Since pets eat pre-prepared kibble, it would seem that making a decision about what food to feed your pet would be easy, right?

Actually with all of the foods out there to choose from and the fact that even pet foods are subject to nutrition fads, choosing a food for your pet can still be confusing.

With even pet foods being subject to nutrition fads, choosing a food for your pet can be confusing.

Many people still resort to attempting to cook for their pets or providing a raw diet that is touted as being more “natural.” Veterinarian Miranda Lyon of Clinton Parkway Animal Hospital is passionate about nutrition. Recently I asked her about her about this trend of feeding raw or hand-prepared foods for pets.

“In general people have a hard enough time figuring out what to feed themselves,” she said. “It seems unlikely that creating a diet that is as well balanced as the high-quality foods that are commercially available is going to be possible in most cases.”

In addition, feeding raw foods, especially uncooked meats, can be hazardous because there can be bacteria in it that can make your pet sick and increase bacteria in your environment that can make you sick as well.

So the question is, how do you choose a food that is going to be suitable for your pet?

If you decide to go with a commercial product from the grocery store, then learn how to read the labels. As most people know, the words “natural” or “organic” have little meaning, so it is best to try to look past the flash and excitement over the way the bag LOOKS and stick to reading the labels.

If you are not going for a premium diet, then you may want to stick to national brands that you are familiar with. Look at the bag for a label that says AAFCO, which stands for Association of American Feed Control Officials. While AAFCO does not regulate, test, approve or certify pet foods in any way, they do set standards for pet food quality, so it is up to the pet food companies to achieve AAFCO standards and pursue labeling. If there is no AAFCO statement on the bag then you should probably avoid the food.

There are two kinds of AAFCO statements. The first says that the food has met all of the nutritional requirements for a nutritious food according to its labeling. This means that although the food has passed alleged nutritional minimal standards on paper, it has not actually been tested in a food trial.

The second AAFCO statement says that the pet food company has participated in scientific food trials demonstrating that the food is appropriately nutritious to sustain good health in an animal. If the food you are choosing has this label then it is probably OK to feed to your pet. Some premium foods have been tested for so long that they no longer carry the AAFCO statement, however.

Finally and most importantly — you know what I am about to say, folks — talk to your veterinarian! Your veterinarian will have the most up to date information about the best diet for your pet!

— Jennifer Stone is the medical director and staff veterinarian at the Lawrence Humane Society. She has been a shelter veterinarian for more than a decade. She is excited to have the opportunity to establish the Lawrence Humane Society as one of the best shelters in Kansas.