Selecting Pet Food LP

Course Title: Small Animal Management

Lesson Title: Selecting Pet Food

TEKS Addressed in Lesson: 130.4(c)4D http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter130/index.html

Lesson Objectives. The student will be able to:  Identify pet food regulatory agencies  Define nutritional significance of statements  Compare and contrast quality of different brands of food  Select appropriate food based on canines nutritional needs

Tools and Equipment

Powerpoint “Selecting Pet Food”

Bags or cans (or pictures) of cat/dog food

Worksheet (WS) “Selecting Pet Food”

Key Terms / Vocabulary

AAFCO

Meat By-product

Meat meal

Guaranteed Analysis

Nutritional Adequacy Statement

Interest Approach

• Link: Slide #3: Ask students to evaluate the two cereals and decide which one is the healthier choice

• Motivation: We cannot determine which one of the cereals is more nutritious just by looking at the front of the box, we would need to see the nutrition facts statement. Pet food also cannot be evaluated solely on the front of the bag. Explore & Explain / Teaching Plan and Strategy / Presentation of New Material Teacher PowerPoint that includes the following information:

• Regulation • The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) requires animal food be • safe to eat • produced under sanitary conditions • contain no harmful substances • be truthfully labeled – The Fair Packaging and Labeling Act: • proper identification of the product • net quantity statement • name and place of business of the manufacturer or distributor • proper listing of all the ingredients by weight – No food can be labeled “Veterinarian Approved” • Regulation • The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – Voluntary inspection of canned foods • Specify amount of meat, minimum nutrition requirements, and label specifications – Items inspected may receive a seal on their label from the USDA – Not widely used • Regulation • The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) – Prevent misleading advertising – Pet food manufacturers must conform to the FTC's general truth in advertising standards • Regulation • Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) – Non-governmental, provides guidelines for state regulation – Creates requirements for pet food labels • AAFCO Required Label Items • Brand and Product Name • Name of Species food is intended for • Quality Statement – Net weight/volume • Guaranteed Analysis – Percentage of each of the nutrients in the food – AAFCO Required Label Items • Ingredient Statement – Ingredients must be listed by weight on ‘As Fed’ basis – Ingredient that makes up the highest percentage is listed first • Nutritional Adequacy Statement – Indicates the food is complete and balanced for a particular life stage or – For intermittent or supplemental feeding only • Feeding Directions • Name and address of manufacturer or distributor • AAFCO Product Name Rules • 95% Rule- If an ingredient is used in the title, then 95% of that feed must consist of that product – Example: • “Beef for Dogs”- the product must contain at least 95% Beef • “Tuna for Cats” – Must be first ingredient listed • AAFCO Product Name Rules • 25% Rule- If an ingredient has a descriptor before or after it, then the product must contain at least 25% of that ingredient – Example: • “Beef Dinner for Dogs” • “Chicken Nuggets for Cats” – If multiple ingredients are listed they must total at least 25% of the product • No item listed can equal less than 3% • Ingredients should be listed in title in order of the percentage • Example: – “Beef and Chicken Dinner for Dogs” • AAFCO Product Name Rules • 3% Rule- when a product is labeled “with” an ingredient, that ingredient must compromise at least 3% of that product – Example: • “Dog Food with Beef” • “Cat Food with Tuna” • AAFCO Product Name Rules • Flavor Rule- ingredient must be detectable within product if it is followed by the descriptor “flavor” – Example: • “Dog Food with Beef Flavor” • “Tuna Flavor Cat Food” • Ingredient Definitions • Meat (Beef, Chicken, etc.): – Meat is the clean flesh of slaughtered animals • Meat By-products (Beef by-product): – Meat by-products are clean non-rendered parts (liver, lungs, kidney) of slaughtered animals • Meat Meal (Beef Meal): – Tissues, exclusive of blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents that are cooked (rendered) – Higher quality “meal” will be species specific • “Chicken Meal” is a better protein than “Animal Meal” • Meat By-product Meal (Beef by-product meal): – By-products (defined above) that are cooked (rendered) – Lowest quality protein – Evaluating Protein Content • Protein is one of the most important factors in selecting pet food • Crude Protein on Guaranteed Analysis can be misleading especially when comparing canned and dry food • Protein can be calculated on a dry matter basis to determine value • Dry Matter Basis • Divide the crude protein by dry matter content (100-moisture content) • Dry- (33/90)x100= 36.67% • Canned- (12/24)= 50% – The canned has more protein • Canned vs. Dry • Canned – Source of water • Cats often do not drink as much water as they should – More palatable • Picky eaters tend to favor wet foods – Easier to eat • Seniors and small dogs sometimes have trouble chewing kibble – Cannot be left out • Will grow bacteria if left out for an extended period • Short shelf life once opened – Must be refrigerated – Expensive • Dry – Convenience • Easy to safely store and feed large quantities at a time – Price • Can be half of the cost of feeding canned – Reduce plaque • Helps reduce dental diseases – Less flavor – Difficult to chew for some pets – Low moisture content • Minimum Nutritional Requirements • Dogs • Growth and Reproduction (Puppies, pregnant or nursing females) – Crude Protein: 22% • Recommended Crude Protein: 28% – Crude Fat: 8% • Recommended Crude Fat: 17% • Adult and Senior – Crude Protein: 18% • Recommended Crude Protein: 18% – Crude Fat: 5% • Recommended Crude Fat: 9-15% *Protein requirements increase with activity level (i.e. performance/working dogs) • Cats • Growth and Reproduction (Kittens, pregnant or nursing females) • Crude Protein: 30% • Recommended Crude Protein: 30% • Crude Fat: 9% • Recommended Crude Fat: 20% • Adult and Senior • Crude Protein: 26% • Recommended Crude Protein: 22-30% • Crude Fat: 9% • Recommended Crude Fat: 15-20% • Selecting a Food • Identify the first five ingredients • Look for meat as the first ingredient • Avoid low quality carbohydrates • Anything anonymous: grain by-products, middling, starch, gluten • Look for the nutritional adequacy statement • “Complete and balanced” • Select a food appropriate to your pet’s life stage • “Maintenance Ration”, “Puppy”, “Senior” • Ignore terms like “premium”, “gourmet”, and “natural” • These terms are not regulated and have no meaning in regards to quality • Avoid artificial colorings • High quality kibble will generally have a uniform shape and brown color • Feeding your Pet • Follow the directions given on the bag • 1 cup of brand A is not always equivalent to 1 cup of brand B • Higher quality foods will generally require the pet be fed less than a lower quality product • Switch feeds gradually • Start by feeding 1 part new food to 3 parts of the old food and gradually transition the animal to the new food over the course of 1-2 weeks • Watch for diarrhea or gas • Caused by switching feed to quickly or an intolerance to the feed itself • Give constant access to fresh water • Pick up wet food if not consumed within 30 minutes

Elaborate / Activity/Application/ Student Engagement /Laboratory

Students will each be given an empty pet food product (or a picture of the front and back of the product) and asked to fill out a worksheet locating the information on the product

Evaluation / Summary

Students will use their worksheet to rank their products in order of quality and discuss how they placed them that way.

If students are provided cat and dog food split the students into two groups to rank the products separately

References

AAFCO- http://www.petfood.aafco.org/

Dog Food Advisor- http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/

Pet Education- http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=21+1276&aid=668

Pet MD- http://www.petmd.com/dog/nutrition/evr_pet_food_for_your_pets_sake?page=2

College & Career Readiness Standard

English- V, B, 2, b

Math- VIII, C, 1, a-c

Science- I, A, 1, b