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I recently had an enlightening moment at the Vet with my beagle. I was looking into boarding my dog at this clinic as my current (and now former) vet did not offer this service. We are going on a trip during our Spring Break and we wanted the four legged beast to receive the best of care. We were discussing the weight problem my poor baby suffers from and what exactly to do about it. He has been on a strict diet for 2 ½ of his 3 years of age.

I am very anal about how much food he gets and treats are rare. I measure his diet food in a dry measuring cup and he gets no more than 2 cups of food per day. (Which for his size really isn’t a lot of food.) He has food allergies, so we are very careful what we feed him. We walk and walk and not a single pound does he lose. His entire butt wags when he wags his tail, so we often call him the butt-wagger. (You would think he would lose weight just from that alone.) I’ve often questioned his thyroid levels as he is quite lethargic at times, but his former vet did not think that could be the problem.

While visiting with his now new vet, we were discussing the brand of food he has been eating for the past 2 years. The conversation that ensued was enough to just really make me mad at all food manufacturers. This is because some of what the vet revealed about pet food is the same for us humans. I just hadn’t really thought about it in relation to my pet.

I was told that even though a food is labeled diet, does not mean it actually is a diet food. It just probably has a few calories less than the regular food. Since the calories are slightly lower, it can be labeled a diet food. Even though I have been doing everything right, the food may be to blame as my dog has been getting more calories than we thought.

So the lesson learned here? Read your labels. Just because something claims to be low-fat or diet or light, doesn’t actually mean that it is a safe food. Calories and fat grams still count and you will need to read the label carefully to know how much there is per serving and the size of that serving. Be careful and cautious and you will come out on top, no matter how misleading that food label happens to be.

So, what about my beloved beagle? Well, his new vet will be starting him on his new food and checking his thyroid while we are away. (And clipping his nails, which is worth every penny as he hates to have his feet touched. Score!) I’ll let you know how things turn out. I’m sure he will be sleek and trim before we know it and he will feel so much better.

What is your take on food labels and the misleading practices of the manufacturers? I’d love to hear about it, so please leave a comment below.

Photo Courtesy of Morguefile.com