Communicating with Pet Owners about Petfoods and Unconventional Diets

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Communicating with Pet Owners about Petfoods and
Unconventional Diets
October 28, 2009
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Kathryn E. Michel, DVM, MS, DACVN, is an
associate professor of nutrition in the
Department of Clinical Studies in the School of
Veterinary Medicine at the University of
Pennsylvania. She also is a diplomat and current
chair of the executive board of the American
College of Veterinary Nutritionists. Dr. Michel
has published numerous articles and studies on
companion animal nutrition and dietary habits.
She earned a bachelor's degree in biochemistry
from Mount Holyoke College, a doctorate in
veterinary medicine from Tufts University and
master's degree in comparative medical science
from the University of Pennsylvania.
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Communicating with Pet Owners About Petfoods and
Unconventional Diets Kathryn E. Michel DVM, MS,
Dipl. ACVNUniversity of Pennsylvania
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Public Concerns About Pet NutritionAftermath of
the Pet Food Recall

• Over a several month period in 2007 100 brands
  of pet foods (representing about 1 of pet foods
  manufactured in the US) were recalled because
  they contained an adulterated ingredient which
  could cause acute renal failure in cats and dogs.
• This led to confusion and suspicion regarding the
  pet food industry

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Public Concerns About Pet Nutrition

• Growing awareness of the role of nutrition in
  maintaining health and preventing disease
• Growing acceptance in US of complementary and
  alternative forms of medicine
• Increased access to information (especially via
  the world wide web)

http//www.time.com/time/covers/
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CONVENTIONAL MEDICINE
CAM
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Where Pet Owners GetInformation About Pet
Nutrition?

• Veterinarians and their staff are the most
  frequently cited sources of information about pet
  nutrition
• Family and friends are the next frequently cited
  source followed by the media and the internet
• Dog owners were more likely to obtain information
  from groomers, trainers, etc. than cat owners

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• Veterinary Health Professionals increasingly
  have to address questions concerning
• the safety and nutritional adequacy of commercial
  pet foods
• alternative and unconventional diets
• dietary supplements

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• Understanding why pet owners choose certain
  feeding practices will facilitate
• the discussion of options and alternatives to
  current feeding practices
• Influencing pet owners to modify their feeding
  practices

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Attitudes Toward Food Consumption

• Nutritional Science Perspective
• The focus is on eating practices that
• promote health and therefore should be encouraged
• or impair health and therefore should be
  discouraged.

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Attitudes Toward Food Consumption

• Nutritional Science Perspective
• Views food habits and preferences 2 to the
  biological activities of food.
• Views social and cultural factors surrounding
  food consumption as barriers to achieving a
  healthy diet.

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What is - and is not food is defined
culturally and socially.
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What is acceptable as food in one culture may be
viewed with disgust by another.
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http//www.flickr.com/photos/zoonabar/
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http//www.retas.de/thomas/travel/cambodia2006/ind
ex.html Thomas Schoch
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http//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ Kici
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Common Concerns AboutPet Food Ingredients

• Types and sources of ingredients found in pet
  foods
• By-products
• Rendered Meals
• Grains
• Additives
• Ingredients lacking in pet foods

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By-products

• The animal feed industry (including pet foods)
  uses the by-products of the human food industry
• The public perception is often that by-products
  by definition are unwholesome and non-nutritious.

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By-products

• By-products vary in their quality and suitability
  as pet food ingredients.
• Even feed ingredients not specifically designated
  as by-products (e.g., beef) are often what many
  people would consider offal.

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Concerns About Pet Food Ingredients

• Quality Assurance practices used by individual
  manufacturers
• Established vendors
• Specifications for vendors
• Testing ingredients for nutrient content,
  microbiologic concerns, and toxins

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Concerns About Pet Food Ingredients

• Feeding trials should be used as the standard for
  nutritional adequacy

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Addressing Concerns About Pet Food Ingredients

• Identify concerns
• Correct misconceptions
• Emphasize importance of QA in manufacturing

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Concerns About Pet Food Ingredients

• There should be some consideration of the
  implications of diverting food that could have
  otherwise been consumed by humans into petfoods
  manufacturing.

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Food is symbolic of many things

• Food not only nourishes
• but also signifies.
• Claude Fischler, 1988
• Food, Self and Identity

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Symbolism of Food

• Food is something everyone understands
• Food is a fundamental necessity for life
• Food is part of our daily experience.
• The rationale for dietary therapy is usually
  within the grasp of most pet owners.

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Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you
are.

• Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, 1821
• Food choices imbue identity
• Biologically
• Psychologically
• Socially and Culturally

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Symbolism of Food

• Food and meals can be used to symbolize and
  order social interactions
• Food and diet are often involved in religious
  ritual.
• Dietary practices can be used to maintain and
  reinforce social order and group identity.

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Social Constructionist Viewpoint

• Food is a domain in which individuals define who
  they are in contrast to others
• Pet owners may transfer their attitudes about
  food to how they think their pets should be fed.
• Pet owners may focus on how the pets identity is
  defined by diet.

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Home-prepared Diets

• Empirical formulas
• Books, articles
• Internet
• Breeders, friends
• Credentialed nutritionists

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http//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ Christian
Mehlführer
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Rationale for Raw Food Diets

• Dogs and cats are carnivores.
• Dogs and cats evolved eating raw food.
• (There are no ovens in the wild)

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Symbolism of Food

• The receiving and giving of food can be used as
  a reward or a show of affection.
• Cultural roots
• Human-animal bond

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The substitution of one type of food for another
might violate a persons sense of propriety
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Weight Reduction Programs

• Reducing portion size
• Curtailing treating behavior
• Substituting new foods or treats for the current
  diet.

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Symbolism of Food

• Ideology
• Vegetarian/Vegan Diets
• Natural Diets
• Organic Diets

Lisa Freeman, DVM, DACVN
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Vegetarian Diets

• Ethical concerns followed by health
  considerations were the most common reasons for
  feeding cats a vegetarian diet (Wakefield et al.
  JAVMA 229(1)70, 2006)

Kathryn Michel DVM, DACVN
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Symbolism of Food

• Control
• Dietary habits and food selection represent
  empowerment and control of ones life.

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Appeal of Nutritional Therapy

• Empowering
• Natural (and therefore viewed as safe)
• Holistic
• Food has psychological effects
• Permits the pet owner to participate in the care
  and recovery of their pet

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Unconventional Diets

• Recommendations
• Owners reasons for feeding
• Ask about the diet
• Educate
• Offer alternatives
• Good quality pet food plus whole foods

• Credentialed nutritionist
• Regular review of diet
• Clinical monitoring

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Compliance

• The extent to which the patients behavior
• (in terms of taking medications, following
• diets, or executing other lifestyle changes)
• coincides with medical or health advice.
• Haynes RB, 1979, Compliance in Health Care

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Compliance

• The non-compliant patient is seen as hindering
  the normal process and practice of health care.
• The patient is seen as the passive recipient of
  treatment.

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Negotiating a Mutual Plan of Action for Changing
Feeding Practices

• Obtain the pet owners
• beliefs and understanding about how their pet
  should be fed
• view point regarding the need to change feeding
  practices (perceived benefits, barriers,
  motivation to changing practices)
• Adapted from the Calgary-Cambridge Guides

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Negotiating a Mutual Plan of Action for Changing
Feeding Practices

• Take into consideration the pet owners beliefs,
  cultural background, lifestyle, and abilities
  when formulating your plan for dietary
  modification
• Elicit the pet owners reactions and concerns
  about the proposed dietary modifications
• Adapted from the Calgary-Cambridge Guides

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Recommendations

• Obtain a thorough dietary history
• Recognize from the diet history
• Knowledge and attitudes regarding
• commercial pet foods
• feed ingredients
• nutrition and nutritional therapy
• Role of food and feeding in interactions with the
  pet

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Recommendations

• Establish an open dialog with the pet owner
• Understand the rationale for the feeding
  practices.
• Understand any concerns regarding a diet change.
• Explain why you feel the changes you are
  proposing are in the pets best interest.
• Look for compromise when your recommendations and
  the pet owners preferences are in conflict.

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Recommendations

• For patients being fed an unconventional diet,
  monitor
• diet use
• patient health

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