MY PET WORLD: DESPITE RECALL, MOST COMMERCIAL PET FOODS CAN STILL BE TRUSTED

                        By Steve Dale

                        Q: Thanks for covering the story on tainted pet food
so insightfully, but with every day another pet food being recalled, I worry about what to feed my two cats and two dogs. Can I ever trust pet foods again? - S.H., Orlando, FL

                        Q: That's it - I need to begin cooking meals for
Benji and Buster. Recently, a food I often use was recalled and I'm now
totally worried about my dogs. Everyone should just cook their pets' food. At least you know what you're putting into the food. Don't you agree? - G.D., Nashville, TN

                        A: Your comments are understandable. In fact, I've
received dozens just like them. I may be in a minority these days, but
overall, I still trust commercial pet foods. I do suggest that readers stay
away from any food containing wheat gluten, at least until this mess is
cleared up. Since melamine (the toxin) allegedly arrived with wheat gluten imported from China, if there's no wheat gluten in a food, there's no reason, at this time, to believe the food is unsafe.

                        It's a fact that pets are living longer than they
did 30 years ago. The most significant explanation is that our attitudes
toward our furry friends have shifted; pets are now considered by most
Americans to be members of the family. We care more, so we're more attentive to our pets' safety, and visit the vet more often. Also, vets can do much
more today than they once could, and many owners are willing to pay for cutting edge medicine. Still, there's one more reason for pets' longer life spans - better nutrition - which manufactured foods are responsible for developing. My wife and I continue to feed our own pets commercial foods.

                        I never knew so many books existed on home cooking
pet food. Nearly every day now, I receive a new 'do-it-yourself' pet
cookbook in the mail. Clearly, home cooking isn't easy. Our pets have
specific nutritional requirements, different from our own. Guidance is
important to understand what ingredients, vitamins and amino acids are essential and in what quantity. However, resources on home cooking vary widely in quality. Some are written by 'self-taught' animal lovers, others by experts in pet nutrition.

                        I'm afraid many pet owners are jumping on the
home-feeding bandwagon and making mistakes. This can lead to nutritional deficiencies, some not causing problems until years from now. And remember, making your own pet food is very time consuming.

                        Max Armstrong, a renowned agricultural reporter at
WGN Radio, Chicago, has an interesting take on this issue. "I believe,
overall, that our pet foods are held to higher standards than food for
people in most other countries of the world," he says.

                        However, Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins, a veterinarian
scheduled to testify on the tainted pet food issue at an oversight hearing of the U.S. Senate's Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee April 12, says, "Pet food companies who make claims should have to prove them the same as the companies who produce the foods we eat do. Listen, the problem of adulteration (of pet foods) has happened before. There is a problem out there." Hodgkins, who once worked in the pet food industry, now has an all-cat practice in Yorba Linda, CA.

                        Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), who called for the hearing,
adds, "I've seen this coming for a long time.I am concerned about pet food, but also concerned about our own food safety. The system is completely broken down. The FDA is like the fire department that's only called after the house has burned down. They're called when there's a crisis. They should have been on the front end of this issue."

                        Q: My 4-month-old kitten is biting. I've tried
yelling, and I mean screaming. I've read that you can hold a cat by the nape of the neck and shake it, but so far, that has not helped. Any other ideas? - C.G.

                        A: If you shake hard enough, you can injure a tiny
kitten. That's not to mention the mistrust you're creating. Screaming isn't working either, and your cat may not understand why you're raising your voice. Simply put, aggression begets further aggression, and fear.

                        Jacque Schultz, a behavior counselor at the American
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), New York City,
N.Y., has a better plan. "When kitty bites, make a hissing sound, kind of
like a mother cat. Act disapproving," she suggests. You could also try blowing a puff of air into your kitten's face. If that fails, buy a small can of compressed air (photo supply shops sell them to clean camera lenses) and blast the air in the direction of your cat.

                        Meanwhile, it's imperative to provide appropriate
outlets for normal kitty mischief. Use interactive toys, such as feathers or fabric at the end of fishing pole-type sticks. Also, understand the typical kitten cycle of all-out intense play is followed by deep sleep. Don't try cuddling when your kitten is in a play mode. Instead, hold your pet and tell her what a sweet girl she is while she's in he mood to snooze.
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