Tigertail Foods is a wholistic pet food and treat company. We use only human-grade
ingredients that come
from trusted sources.
Your pet's health is our first
concern and everything we make is motivated by
the principle
that healthy food helps make healthy pets.
Health Matters
October 1, 2009
This month Ann talks about the latest fads. It seems as though pet ownership is fraught with confusion when it comes to decisions such as what leash or collar type is best, what training method works best and what diet is healthiest. All these things have cycles, coming and going depending on who has the best-seller out that week. Ann takes a good look at whether its a good idea to jump in the pool along with everyone else or let the fad burn itself out without your participation.
*Standard disclaimer: while we will offer our opinions about how to best achieve optimum health for our animals, we do NOT profess to know what is better for your pet than you or your vet do! Always consult with your vet, then consult with another vet and get a second opinion (because we also believe in having options!).
Craze du Jour
What is the Craze du Jour? What is all the buzz about these days? Is it a new training collar or harness? Is it a new trainer or training method? Is it a new food brand or type of food? Whatever it is, it will have many proponents, lots of testimonials, and a full body-rash of air and internet exposure. Everyone will jump on the bandwagon and soon “it” will be in all the pet stores. If it is a person, they will have books, tapes, disks, dolls, toys, etc. available by Christmas.
First of all, let me say that in general I am leery of crazes. I like to think things through and do research before I put my time, effort and hard-earned cash into a new fad. For a craze to turn into mainstream, it must stand the test of time and opponents.
Some examples of crazes du jour that haven’t lasted are the jezebelle (nylon mesh) collars, leash holder attachments for bicycles, garlic and yeast flea tablets, cheap pet nail grinders, and colostrum as the miracle cure for everything. This is not to say that you can’t buy these products, just that their popularity didn’t survive the test of time and use. People bought these items, tried them, and decided not to buy them again or recommend them to friends and family.
Many crazes pass into mainstream and become part of our daily lives. Pet sitting, dog walking, doggy day-care, and indoor dog houses or crates come to mind. The first time I heard of these things, I shook my head in wonderment. Now I think of these things as necessary luxuries for owners and pets.
There are a few crazes du jour where the jury is still out. These include designer breeds, vegetarian/soy pet food, extendable leashes, prong training collars, and clothing items such as expensive designer sweaters and overcoats. Each of these items may be necessary in a particular case, but they are definitely not for the pet world as a whole. They have gained favor with a part of the population and will probably stand the test of time if not opponents.
One fad that has been around for a long time is now facing increasing opposition. The practice of spaying and neutering our dogs and cats almost at birth is being questioned by more and more breeders and even some veterinarians. While I am in favor of spaying and neutering pets that we have no intention of breeding, I am not in favor of doing so before they mature and develop their full size and adult skeleton. Nature gave all mammals an endocrine system with hormones for a reason. They affect not only our reproductive ability, but also our bone density, skeletal strength, metabolism, voice, and many other traits. We know from history what happens when a human boy or girl is “neutered” or “spayed.” They never reached their potential and became androgynous in appearance. There is reason to believe that many ailments that our dogs suffer from can be traced to inadequate hormonal growth. The body is an amazing thing and our understanding of organic chemistry is constantly expanding. The unknown link today between hormones and “x” condition or disease may be known tomorrow. 
Meanwhile more and more reputable breeders can see the difference between early and later spaying and neutering. They are now recommending that their puppy owners wait until the dog is at least a year or a year and a half before “tutoring” them. Sadly, female cats can’t wait that long. Nature, I’m told, has built a strong reproductive imperative into female cats that they cannot ignore. Happily, they don’t seem to exhibit the same level of androgynous development as dogs after spaying. Tom cats, if raised as house cats only and properly supervised, can wait until they’re full grown to be neutered.
And finally, what about pet food fads? Oh yes, we’ve had many and we’ll probably see many more in the future. Three examples of food fads come to mind immediately: vegetarian diets, exotic protein and carbohydrate diets, and human mimic diets.
The vegetarian diet is one that derives its protein from soy, rice, and corn and is the least pet friendly. While we can eat soy and utilize its protein and phytoestrogens, dogs and cats get only a small amount of nutrition from it. Remember, cats are obligate carnivores. They are built to get all the nutrients they need from animal protein and fat. They don’t handle carbohydrates well and their bodies have to work very hard to get any nutritional value from plant life. Dogs are carnivores, but not obligate carnivores. That means that they need animal protein for optimal health, and can get some value from ingesting plantlife. Their bodies have to work hard to get nutritional value from undigested vegetable matter. The vegetarian diet is marketed primarily to vegans and vegetarians who wish to ignore what is species appropriate for their pets. Perhaps they don’t want meat anywhere near them or their homes, but they risk their pets’ health and longevity by foisting their dietary beliefs on their pets. How egotistical to think that what we believe is good for us will automatically be good for our pets with four paws and a coat! Folks, we may love each other, but we are different SPECIES! What’s good for the goose, doesn’t even fit the gander. I hope that this craze du jour vanishes like smoking in offices and government buildings.
The exotic protein and single carbohydrate diet has been around for quite a while. It was created in response to dogs with food allergies. The original exotic diet was lamb and rice. Then came duck and potato, to be followed by fish and sweet potato, venison and rice, etc., etc. Basically it is a very restricted diet designed to give the dog some relief from whatever was causing the allergic reaction in his old diet. Dogs with Irritable Bowel Disease are frequently put on this type of diet. These diets serve a valuable purpose, but they were never meant to be for every dog. The problem, as I see it, is that people loved what these restricted diets did for their allergic pets and told others about them. Then people began feeding it to pets that didn’t have allergies or IBD and kept their healthy pets away from the variety of foods that most dogs need to thrive. Imagine eating nothing but lamb and rice every day. Lamb doesn’t have all the necessary nutrients for a well-rounded diet. Most of our animals need a variety of fresh foods for optimal health.
Finally there are the pet foods that mimic human food and are marketed as something you can share with your pet. This doesn’t sound bad, unless you’re old enough to remember the stories of homeless and/or elderly people eating dog and cat food to survive. I watched one manufacturer of pet food heat up batches of his canned pet food and try serving it to people passing by. When I checked his ingredient list I found salt listed quite highly. I asked the company representative about the salt and was told that it made it more palatable for people. But what about the dog? Dogs get enough salt naturally from their food. The added salt was totally unnecessary except for the human with the wallet and no actual intent of eating his pet’s food. There were also treats that you and your pet could share. I haven’t seen many of these recently and I doubt they’ve stood the test of time.
BARF (Bones And Raw Food or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) feeding began to gain popularity about fifteen years ago. Dr. Ian Billinghurst is probably the greatest proponent of this type of diet and has several books out on the subject. Today there are numerous brands of raw food on the market and many pet food stores have installed freezers for their customers. At first veterinarians and pet food store employees warned customers away from this craze du jour with dire predictions of pets becoming dangerously ill or even dying. Instead, they were forced over time to see pets come in with increased health and vigor. This is one food fad or craze du jour that has become mainstream by standing the test of time and convincing opponents of its value.
Actually, I’m all in favor of feeding our pets appropriate human quality food. That’s what goes into our food. We know its real and its healthy. When looking at any new product, training method or service designed to make your pet healthier and happier, you need to use the yard stick of whether it makes (common) sense, is it sustainable and does it really work for you and your pet. Once something meets with those criteria, it is worth investing your money and your pet's health.
