Pet owners love their animals and want to do the best for them, sometimes to the point of babying them and anthropomorphizing human characteristics onto them.

Most of this doting and pampering is harmless, like dressing them up for Halloween or including them in family portraits. The latter is fine, because they are a beloved part of the family. The kind of unhealthy pampering that concerns pet experts is feeding pets foods that are unhealthy, makes them fat, diabetic or ill with other chronic diseases that plague our pet population. A little over a year ago, I reviewed an important book here written by feline expert, Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins, DVM, called "Your Cat."

In it, she outlined the research that she had done to help her diabetic cat. After extensive investigation into what non-domestic cats feed on, she found that they lived on high protein diets of strictly meat. They're carnivores from birth to old age. When she examined dry cat foods, she found that they were all formulated with a high percentage of corn and wheat. If you've been paying attention to recent obesity studies in humans, high-fructose corn syrup has found it's way into much of our foods and beverages, especially those aimed at children, because it's an inexpensive sweetener. Corn, in itself is not as bad as HFCS, but it is a high-glycemic grain, converting to sucrose when consumed, and, when allowed to be grazed on 24 hours a day in a food bowl, will cause obesity in both dogs and cats.

Many pet owners say their pets don't like canned food, but the fact is, they're addicted to the sweeter dry foods. It's like leaving potato chips or candy out for your family to eat all the time. It's junk food. Dry food is less expensive because it's produced with inexpensive grains and canned costs more because they are produced with more expensive protein sources. Good protein is expensive, one of the leading problems in poorer regions of the world, affordable protein. Dr. Hogkins has concluded in her research that cats fed an all meat diet, could live to be 20 to 30 years old. A high carbohydrate diet only leads to obesity, diabetes and renal failure after years of consumption.

One drawback to serving canned pet foods or cooking your own from scratch, is what to leave for your pet when you're gone all day or overnight. Wet food will get nasty if too much is left out, and dry food would be convenient for those instances. I recently discovered two dry foods that are high protein, contain no corn or wheat, plus have the added bonus of added probiotics.

For cats, I recommend all natural CORE by Wellness. It's turkey, chicken and fish proteins, salmon oil Omega 3, flaxseed and vegetable fiber. For dogs, try the brand called Chicken Soup For The Pet Lover's Soul. It has most of the same ingredients as CORE, including the probiotics, which I've always fed my pets. They have a similar cat formula, but it has more fruits, vegetables and odd things than I see as necessary for a cat's diet, so I'd stick with CORE.

These are the only two corn-free products that I know of. Lastly, whenever changing a pet's diet, do it gradually over several days, slowly adding the new in with the old, until the older food is eliminated and they can adjust. Both of these products can be purchased at pet food stores. So, check your dry food ingredients and make the switch. Your pet will thank you by living a longer and healthier life!

Barry Wolfe is the owner of Cat Daddy Pet Care.