#2 Pet foods.. so what should i feed?

​Have you ever sat down for a while and wondered what is the effect of food on the body of my little furry friend? Indeed, you may have been through hours and hours of research before choosing a particular food. Every time you offer food to your dog/cat raises a question: Is it the best food for him?
If these questions fill your mind more often, you are no more than a normal person. Honestly, you are one of the normal pet parents who spend a whole lot of time making everything perfect for their furry friends. Choosing the right food for your pet is one of the biggest confusions in pet parents' minds.
Let us dig into some facts and figures to understand why pet parents are so much talking on this subject.

Pet owners consider their pets as family members.

"Most pet owners across all generations consider their pets to be part of their family, with a high of 81% of Baby Boomers and a low of 75% of Millennials/Gen Z"
(https://www.petfoodprocessing.net/articles/15665-packaged-facts-research-reveals-growing-trends-in-pet-nutrition)

​There is a well-established fact that pet parents consider their pets a valuable members of their family. When research was conducted to check the argument, a very high percentage of people were in favor of this argument. In addition, it was strange that literally, nobody selected the column 'somewhat disagree' or 'completely disagree' with the argument.
Moreover, the concept of the omnimarket is rising day by day. People are more likely to trust human food processing industries to step into the veterinary food industry. The general argument made here is that people trust these companies more.

Pet food recalls

​The above two arguments show us the engagement of pet parents in matters of pet food. Some events might also happen that leave an imprint on the mind, and people start to think and discuss more. For example, the pet food recall of 2021 by Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc.
The company had used corn infected with a fungal infection as an ingredient in pet food. Fungal-infected corn poses the risk of aflatoxicosis. As pets consume the same food for days, they are more likely to suffer from aflatoxicosis if the corn is infected with fungi.
The incident led to the death of more than 130 pets and the illness of more than 220 pets. The company had to recall all his pet food. But it left the question, what food should I feed my pet? Is it going to be in benefit my pet or not?
(https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/news/fda-recalls-dog-food-fatal-aflatoxin-levels-70-dogs-die/)

Veterinarians’ attitude toward nutrition

"Overall, we found that veterinarians are less confident with their knowledge and subsequent conversations regarding nutrition options for healthy pets than for sick pets."

According to the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and World Small Animal Veterinary Association, nutrition is one of the five vital assessments. Despite that, when asked via questionnaire, most veterinarians said that they don't ask or discuss nutrition with pet parents more often.
Most veterinarians argue that their discussion about the nutrition of pets is based on the clinical state of the pet. If a pet doesn't show any illness related to nutrition, they don't talk about it. Experts largely criticize this attitude of veterinarians.
(https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/260/13/javma.22.05.0226.xml)

Where to buy and what to feed your pet: pet owners vs veterinary professionals

There is a difference in the attitude between pet owners and veterinary professionals about purchasing pet food. A large community of veterinary professionals, compared to non-professional pet owners, think that grain-free diets are not healthy for pets.
Moreover, veterinary professionals are more likely to purchase pet food from veterinary clinics as compared to others, who mostly prefer an online store. The data shows us the diversity in where to buy and what to feed your pet.
(https://petobesityprevention.org/2021)

​Final thoughts

​Now that you have gone through all the concerning points about pet food, I think it may have raised many questions and confusion about selecting the best food for your pet. It is a good thing if you have a lot of questions because questions motivate you to find the truth.