Natural, Organic, Holistic and Human Grade Pet Foods

We all want the best food for our pets, and there are so many companies telling us what we should feed. Many companies boast having natural, organic, holistic or even human grade products. Well, what are the qualities of those products and are they really what the companies claim? What is the difference in those products? Let's look at the regulatory definitions of these four terms:

Natural - A feed or ingredient derived solely from plant, animal or mined sources, either in its unprocessed state or having been subject to physical processing, heat processing, rendering, purification, extraction, hydrolysis, enzymolysis or fermentation, but not having been produced by or subject to a chemically synthetic process and not containing any additives or processing aids that are chemically synthetic except in amounts as might occur unavoidably in good manufacturing practices. 

Organic - organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled "organic," a government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to met USDA organic standards.** (Quoted from USDA)

Holistic - no legal definition, therefore, no regulation for the use of the term. 

Human Grade - The terms "human grade" or "human quality" have no legal definition. Claims on animal foods should not be false or misleading. A claim that something is "human-grade" or "human-quality" implies that the article being referred to is "edible" for people in legally defined terms. For a product to be human edible, all ingredients in the product must be human edible and the product must be manufactured, packed and held in accordance with federal regulations in 21 CFR 110, Current Good Manufacturing Practice in Manufacturing, Packing, or Holding Human Food. If these conditions exist, then human-grade claims may be made. If these conditions do not exist, then making an unqualified claim about ingredients being human grade misbrands the product.** (Quoted from AAFCO)

Given that there is no legal definition, and hence no legal regulation for the use of the terms, "holistic" or "human grade," I would use extreme caution when choosing a pet food product with those labels. Anyone can use those terms with no backing and assurance that the quality perceived is, in fact, the quality delivered.

The term "organic" is regulated by the USDA. However, companies can sometimes use this term in a misleading way. Pay close attention to whether the food is claiming to be "organic" or "made with organic" ingredients. The latter option can be claimed by a food that only has a few organic ingredients without the entire product being organic.

The more you know, the better prepared you can be in choosing a pet food. Take time to learn what ingredients mean, what labels mean and what is truth versus marketing strategy. Or, at least take the time to ask someone who knows what food is best for your pet.

Sarasota Animal Hospital

How to choose the best pet food

Nutrition is one of the most important aspects of maintaining good health, for us or our pets. It is something that we do every single day that can affect the health of our pets for life. We can either feed the wrong things and make them sick, or feed the right foods and have them with healthy teeth, coats, intestinal health, and weight. The only question is: What do you look for in a good food and once you do find it, how do you really know for sure that it's a good food?

The world of pet nutrition can sometimes seem so unnavigable and confusing that there's not even a starting point in site. TV is telling you one thing, your vet is telling you another, the pet magazine even says something else! Every food claims to be better than the next: healthier, more natural, better quality, better tasting, etc. etc. etc.

So, how do you figure this thing out? Where do you go for solid information? Google? TV commercials? Your neighbor? The kid working at the pet food store?

I recently asked my Facebook friends why they chose the pet food that they did. Some of these responses are below:

"It is advertised to be good for them, but I really don't know that it is."


"I read the ingredients to make sure it has good stuff, and she loves the good stuff. She's worth the price!"


"Appealing flavor (to the dog), solid nutritional value and good bowel health - or is that good nutritional value and solid bowel health :-)"


"i listen 2 my vet :)"  [I love those comments, by the way!]

In the next few posts, I will address marketing strategies, different types of ingredients, information provided (or not) on pet food labels, and how to choose a food with solid nutritional value.

Hopefully, you can gain a clearer understanding of how to confidently choose a quality food for your pet and not feel so lost in the hype of good marketing.

Sarasota Animal Hospital

One Horrible Day!

Recently, I shared the most horrible day ever with a client. She brought both her older cat and her young puppy in as emergencies, at the same time! Both pets were perfectly healthy the day before, and even that morning, but now both pets were facing the very real possibility of losing their lives.

The two pets presented with two very different and obviously unrelated problems. The cat was older and was almost non-responsive. She had a temperature of about 95 degrees, which is usually only seen as a pet is dying (or under anesthesia). She was pale as a ghost with a touch of jaundiced as well. She did not seem to be very aware of her surroundings.

The puppy was only 6 months old and had just been hit by a car a few minutes earlier. It was clear that she had many injuries, including a couple of broken bones. Yet, she was still alert and doing well. It was so sad, two tragedies in the same family, at the same time.

Due to financial limitations, we chose to invest in the life that had the most chance of survival and recovery. Therefore, we humanely euthanized the older cat to prevent any more suffering from her illness. That left us able to focus on the recovery of the puppy.

After sedating the puppy with heavy doses of pain medications, we were able to take radiographs and see the full extent of the puppy’s injuries. They were not good! She had a broken shoulder (1), separation in the lumbosacral (spine to hip) joint (A), a broken femur along the growth plate (B ), and multiple fractures of the hip (C & D). To make things worse, all of the injuries were along the right side; the puppy would not be able to support its own weight during her recovery; she was severely debilitated.

The fate for the puppy was also a humane ending of her suffering. I couldn’t believe it! This family had suffered more in one day than I had ever seen with my job! It was horrible. I can work the rest of my life without having another day like this one!

Sarasota Animal Hospital