate on how much of each drug is being used on each species.
Under current law, manufacturers are required to report how much of each antimicrobial product they sell and distribute and for which species the product is indicated. However, some classes of antimicrobials are indicated for more than one species, making it difficult for FDA to determine how much of each product is being used in each species.
FDA also publishes antimicrobial sales and distribution reports for public consumption, but under current law the agency is allowed only to report those antimicrobial drug classes with three or more distinct sponsors to protect confidential sales information. FDA is seeking comment on how best to compile and present summary information on antimicrobial use without disclosing the confidential sales data.
Additionally, FDA is seeking input on other methods for assessing antimicrobial use in food-producing animals that would aid in comparing antimicrobial use to antimicrobial resistance.
Comments should be submitted by September 25, and should include Docket No. FDA-2012-N-0447. Submit comments electronically at www.regulations.gov, via fax to +1.301.827.6879, or sent via mail to: Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305), Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.

Vet offers consumer tips for reading pet food ingredient labels

In a recent Huffington Post blog, Donna Solomon, a veterinarian at the Animal Medical Center of Chicago, Illinois, USA, says she believes the best pet owners are those that are well-informed about pet care and pet nutrition, so she offers some consumer tips for reading petfood labels. 


Solomon says that, according to regulations, if a product name includes a meat, poultry or fish ingredient with no descriptor words after it, like "nugget" or "dinner," that ingredient must represent 95 percent of the pet food's total product weight, not including water, or, the ingredient must represent 70 percent of the product weight if it includes water. For example, a diet labeled as "Lobster and Salmon" must contain a greater weight percentage of lobster than salmon, and the combination of the weight percentage of lobster and salmon in the food must equal 95 percent of the product's total weight, excluding water. 


Furthermore, the ingredient name label must be written in descending order of percentage of the product's weight. However, she cautions that this regulation does not apply to grains and vegetables, so a diet labeled as "Rice and Lamb" would be mislabeled if it did not contain at least 95 percent lamb.


A product whose name contains the word "dinner" or similar terms on the label implies that at least 25 percent of the named ingredient is included in the diet, but not at a level greater than 95 percent of the diet by weight, not including water. If the "dinner" does include water, then the named ingredient must make up 10 percent of the product's weight. 


Solomon says that it is important to read the pet food label especially in these cases if your dog has allergies, because the food may also contain other meats or ingredients. If more than one ingredient is named in the "dinner," like "Chicken and Turkey Dinner," both products must again make up at least 25 percent of the product's weight, with the ingredient listed second included at a minimum of greater than 3 percent of the product's weight. Unlike the 95 percent rule, this 3 percent rule applies not only to meats, but also to grains, vegetables, and other ingredients, such as foods "with cheese" or "with blueberries." 


Additionally, Solomon says that a "flavor" rule requires a portion of the flavoring ingredient to be included in the diet, which is not specified by a certain percentage, but, rather the rule requires that the food must contain an amount sufficient enough to be detected by a pet. This "flavor" rule is tested with the use of specifically trained dogs that signal specific flavors. She also says that the flavor ingredient is not required to come from the actual product, such as a real chicken, but instead can be a combination of many ingredients that mimic the real taste. 

RECALL: Diamond Pet Foods expands dry dog food recall to include Puppy formula

Diamond Pet Foods recalled select bag sizes of its Puppy Formula dry dog food.

Diamond Pet Foods is expanding a voluntary recall to include Diamond Puppy Formula dry dog food because a sampling of the product was contaminated with Salmonella. 


The expanded recall includes Diamond dry dog food Puppy Formula in the following bag sizes, marked with the following production codes and "Best-by" dates, respectively:


40-pound bags, DPP0401B22XJW, 6-Apr-2013
40-pound bags, DPP0401A21XAW, 6-Apr-2013
40-pound bags, DPP0101C31XME, 11-Jan-2013
40-pound bags, DPP0401B21XDJ, 7-Apr-2013
20-pound bags, DPP0401B22XJW, 6-Apr-2013
20-pound bags, DPP0101C31XME, 11-Jan-2013
20-pound bags, DPP0101C31XRB, 11-Jan-2013
8-pound bags, DPP0401B2XALW, 7-Apr-2013
6-ounce samples, DPP0401


The recalled product was distributed in the following 12 USA states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia. The product may have been further distributed to additional states through other petfood channels, but the company says it is workign with distributors and retailers to remove the recalled product from the supply chain. 


The company says no pet illnesses have been reported. Pets suffering from Salmonella may be lethargic, have a decreased appetite, have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain and vomiting. Pet owners who are concerned or have questions may contact Diamond Pet Foods by calling +1.800.442.0402, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday, or visit www.diamondpetrecall.com. 

Pet Food Alliance encourages vets to discuss pet diets with owners

At a recent meeting, representatives of the Pet Food Alliance discussed what the group is trying to accomplish five years after the widespread pet food recall in 2007, says a recent article from the Chicago Tribune. 
Following the recall, the Alliance is working to encourage veterinarians to discuss pet diets and pet nutrition with clients and to set nutrition guidelines. Dr. Kate Knutson of the Alliance said the the group is also working to educate consumers on how to properly read petfood labels and what they mean. 
For the first time, the Alliance's opening remarks and scientific sessions at the meeting were streamed in real time on the Internet. The Allliance says it hopes to stream more sessions online next year, and will also integrate the Blog Paws conference of pet bloggers into the meeting. 

Survey of vets finds 54 percent of American pets are overweight

A new survey of veterinarians, conducted by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, found that 54 percent of pets in America are overweight or obese. 
The survey found that 53 percent of adult dogs and 55 percent of adult cats are considered to be overweight or obese by veterinarians - a total of 88.4 million pets. "The most distressing finding in this year's study was the fact that more pet owners are unaware their pet is overweight," said Association for Pet Obesity Prevention founder, Dr. Ernie Ward. "In simplest terms, we've made fat pets the new normal." Veterinarians surveyed said that 15 percent of cat owners and 22 percent of dog owners said their pets were "normal weight," even when their pet was put on the scale. Yet, the survey also found that 93 percent of pet owners say they are aware that pet obesity is a problem. A major factor contributing to the obesity of pets is pet owners feeding commercial petfood and treats, which is often very high in calories, Ward says. According to the survey, a typical dog treat fed to a 20-pound dog is the same as a human eating two, double-stuffed fudge cookies, while feeding a pig ear to a 40-pound dog contains the same amount of calories as a human drinking six, 12-ounce cans of soda. Ward recommends that pet owners feed single-ingredient treats or fresh vegetables that are safe for animals.

RECALL: Arrow Brand dry dog food, Petrus dry dog food recalled for aflatoxin

The US Food and Drug Administration posted an "updated" recall notice on its website with two additional pet food recalls and corrected pet food product lot numbers, all related to dog food with elevated aflatoxin levels.
These most recent recalls, for O'Neal's Feeders Supply's Arrow Brand dog food and dog food from Petrus Feed and Seed Stores Inc., come in addition to December recalls by Cargill, Proctor and Gamble's Iams, and Advanced Animal Nutrition dog food also for high aflatoxin levels.  O'Neal's Feeders Supply of DeRidder, Louisiana, USA, recalled dry Arrow Brand dog food manufactured between December 1, 2010, and December 1, 2011, because it contains corn detected to have unacceptably high levels of aflatoxin. According to the company, the recall applies to dog food distributed in Louisiana and Texas, US, with lot numbers 4K0341 through 4K0365 and 04K1001 through 4K1325. Affected Arrow Brand products include: 21% Dog Chunks SKU #807 40 lb. bag; Super Proeaux dog food SKU #812 40 lb. bag; and Professional Formula dog food SKU #814 50 lb. bag. Consumers may return the recalled dog food, in opened or unopened packages, to the place of purchase for a full refund. For more information contact +1.800.256.2769. Petrus Feed and Seed Stores of Alexandria, Louisiana, USA, recalled its dry dog food, manufactured by Cargill in LeCompte, Louisiana, USA, from December 1, 2010 through December 1, 2011, also for unacceptably high levels of aflatoxin. The product, 21% Protein Dog Food in 40 lb. Petrus Feed bags, has lot numbers 4K1011 through 4K1307 and updated lot numbers 4K1011 through 4K1335. Consumers may return the recalled dog food, in opened or unopened packages, to the place of purchase for a full refund. For more information contact +1.318.443.2259. Both companies advised that pets that have consumed any of the recalled products and exhibit symptoms of illness including sluggishness or lethargy combined with a reluctance to eat, vomiting, yellowish tint to the eyes or gums, or diarrhea should be seen by a veterinarian.

Pet Food Manufacturers' Association offers tips on selecting dog food

Pet parents need to consider their pet's age, size, health and activity level when selecting the appropriate pet food, according to Michael Bellingham, Pet Food Manufacturers' Association chief executive.

Bellingham said that different dog breeds require different nutrients, so it can be "very beneficial" to tailor an animal's diet to its needs. Bellingham noted that commercial dog food is specifically designed to be "nutritionally balanced" to meet a dog's health requirements, so it is also critical that pet owners do not feed their pet table scraps that lack these necessary nutrients. 
"Pet owners may also want to consider other factors such as convenience of feeding - for example wet versus dry - the dog's enjoyment of a food and their own budget," Bellingham said. 

Nutro Co. scientist discusses using poultry by-products as pet food ingredients

USPOULTRY and the Poultry Protein and Fat Council recently discussed using poultry by-products as pet food ingredients at the 2011 Poultry Protein and Fat Seminar in Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

In his presentation, The Importance of Rendered Ingredients in Pet Foods, Jim Eastin, supplier quality assurance scientist for Nutro Company, provided an overview of the dry pet food process and examined the benefits of chicken meal and poultry fat in pets' diets.

“The petfood world is very reliant on poultry byproducts. Chicken meal and poultry fat are important ingredients in pet food,” said Eastin. “Chicken fat is more than just an energy source. It also provides healthy skin and coats, enhances the aroma of the pet food, provides a nice sheen, and seals and shields dry kibble to increase shelf life.”
He referred to poultry by-products as "value-added ingredients" and described rendering as "environmentally responsible" by converting by-products into ingredients Nutro uses in its petfood products.
Kent Swisher, vice president of international programs for the National Renderers Association, gave a presentation on Emerging Markets: Exports and Domestic. Swisher said that production of animal protein meal in the United States is about four million metric tons, comprised of 56% meat and bone meal, 15% feather meal and 25% poultry by-product meal. He provided information from an Informa Economics report that found the two biggest U.S. markets for rendered products are poultry and pets, with pets being the larger growth market.

HPM launches animal supplement line to benefit animal shelters

Humane Products Marketing Inc. recently entered the pet supplement market with the launch of its first product line, under the name Gimme Shelter.

HPM, a Miami, Florida, USA, for-profit business, was established by the non-profit Humane Society of Greater Miami Adopt-A-Pet. HPM's profits from the sale of its animal-related products are distributed to support the cause of adoption-guarantee shelters.

The Gimme Shelter brand includes three supplements for dogs: Gimme Health, a multi-vitamin; Gimme Beauty, a skin and coat nutraceutical; and Gimme Strength, a hip and joint supplement. The products may be purchased at www.gimmeshelterpet.com.

HPM says it plans to donate more than half of its after-tax profits to participating animal organizations. HPM works with companion-animal organizations that share the adoption-guarantee philosophy of saving all healthy and treatable animals in the organization's care, with euthanasia only reserved for untreatable and unadoptable animals.

Greenopia's consumer tips on natural pet food selection

A popular trend in the pet food industry is consumers' recent demands for natural and organic pet foods. In an article from thedailygreen.com, Doug Mazeffa, research director at Greenopia.com, offers tips to consumers on selecting a "green" pet food.

While many consumers believe that organic, "green" pet foods often cost more per ounce, Mazeffa says these petfoods also tend to have higher concentrations of nutrients, meaning pets may not need to be fed as large of a quantity of the food. Mazeffa recommends that consumers check ingredient labels of pet foods in supermarkets so as to avoid harmful food preservatives. He also advises pet owners to stay away from pet foods that have the ingredient "meat and bone meal" listed on the label, because he believes this is the lowest quality protein.
To ensure the petfood is organic, Mazeffa suggests looking for food that is marked as certified organic and meets US Department of Agriculture standards for being free of pesticides, hormones, antibiotics and artificial preservatives.
Greenopia.com rates petfood brands based on sustainable and humane production, packaging, food grade and ingredients, recycled materials, building logistics and overall supply chain. Greenopia also considers how well the company reports the petfood ingredients and the petfood manufacturer's environmental goals and practices. Greenopia gave the highest ratings to Best Organic and Natural Dog Foods, Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Dog Food, Karma Organic Dog Food, Best Organic and Natural Cat Foods, Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Cat Food, and Natural Planet Organics Cat Food.

Canadian ingredient company uses egg 'waste' in pet food

A US$405,000 grant through Ontario, Canada's Rural Economic Development program will allow a petfood ingredient supplier to turn egg "waste" into high-protein pet food products, The Beacon Herald reported. 

Perth County Ingredients, a subsidiary of Vanderpol's Eggs, began producing pet food ingredients at the plant, previously used for egg processing, in May 2011. The plant currently employs nine people and the company uses only about half of the factory space, so it has plenty of room for expansion, according to plant manager, Murray Walz.
Walz explained that the company processes whole-egg waste from egg-grading plants and turns it into a powdered pet food ingredient, which contains up to 50% protein. He said the plant also extracts egg whites from discarded shells, which the company uses to produce a liquid egg white that acts as a binding agent in pet food.

Three prescription diet pet food myths addressed

A recent eNewsChannels article aims to clarify three myths for pet owners about prescription diet pet foods.

The first myth is that commercially prepared prescription diets are the only option for pets that require a special diet. Pets that are fed prescription diet petfoods usually must manage a specific health condition. The article says, however, that so long as the health guidelines or restrictions of the pet's veterinarian are followed, homemade food can be prepared or used in combination with a prescription commercial pet food.
Another myth addressed in the article is that some pet owners believe it is OK to feed all pets a prescription diet food that is required only to be fed to one other pet. This is not true, the article says, because the other pets that do not have the same health condition may not receive the proper nutrients from the restricted-ingredient, prescription food.
The last myth is whether a commercially prepared prescription diet food will address all of the nutritional needs of a pet with multiple health problems. Again, it is not necessarily true that a prescription diet food will solve all health problems, the article says. In this case, it is recommended that the pet owner feed a custom-tailored diet that is designed by a veterinarian or nutritionist to address the multiple health concerns.