By Dr. Becker
Mercola HealthyPets
Recently a DVM and professor from Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Lisa Freeman, gave a lecture based on her research on companion animal nutrition.
According to PetfoodIndustry.com:
"The lecture, part of the "A Taste of Tufts: A Sampling of Faculty Research" series, focused on exposing pet nutrition myths and educating pet owners on how to select an optimal diet for their pet."
I ran across some information on Dr. Freeman's lecture and wanted to share the highlights with my readers here at Mercola Healthy Pets.
Freeman is what is known as a "Triple Jumbo."
She has earned a degree from three separate Tufts campuses: a B.S. from the College of Liberal Arts, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the Cummings School and a Ph.D. from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.
Her special area of interest is pet nutrition and heart disease.
Many Pet Food Companies Don't Employ Even a Single Nutritionist
Dr. Freeman made the point that pet food labels are used by manufacturers and marketers for advertising as well as informational purposes.
And most of the pet owners Dr. Freeman talks to base their pet food buying decisions not so much on the information contained on the label, but on the advertising claims.
The most important information on a pet food label is certainly not advertising claims, nor is it even the ingredient list, according to Dr. Freeman.
It's the name of the manufacturer. "You would absolutely be shocked at the variability in the quality of different companies," said Freeman.
Dr. Freeman believes any reliable pet food manufacturer employs at least one full-time qualified nutritionist, a research and development department, runs its own plants and imposes internal quality control standards.
According to Dr. Freeman, it is shocking how many pet food companies do not have a nutritionist on staff. She would prefer companies spend less money on marketing and more on research and development and experts in animal nutrition.
Unfortunately, many small, family owned, good quality pet food manufacturers cannot afford to employ a full time veterinary nutritionist, so they employ them on a consulting basis. Finding out who your pet food company has consulted with during the formulation process is very important.
Click here to read the full article on Mercola HealthPets.
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