In the Mother Goose rhyme, Poor Mother Hubbard wasn't able to give her poor dog a bone. But despite the economic downturn today, only one in seven Americans is cutting back on the amount of money they spend on their pets, an Associated Press survey found.

While Americans seem willing to spare their pets any hardship,  expensive doesn't always mean better when it comes to pet food, as Nicole Paitsel of the Newport News Daily Press recently reported.

She quoted Iveta Becvarova, a veterinary nutritionist with the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech, who gave these tips for finding the right pet food for your dog or cat:

• Stick to the correct life stage. Dog and cat foods will be labeled for life stage. Puppies and pregnant animals need extra calories and fat for growth. Stay away from food labeled "for all life stages," because those blends often include too many calories for a healthy adult dog or cat.

• Look for the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) statement on how the food was forumated and tested. Preferred foods have been tested on animals for digestibility and nutritional balance.

• Read the ingredient labels carefully. Labels are required to list the ingredients in weight order. The first ingredient is the one that constitutes the most weight in the formula. Water will always be first for canned foods. Look for quality protein sources including whole meats and chicken byproduct meal and organ meats, such as liver. 

• Be careful when making your own pet food. Homemade pet food is a growing trend, but it’s difficult to make a balanced diet for your pet. Pet owners who want to make their own pet food should work with a veterinarian and nutritionist rather than relying on published recipes.

What about you? Have you made any cutbacks in your pet care?

Photo: AP