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Best Friends Veterinary Center 2082 Cheyenne Court
| Nutrition Raw Meat Diet - See Below Our documents are stored in PDF format. This allows you to view these documents electronically on most computers. You need to download Adobe® Reader® to view and print PDF files.
FDA Issues Raw Meat Diet Guidelines Because of recent health problems caused byraw diets, the U.S. Food and DrugAdministration has released guidelines for the manufacturing of raw meat diets for companion and captive animals. The FDA recommends that manufacturers use meat that has beenapproved for human consumption; that measures such as irradiation are used to prevent bacterial contamination; that manufacturers use a control program to pinpoint contamination sources; that all non-freeze-dried products remain frozen during shipping; that bones be ground, not whole; that labels should include instruction for safe use of the product. These label instruction should include directions to keep the product frozen until ready to use; thaw the product in a refrigerator or microwave; keep the product separate from other foods; refrigerate or discard unused product; and thoroughly wash working surfaces, utensils, hands, bowls and any other items that touch the products. Virtually all the bowls used to feed a raw meat diet to grey-hounds were shown in a recent analysis to culture positive for Salmonella bacteria. We do not encourage the use of raw diets because of the difficulty in meeting all these stipulations, not to mention the potential for dietary imbalances caused by trying to meet all of a pet's dietary needs with a homemade formula. There are reasons that wild cats and dogs live to age two and house pets live to age 12 or 15. These include the availability nowadays of excellent commercial nutritional products. Ask us for a recommendation. Nutrition
Makes a Difference in
Joint Health If you have a pet, you should be worrying about arthritis. pets are living longer nowadays and most older pets will eventually develop this disease. In fact, one in five dogs suffers from joint problems - that's more than 11 million dogs in the U.S. alone. Elderly cats (over age twelve) usually are arthritic also. Joint health problems, especially arthritis, are among the top 10 pet health insurance claims and one of the top six reasons dog owners visit veterinarians. Nutrition plays a vital role in maintaining healthy cartilage within the joint. good nutrition should be part of an arthritis management regimen that includes exercise, weight management, and anti-inflammatory drug therapy. good nutrition means a high quality diet, or diet supplement, that includes glucosamine hydrochloride and chondroitin sulfate. These nutrients - the nutritional building blocks of joint cartilage - help to stimulate synthesis of cartilage and joint fluid, inhibit degradation of the cartilage and provide anti-inflammatory action within the joint. More and
healthier cartilage means increased mobility, energy and activity levels,
as well as reduced pain. In the early stages of arthritis, Be proactive
when it comes to arthritis prevention. Almost all dogs over 50 lbs in
weight and ten years of age suffer from at lest some degree of arthritis.
By age twelve, 90% of cats and small dogs have arthritic changes on x-rays
as well. Since it's almost certain your pet will develop arthritis if he
or she lives long For dogs, diets are available with extra glucosamine. Our favorite is Eukanuba Senior Plus, which also contains dental crystals to help reduce plaque and tarter buildup, a common problem in pets. For cats, a supplement can be added to the food or given as a treat. If your pet has a history of an injury to a joint or bone, such as a torn ligament, broken leg or surgery to a joint, glucosamine should be started immediately and continued for the rest of the pet's life. Once a pet shows symptoms of joint pain, stronger medicine is needed. The larger amounts of glucosamine and chondroitin in a supplement, versus the smaller amounts contained in the food, will ensure that your pet stays as healthy and comfortable as possible. There are other helpful supplements, too, such as MSM and Cholodin. Anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Rimadyl, Etogesic or Deramaxx, may be needed as well. Please be cautious when purchasing glucosamine supplements for yourself or your pets. Because they are nutritional products, and not regulated by the FDA, may are not actually giving you the nutrients you are paying for. The dog food that touts "Contains Glucosamine" may only have a minimal amount. Some brands of glucosamine capsule don't have in them what the label says they do. Many are glucosamine sulfate, which is absorbed poorly by dogs. Recently,consumerlab.com, and independent laboratory that evaluates health products for humans and pets, reported that it found no detectable levels of chondroitin sulfate in two pet supplements that claimed to contain this ingredient. 10 out of 43 human supplements tested failed to meet label claims.
We can't emphasize enough how important weight control is in the prevention and treatment of degenerative joint disease. Overweight pets develop signs of arthritis two years sooner than healthy weight pets. That's two years less to be administering medication, and two years less suffering for the pet - plus you'll save money in the pet food you don't need to feed! Healthy pets eat less and weigh less. They should also get plenty of exercise, which helps keep joints healthy. |
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Studies
have shown that early identification and intervention in degenerative
joint disease (DJD, the typical old age form of arthritis) can delay the
condition's progression. In other words, the earlier you begin to treat
it, the slower the progression of the disease will be and the less your
pet will suffer from painful joints. 
changes
in a pet's activity level and joint function may not be obvious. Many
clients are unaware of the gradual reduction in activity that accompanies
slowly progressing arthritis, or they attribute it to old age. They may
not notice that their dog doesn't lift his leg as high anymore when
urination or no longer jumps in the car without help. by the time symptoms
are obvious, in many cases the arthritis is severe and the cartilage has
been almost entirely eaten away within the joint, never to return.
enough,
start thinking about preventive medicine early on - when your pet
hits middle age at 7-9 years of age. That's the time to start a
glucosamine supplement. Dogs, rabbits, horses, and presumably cats, do
better if glucosamine is begun before arthritis starts.
The best
brand of glucosamine supplement on the market, and the only one to publish
controlled studies that prove the efficacy of its products, is Cosequin.
We will often start with less expensive products and progress gradually to
a more costly regimen of products, as a pet ages and arthritis advances.
Some products work better for one pet than another, so a little
experimentation may be needed to find what works best.