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          Whats in your Pet Food          

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Whats in Your Pets Food                                  
Wellness in Animals
Concerns about Commercial Pet Food
Additives in Pet Foods
The Myth About 100% Complete Dog Food
Choosing the Right Pet Food


darleen

What's in your Pet's Food?


by Lisa Newman, Holistic Animal Care
www.purelypets.com
What's in your pet's diet... and why should you care!
You have probably heard the scary stories of feathers and beaks and "things" commonly found in pet foods... you may have experienced the pain and expense of caring for a chronically ill animal or may simply be waking up to the nutritional benefits to your own health and are wondering how this could also effect your animals. What ever your reasons, hopefully you will get out the ingredient list of what you are now feeding and compare these notes. In the last few years, holistic veterinarians and animal nutritionists have concluded that many of today's health problems from allergies to cancer, even behavioral problems, can stem from poor nutrition... and not the "table scraps", but the very prescription diets and premium foods highly recommended. It's a shame that you may be unknowingly creating the very problems that your animal has been suffering from! A good diet is fundamental...

"Since I have graduated from veterinary school in 1965, I've noticed a general deterioration in pet health. I believe that the chemical additives in pet food play a major part in that decline."
Richard Pitcaim DVM

"When the moist foods came out, we figured they must have a very strong preservative because they needed no refrigeration. Many of them do have a very strong preservative-formalin. Formalin is such a good preservative, in fact, that undertakers use quite a lot of it."
Thomas A.Chew Newland, DVM

"Every time a pet eats another bowl of high-sugar pet food, he is being brought that much closer to diabetes hypoglycemia, overweight, nervousness, cataracts, allergy- and death."
R. Geoffrey Broderick, DVM

"Do you know what is in meat meal, the major constituent of dry dog food? .. Urine, fecal matter, hair, pus, meat (from animals, afflicted) with cancer and T.B., etc."
Wendell O. Belfield. DVM

"What you feed your animals should be the most important consideration you make."
Lisa Newman, CN

Animal/Poultry Fat
It is common knowledge that the pet food industry is built on cleaning up the remnants of our own meat packing process for those scraps  which are not fit for human consumption. Common practice is to heavily preserve already rancid fats, with such chemicals as BHT/BHA and Ethoxyquin, to prevent further deterioration. These fats are a staple of the dry and canned food products, and is what you smell (YUK) when you serve up your friends meals. This smell has even led some people to use paper plates end plastic forks to feed their pets in fear of contaminating their own dishes! Animal fats are used to provide essential oils for good skin and coat conditions...is it any wonder then why there is such a dramatic health problem in this area today?! Rancid, heavily preserved fats are extremely difficult to digest and can lead to a host of other health problems in your pet. Digestive upsets, especially throwing up bile or food, diarrhea, gas, and bat breath, are all linked to this. When fed to the newly developing digestive tract of puppies and kittens, it can permanently effect this sensitive lining, leading to a life time of digestion and assimilation problems. Fat can continue the allergy (sensitivities) responses, especially in the lamb end rice formulas.

BHT/BHA and Ethoxyquin
These popular preservatives are heavily used in the pet food industry, not only to preserve fats but to stabilize the whole product as well. We have certainly been educated as to the dangerous side-effects of BHT/BHA in our own diets as a serious carcinogen, but little truth has been shared about Ethoxyquin. This preservative was developed in the 1950's as a rubber stabilizer and herbicide, very similar to Agent Orange! It was either never approved by the FDA or recalled after three years of human use (I researched both accounts) but one thing is for certain, the documented cases of serious side-effects resulting from exposure to, or ingestion of this chemical. Humans who were working with it in the rubber industry, reported a dramatic rise in such diseases as liver/kidney damage, cancerous skin lesions, loss of hair, blindness, leukemia, fetal abnormalities and chronic diarrhea. In animals it has been linked to immune deficiency syndrome, spleen, stomach and liver cancer, as well as the above mentioned diseases. The steady increase in animal cancer and serious diseases has paralleled the increased use of chemical preservatives in the pet food industry during the last twenty-five years!

Soybean: Whole/Grits/Meal
Soybean is used to increase protein content and bulk in pet foods. It is very difficult to digest and assimilate especially for dogs, who lack the proper amino acid needed. It is known to cause gas build-up in the digestive tract and has been linked to bloat, a major killer of dogs today.

Poultry/Meat: By-Products and Digest
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there is no mandatory inspection of ingredients used in pet food manufacturing. Accordingly, law allows the pet food industry to use what are called "4D" sources, that is, meat, tissues, skin and insides of animals that are dead, dying, disabled, or diseased (AND NOT FIT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION) when they reach the slaughterhouse. From his experience as a veterinarian and federal meat inspector, Dr P.F. McGargle concludes that feeding slaughterhouse wastes to animals increases their chance of getting cancer and other degenerative diseases. Those wastes can include moldy, rancid or spoiled meats and salmonella contaminated poultry parts, as well as the tissues too severely riddled with cancer to be eaten by people. The heavy use of hormones, steroids and antibiotics, in farm animals, is also a concern. These continue to be active, even in "dead" tissues.

Artificial Color
A prime example of generic labeling is that of "artificial colors". By law, the manufacturer does not have to list any ingredients on the bag and often does so in a manner which tells us little of what is actually in the product! Coloring often includes the following coal-tar derivative dyes: FD&C RED #40 (a possible carcinogen), RED #3, YELLOW #5 (not fully tested), YELLOW #6, BLUE #1 and #2 (increases dogs' sensitivity to fatal viruses such as parvo), SODIUM NITRITE, widely used as a red coloring and preservative, produces powerful carcinogenic substances known as nitrosamines. People have died from accidental nitrite poisoning. Animals ingest much larger amounts of these carcinogens and other chemicals daily in their diets, then is ever allowed for humans!

Sweeteners
Beet pulp sugar (not to be confused with bed pulp fiber), sucrose (table sugar), corn syrup (a derivative of corn starch), and molasses are the most widely used sweeteners in the pet food industry. Corn syrup is also known (and approved! ) as an effective "humectant and plasticizer", that is, as ingredient which gives the product dampness and flexibility. These ingredients cause chaos in your pets. They produce the same highs and lows as table sugar and a great deal of stress on the pancreas and adrenals, a condition that may result in diabetes. Corn syrup is hardy a healthy ingredient especially when you consider how it dilutes other vital nutrients in the diet by providing empty calories devoid of vitamins, minerals, proteins or fats, and can also over stimulate the production of insulin and acidic digestive juices. These interfere with the animal's ability to absorb proteins, calcium and other minerals that are in the food! They also inhibit proper growth of useful intestinal bacteria for assimilation of these nutrients. Sweeteners have also been linked to behavioral problems such as aggression and hyperactivity Cat food manufacturers rely on sweeteners to help "addict" cats to dry foods, which naturally cats would avoid, preferring fresh kill.

Propylene Glycol
This potentially harmful chemical is added to many products to maintain the right texture and moisture. Along with the use of Ethoxyquin, these humectants tie up the water content and thus prohibit the growth of bacteria. These preservatives allow dry food to stay on the shaves for up to five years, and canned products indefinitely. As well as inhibiting bacteria growth in the product, they inhibit proper and necessary growth of friendly flora in the digestive tract, which aids in the assimilation of nutrients. They also decrease the amount of moisture in the digestive tract, which has led to intestinal blockage and a host of serious digestive tract problems such as cancerous intestinal lesions. This is what produces those "small, hard, dry stools" that certainly are easier to clean up, but you are also led to believe this means more product has been digested. It simply shows that more waste products (toxins) are not being properly eliminated; do you think your doctor would feel this was healthy for you, if you described having these types of stools?!

Salt
An ingredient heavily used to help increase palatability it has been believed to be the trigger of many diseases. Excessive salt intake (additional to that found naturally In most ingredients), can lead to hypertension, kidney stress, colon irritation and a host of other aliments. A balance of sodium is vial for cellular health, but excessive amounts can damage these structures.

Peanut Hulls
Long a common source of fiber, it is inexpensive and certainly bulk-producing, therefore very popular especially in the "reducing" diets. This incredibly harsh fiber can not only create chronic constipation but damage the sensitive tissues of the colon.

Proper diet should be a fundamental concern when looking to prevent disease or rehabilitate.

email Pet Nutritionist: darleen@purelypets.com with questions about your pet or our products.
Copyright © 1997~2007 Purely Pets. All rights reserved.
reprinted with kind permission from Darleen Rudnick
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darleen

Wellness in Animals


by William Pollak, DVM 
www.purelypets.com
As humans, we strive for more than just freedom from physical limitations, pain, or disease; we seek Wellness, within ourselves and all of that around us. True Wellness is a state of life in which the totality of genetic expression is a living reality. This natural state is the birthright of all life on earth. Nurtured from within and supported from outside the confines of the physical body, life is viewed as a full and rich tapestry on many levels. The absence of disease is a by-product of this natural state.

Why is the health and longevity of a pet so important?
In our fast-paced world of technology and commerce, we can lose touch with our more nature-oriented aspects and the natural environment around us. Few links to this natural world remain. The very fortunate few of us with gardens that bear fruit still can experience a link to a less technological time. The only way greater numbers of us who live in concrete, urban environments can still share in a joy experienced by all cultures of humankind since the dawn of history is through the bonding with a companion animal. These pets allow us to go beyond the constraints of our own immediate human situation and into a larger, older, more harmonious world-view. The very act of nurturing and caring for these four-legged friends and, in return receiving their unconditional devotion, brings us closer to our natural roots in this world and allows us to experience our humanity from a place of greater emotional well-being.

Why do we believe holistic approaches to animal care are so important?
Since these methods address the whole organism and support the body’s own abilities to heal itself, many holistic methods focus on prevention and cure of disease, not just treatment. Proper nutrition is the foundation upon which many holistic practices build our pet's (and our own) quality of life and Wellness. Poor nutrition is one of the major contributors to our pet's lower life expectancy. By feeding our pets most commercially available pet foods, we are unintentionally depriving these animals of important nutrients needed for sustaining the states of greater Wellness that their genetic material encodes.

Western medical science views our bodies as “bio-mechanical parts” that can either be repaired or replaced. Non-holistic medical and veterinary practitioners address illness in the same way; a disease means a body part is malfunctioning or has been “invaded” by some outside agent. One either repairs or removes that body part through surgery, or supports it with chemicals or substances from the outside. Identifying a malfunctioning part often requires expensive laboratory testing; a major part of most physical examinations. Laboratory workups support medical diagnoses with “scientific fact”; which in turn confirms the malfunctioning body parts and outside agents. This is the non-holistic medical model of disease.

Growing numbers of people, though, are seeking alternatives to this medical model. They want more encompassing methods not just for themselves but also for their companion animals. Instead of viewing a living body as a flesh-covered skeleton composed of individual “bio- mechanical parts”, holistic methods approach living organisms as constellations of “biological” systems; each self-contained and self-defined, yet all seamlessly woven into an organic tapestry that is constantly unfolding over time through the expression of “Universal Being”. More inclusive forms of treatment address the whole organism; not just the sum of the organic parts. Holistic treatments do not isolate, control, or eliminate individual symptoms; they assist the whole body in regaining “Wellness” and a higher state of balance.

Few people suggest that holistic approaches should totally replace medical and veterinary science especially in the case of accident or acute illness. However, many alternative methods achieve significant results without the need for surgical intervention or long-term drug therapy.

As lovers of companion animals, we want to take an active role in the care of our pets. We must assume responsibility for their quality of life and their “Wellness.” Statistics show that the average life expectancies of companion animals have rapidly dropped in the last 40 years despite improvements in the medical model, veterinary diagnosis, and treatment modalities. Poor nutrition, inbred genetic defects, and over-vaccination have led to an epidemic of allergic reactions that challenge our pets’ bodily defenses. Their shortened lives are further complicated by symptoms ranging from skin rashes to epilepsy, kidney and liver ailments as well as other chronic disease processes. Our pets have grown hypersensitive to many common environmental allergens their ancestors casually threw off.

Our companion animals provide us with an important reminder of our link to this totality. The closeness we feel toward our animal friends reinforces our view of them as full family members and life companions. We see ourselves in them and are reminded of our greater nature. Our companion animals live in a natural state of oneness no matter what “illness” they may have. In their reflection of a natural earthly rhythm, we are reminded intellectually and emotionally that all is well in life’s ever diversifying flow.

Our gain from their unconditional acceptance of us is transformed into our wanting Wellness for them and ourselves.


email Pet Nutritionist: darleen@purelypets.com with questions about your pet or our products.
Copyright © 1997~2007 Purely Pets. All rights reserved.
reprinted with kind permission from Darleen Rudnick
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darleen

Concerns About Commercial

Pet Food

by William Pollak, DVM 
What are you really feeding your pet?
What we’d like to speak on is the importance of freshness, wholesomeness, and the appropriateness of what is consumed.

The information we provide is for those people seeking powerful yet simple suggestions for enhancing Wellness in their companion animals, as well as their own lives. Not all seekers are looking for this enhanced Wellness. Most people in fact are satisfied with their dog or cat “looking” normal on the current commercial food; they assume the animal is just fine. It is not our wish to tell them otherwise. A developing sense of and desire for greater Wellness is growing in the world and is giving rise to this information. It is our hope that this small change, switching your pet to a natural raw meat diet, will enhance the quality of life of not just your pet, but your entire household. We have seen this time and time again.

Some concerns about Commercial Pet Food:

 Pet labels mislead and distort nutritional facts.

 Some animal by-products make regularly consumed pet food poisonous and toxic.

 Food additives, like coloring, are for the human purchaser, not the animal consumer.

 Product deficiencies lead to overeating, the buying of more products, and the creation of greater malnutrition.

 Our companion animals’ life expectancies are growing shorter every generation.

 Chronic allergic reactions are primarily food based; cause suffering; and require additional treatments that often exacerbates underlying disease.

 Nutritional issues receive little publicity because the subject matter is technical and usually leads to the “naming of names”. Pet food advertising revenue is huge and consequently, the advertisers are very powerful. Common editorial policy must balance “news-worthiness” with business; this usually results in avoiding negative references to advertisers’ products.

This situation is neither political nor, by contemporary standards, even sensational. It is however, something we deal with everyday. It is lack of information. Food manufacturers are silent; they sell pet food in a highly competitive market at prices that haven’t changed in many years. Have you ever asked yourself, why not? The raw materials these food manufacturers mix together to produce typical pet foods you find along the supermarket aisles come from highly questionable, and in some cases, unbelievable sources unfit for either person or beast. Compounding this situation is the fact that pet food labels give only vague ideas of a pet food’s content. The listed items are essentially “catch-all terms” for more specific, and often less desirable, substances. Protein, fat, carbohydrate, and crude fiber are general food categories; they have no functional meaning in terms of nutritional source, quality, or digestibility.

Our biggest concern as consumers of commercially available pet foods is that this food:

 Contains ingredients, chemicals, toxins, and poisons that should not be consumed.

 Lacks ingredients that should be part of our pet’s daily food diet.

Package labeling is a necessary obligation the food manufacturers are required to provide by law. These laws however, perpetuate a classification system that has little to do with nutritional value. Manufacturers can and do use obscure and easily misunderstood terms. Why are these labels so obscure? The first and most important question to ask, for a better indication of the nutritional value of food we buy, is what percent of the food is digestible. A substance is a nutrient only when it is digestible, that is, absorbed and assimilated by an animal consuming the food product. Unassimilated food ingredients are at best, non-digestible roughage, and, at worst, deadly toxins or poisons. Nowhere on the pet food label does it state how much of the food can be digested. It is a fact that animals on “supermarket” or convenience diets are usually chronically malnourished due to excessive use of fillers, stale food, and chemicals coming out of a food can or pouch. This empty nutrition, non-vital state of health is the fertile ground for sub-standard biological activity and receptivity.

Pet and baby foods are unlike any other products sold in a supermarket. Both items claim to be a complete, “Whole” nutritional package for the consumer; all other foods in the supermarket are part of an overall, individually tailored diet. Deficiencies in one food product are balanced by another food product if variety and wholesomeness is valued. The possibility of choosing what one wants to eat is available to humans. Our pets however, are denied this choice when given only commercial pet food as the sole source of nutrition. A pet owner must be satisfied in the belief the pet food is all the animal really needs to insure minimum nutritional needs. Rarely can one find a pet diet that provides more than minimum daily nutritional requirements; that seeks to provide, in fact, greater Wellness. It would be wise to seek out commercial pet foods that are, at best, acceptable supplements to a more natural, raw meat diet.

The average pet owner feels satisfied upon leaving the store with a large bag of pet food purchased at a very affordable price (food at 15 cents a pound). At home, the pet “attacks” the food in it’s food bowl further confirming its owner’s conviction that a “smart” purchase in both value and quality has been made. The pet loves the food! It eats it immediately with great vigor. This “gusto” though is usually a sign of a pet’s lack of proper nutrition. It is the voracious overeating observed everyday at feeding time that indicates a lack in balanced nutrition along with a hyperactivity usually unnoticed until the animal is put on a more nutritious and wholesome diet. Overeating quickly empties a food bag; non-nutrient fillers and appetite stimulants (addictive agents such as sucrose, corn syrup, salt, and artificial flavoring) exacerbate a pet’s already undernourished state. When a pet overeats a food of low nutritional value, they must “digest” additional calories, protein, carbohydrates, and waste products to derive a minimal benefit from the diet. Already low “vital energy” stores are further depleted. This borderline state of starvation, despite regular feedings, produces a responsive, though non-alert, living, though non-vital, animal. The end result a pet owner or pet professional observes is an overweight, doughy, dull-coated, undernourished pet that is marginally poisoned. This is the main reason life expectancies of our pets are growing shorter every year. Our companion animals just survive on convenience pet foods. From a holistic perspective, mere survival is not enough; organisms need to do more than just survive. By achieving a state of Wellness, a transcendent growth is secured.

email Pet Nutritionist: darleen@purelypets.com with questions about your pet or our products.
Copyright © 1997~2007 Purely Pets. All rights reserved.
reprinted with kind permission from Darleen Rudnick

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darleen

 Additives in Pet Foods

BHA and BHT (Butylated Hydroxyanisole, Butylated Hydroxytoluene)
by Darleen Rudnick, Pet Nutritionist
(and other sources)

Testing of rats showed that BHA and BHT inhibited growth, caused weight loss, damaged the liver, kidneys and testicles, caused the rat to go bald, and elevated the blood cholesterol levels. It also caused their offspring to be born without eyes, and there were indications of brain defects. These two related preservatives are further suspected of causing cancer and allergic reactions.

In addition, studies have revealed that BHT accumulates in human fat tissue at a far greater concentration than it does in the fatty tissue of rats. The sudden loss of body fat due to dieting, and illness, can result in the releasing of this substance in toxic amounts. It may interest you to know that the test animal in an Australian study (which suffered similar effects as the above) were fed levels of 0.1% of BHA and BHT and that would correspond to or be lower than, levels permitted by the Canadian Government in some products.

For example, in Canada, in essential oils, citrus oil flavors and dry flavors manufacturers are permitted to use levels up to 0.125% (higher than the levels fed to the rats). In citrus oils, levels are permitted up to 0.5% (Canadian Food and Drugs Act. Table XI. Part IV.)

BHA and BHT have also been proven to contribute to hyperactivity in some children. Experiments at Concordia University in Montreal on pregnant mice revealed that their offspring had abnormal brains and abnormal behavior patterns. The behavioral changes were: increased exploration, sleeplessness, poor grooming habits, decreased reflexes, aggression and severe learning problems. Dr. Bernard Weiss, of the University of Rochester's School of Medicine, is especially concerned with the behavioral problems cited by numerous other research projects. He feels that government should test additives not only for physical damage, but also for behavioral effects.
BHA and BHT can be used in:

 Fats, oils, lard, mono-and diglycerides, shortening
 Dried breakfast cereals
 Dehydrated potato products (chips, etc.)
 Chewing gum essential oils
 Citrus oil flavors and dry flavors
 Partially de-fatted pork and beef fatty tissue
 Vitamin A liquids for addition to food
 Margarine
 Dry vitamin D preparations for addition to foods and certain non-standardized foods as preservatives.

Consumers can be misled by the term "BHA or BHT in packaging only" or box tops, as they may not realize that the chemicals do migrate onto the food itself. Since many food producers do not use the additives and still produce a good tasting, nutritious and economical product, it is clear that BHA and BHT are nonessential and do not benefit the consumer.

The consumer would be wise to buy an alternative product and refrain from purchasing any foods which contain these additives. The government has been remiss in not demanding lifetime studies on a variety of species on this and many other potentially toxic chemicals. BHT has been banned for use in food in England, Romania, Sweden and Australia. In our opinion, additives which are banned in one or more countries due to adverse test results should automatically be banned in everywhere. 

email Pet Nutritionist: darleen@purelypets.com with questions about your pet or our products.
Copyright © 1997~2007 Purely Pets. All rights reserved
reprinted with kind permission from Darleen Rudnick

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Dog Food Comparison 

Written by Lori Matthews

Sunday, 15 July 2007

If you have a dog or a cat, there's a good chance that you're still a bit shaken up by the pet food recall that happened recently. You may even be wondering if your new pet food is healthy. People lost their beloved animals to something that shouldn't have done them any harm, and those of us lucky to be spared this are taking a closer look at what we're feeding our dogs. By getting a better idea of what needs to go into our pets' food, we can make better decisions about their nutrition and diet.

Many people became confused as to what exactly was in their pets' food that shouldn't be. It sad that some of us learned tainted ingredients were included in pet foods to make the protein content seem higher.

Chemicals and other synthetic ingredients do not belong in dog and cat food. Inferior ingredients like by - products, soy, wheat, gluten and corn should not be used as a protein source or be included in the food. These ingredients are often very hard on the pets' digestive system and therefore do nothing nutritionally for them.

Some pet food companies will use very cheap ingredients to make their food.
Diets require fiber, natural fats, carbohydrates and high-quality protein - that is made from quality meat fit for human consumption. A healthy mix is essential towards making sure that your dog neither becomes deficient in nutrients, nor becomes obese, and by keeping a close eye on what your dog is eating, you can make sure that some very basic issues are weeded out before they become a problem. Often times we think the food we give them isn't that bad. Unfortunately, pet food that has little nutritional value will add up after time in the form of your animals' health. Just as humans they need healthy nutritious balance of foods to keep their immune system running at peak performance.

Food is one of the first considerations for having a healthy dog and the more you know, the healthier your dog will be! The first 5 ingredients are very important to the nutritional value of the food. Pet foods that list 2 or more grains in the first 5 ingredients may have more vegetable protein than animal protein. To learn more about healthy ingredients and how to compare your dog and or cat food, please visit the site below.
Lori Matthews studies health, nutrition and wellness. She enjoys writing articles on health for both people and pets. Please click to compare your dog food to Lifes Abundance.
Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com

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The Myth of 100% Complete Pet Food

 
Written by Dr. Randy Wysong

Wednesday, 18 April 2007

Every day, people by the millions pour food from a package into their pet's bowl. Day in and day out, meal after meal, pets get the same fare. This strange phenomenon is widely practiced by loving pet owners who believe they are doing the right thing.

Why? Certainly because it is convenient, but also because the labels state that such foods are "complete and balanced," "100% complete," or that they have passed various analytical and feeding test standards. Furthermore, manufacturers, and even veterinarians, counsel pet owners about not feeding other foods, such as table scraps, because of the danger of unbalancing these modern processed nutritional marvels. The power of the message is so great that pet owners en masse do every day to their pets what they would never do to themselves or their children - force-feed the same processed food at every meal.
http://www.wysong.net/images/myth/premium_food.jpg

Think about it. Our world is complex beyond comprehension. It is not only largely unknown, it is unknowable in the "complete" sense. In order for nutritionists and manufacturers to produce a "100% complete and balanced" pet food, they must first know 100% about nutrition. However, nutrition is not a completed science. It is, in fact, an aggregate science, which is based upon other sciences, such as chemistry, physics, and biology. But since no scientist would argue that everything is known in chemistry, or physics, or biology, how can nutritionists claim to know everything there is to know about nutrition, which is based upon these sciences? This is the logical absurdity of the "100% complete and balanced" diet claim. It is the reason a similar venture to feed babies a "100% complete" formula turned out to be a health disaster.
http://www.wysong.net/images/myth/nutrition_pillars.jpg

In that instance, after sufficient disease and death resulted from attempting to retire the human breast to a mere appendage of adornment, government stepped in and controlled the commercial hype. Now doctors, nurses and purveyors of baby formulas cannot say these products are complete or that they are equal to or superior to breast-feeding. Good for the regulators. (Although they should have been proactive and prevented the disaster before it ever took root, not have merely stepped in after enough deaths accrued.)

Even with that lesson as a dire warning, pet food regulators turn a blind eye. Instead of preventing pet food producers from claiming a processed food concoction is 100% complete, they in effect promote the death and disease-dealing specious claim by setting bogus standards that supposedly justify and authenticate the claim. They legitimize sloppy science in order to win consumer confidence. All a manufacturer has to do is guarantee that their percentage of protein, fat and the like meets National Research Council standards. In the alternative, manufacturers can do feeding trials on caged laboratory animals for a few weeks, measure cursory blood parameters, and monitor growth and weight - as if survival after a few weeks on a food has anything to do with achieving optimal health and long life!

Down the primrose path millions of trusting pet owners go while at the same time unknowingly condemning their pets to terrible degenerative diseases. Pet food regulators then spend the majority of their time harassing pet food companies with picayune requirements about terminology on packaging and where certain words must be placed on labels. In this regard manufacturers must contend with the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), FDA (Food and Drug Administration), AAFCO (American Association of Feed Control Officials), and 50 State feed regulatory agencies. All for naught. It's like the entire police force busying themselves ticketing people for jaywalking while turning a blind eye to the murder and rape going on in the alleys.
http://www.wysong.net/images/myth/regulatory.jpg

Claiming that anything is 100% is like claiming perfection, total knowledge, and absolute truth. Has pet nutrition really advanced that far? Does a chemist make such a claim? A physicist? Doctor? Professor? Did Einstein, Bohr, Pasteur, Aristotle, Plato, or any of the greatest minds in human history make such claims? No. Has the science of pet nutrition advanced to the point where everything is known about the physiology, digestion and biochemistry of animals, or that everything is known about their food? Certainly not.

The fact of the matter is that the "100% complete" claim is actually "100% complete" guesswork. At best, one could say that such a claim is the firm possibility of a definite maybe.

Each time regulatory agencies convene to decide how much of which nutrients comprise "100% completeness," debate always ensues and standards usually change. This not only proves that what they claimed before was not "100% complete," but this should also make us highly suspicious about what they now claim to be "100% complete."

Moreover, consider that in order to determine the minimum requirement for a certain nutrient - say protein - all other nutrients used in the feeding trials must be adequate and standardized. Otherwise, if vitamin E, for example, is in excess or is deficient in the basal diet, how would one know if the results of the study were because of the effects of protein or due to something amiss with the level of vitamin E?

If the minimum requirements for all 26+ essential nutrients were all set and absolutely etched in stone, that would be one thing. But they aren't. They are constantly changing. This means each time any nutrient requirement is changed, all test results for all other nutrients using the wrong minimum for this nutrient would then be invalid. Most nutritionists simply ignore this conundrum, feeling like cowboys trying to lasso an octopus - there are just too many loose ends. But they continue to perpetuate the "100% complete" myth, and excuse themselves by saying they make adjustments when necessary. An apology of "I'm sorry," when the false premise of "100% completeness" is still retained, deserves no forgiveness.
http://www.wysong.net/images/myth/new_wave.jpg

Also consider that virtually all so-called complete pet foods are vigorously heat processed to gelatinize the unnatural starch components (making them "digestible" - meaning more easily converted to glucose) and to extend shelf-life by sterilization. Dry foods are extruded at hundreds of degrees and hundreds of pounds of pressure. Canned foods are retorted. Commercial pet foods also contain a mix of ingredients including meats, fats, starches (a variety of label dressing "natural" ingredient buzzwords) and vitamin/mineral "fortifiers." Although the ingredient label is evocative and beguiling, what is in the final product is another matter. Essential fatty acids are oxidized and isomerized. Cytotoxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic cholesterol oxidation products (COP) are formed, including C-7 derivatives, 5,6-epoxides, triols, 25-OHs and 3,5-dienes - the real culprits in human atherogenesis, incidently. The cooked meats form heterocyclic amines, proteins are degraded and amino acids destroyed or racemized. Carbohydrates are glycated, acrylamides are formed, vitamins destroyed, oxidized and racemized and minerals are complexed into unavailable matrices. The end result is a potpourri of imbalance, unavailability and toxicity - not "100% completeness."
http://www.wysong.net/images/myth/farmers_field2.jpg

Yes, pets can survive for a time on such fare, but that is simply a testament to their physiological capacity to adapt. They seek equilibrium at higher and higher levels of toxicity until adaptive reserve is exhausted. Chronic degenerative diseases and immune failure is the end result.

The point is, don't believe the claim on any commercially prepared pet (or human) food that it is "100% complete and balanced." It is a spurious unsupported boast, intended to build consumer trust and dependence on commercial products - not create optimal health.
http://www.wysong.net/images/myth/veterinarian_and_pediatrician.jpg

Unfortunately, most people think animal feeding is a mystery. It is not. Animal nutrition is not a special nutritional science to which common sense human nutrition principles cannot be applied. Use the same reasoning in feeding your pets that you use for feeding your family. Nutrition is also not about some special ingredient, the absence of some boogeyman ingredient, or claims such as "natural," "organic," or the like.
http://www.wysong.net/images/myth/package.jpg

If you feed processed foods, use discernment since just about anyone can create a commercial pet food. The pet food industry has hundreds of brands. Business profiteers and the occasional movie star are the most common forces behind the labels. All one needs is a little money and they can go to any number of toll manufacturers and have them slightly modify a shelf formula. Then all that is needed is to dress it all up with a fancy package, a clever brochure, and some advertising. Voila! Another brand is added to the 20-billion-dollar pet food industry heyday. http://www.wysong.net/images/myth/one_for_all.jpg

Nutrition is a serious health business, not a mere opportunity to turn dollars. Check the credentials of the decision maker at the head of the company you are entrusting your pet's health to and examine closely its operating philosophy. Health competence and principle should come before pretty packaging and beguiling hoopla. The public is not well served by exclusively feeding products from companies without any real commitment to health... or knowledge of how to even achieve it.

For the past 25 years, I have been a lonely voice in the wilderness trying to get people to understand the deadly health consequences of feeding processed pet foods exclusively. People want convenience in a bag and the industry wants the flow of billions of dollars to continue uninterrupted. In the meantime, the scientific literature offers compelling proof that millions of animals have been maimed and killed as a result of feeding thoroughly tested "100% complete" foods... with the full imprimatur of government regulation. (Exactly the same thing that abounds in the FDA-pharmaceutical industry.)

Examples of pet food disasters include dilated cardiomyopathy from taurine deficiency, potassium imbalances, fatty acid and carnitine deficiencies and numerous other problems that would be expected on a steady diet of dead, devitalized, carbohydrate-based processed foods. Moreover, the whole panoply of human chronic degenerative diseases such as cancer, obesity, arthritis, autoimmunities, dental deterioration and organ failure are at epidemic levels in the pet population... as should be expected on such a diet.

"Thousands of pet cats die each year with dilated cardiomyopathy... observed in... cats fed commercial cat food..." (Science, Volume 237, pages 764-8)

Not only is feeding the same processed food day in and day out a formula for disease, it is a cruelty to pets. It is one thing to take them from their interesting and active wild setting and confine them, but to not even offer them interesting natural meal variety is really quite inexcusable. The answer, like everything else good in life, is a little attention and common sense. Knowledge is the best beginning point.

Further reading and resources of scientific references:
Wysong, R. L. (2002). The Truth About Pet Foods. Midland, MI: Inquiry Press. Science, Volume 237, pages 764-8
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Volume 199, pages 731-4
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Volume 201, pages 267-74Feline Practice, Volume 20, Number 1, page 30
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Volume 202, pages 744-51
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Volume 191, pages 1563-8 Journal of Nutrition, Volume 129, pages 1909-14
Journal of Nutrition, Volume 126, pages 984-8 Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Volume 203, pages 1395-1400
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Volume 198, pages 647-50 Veterinary Clinics of North America Small Animal Practice, Volume 19, pages 527-37 Veterinary Forum, Volume 9, pages 34-5 Veterinary Forum, Volume 9, pages 26-8 American Journal of Veterinary Research, Volume 62, pages 1616-23 Petfood Industry, May/June 1998, pages 4-14 Journal of Animal Science, Volume 75, pages 2980-5 Veterinary Business, Volume 2, page 1
Waltham International Focus, Volume 3, Number 1, page 9
For further reading, or for more information about, Dr Wysong and the Wysong Corporation please visit www.wysong.net or write to wysong@wysong.net For resources on healthier foods for people including snacks, and breakfast cereals please visit www.cerealwysong.com.
Article Source:http://www.ArticleBlast.com
About The Author:Dr. Wysong is a former veterinary clinician and surgeon, college instructor in human anatomy, physiology and the origin of life, inventor of numerous medical, surgical, nutritional, athletic and fitness products and devices, research director for the present company by his name and founder of the philanthropic Wysong Institute.  He is author of The Creation-Evolution Controversy now in its twentieth printing, a new two volume set on philosophy for living entitled Thinking Matters:  1-Living Life... As If Thinking Matters; 2-The Big Questions...As If Thinking Matters, several books on nutrition, prevention and health for people and animals and over 18 years of monthly health newsletters. He may be contacted at Wysong@Wysong.net and a free subscription to his e-Health Letter is available at http://www.wysong.net. Also check out http://www.cerealwysong.com
 
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Choosing The Right Pet Food

http://www.ahimsarescuefoundation.org

"Ahimsa" is a Hindi word meaning 'Kindness to all life.'
 
Choosing the right food for your dog is important, with both short and long-term consequences. Your dog’s health depends on you and the nutrition you provide; get familiar with the ingredients in pet food. Many veterinarians have come to believe that the best foods for a dog are those that are closest to his ancestral diet: raw meat, in all different cuts and varieties, and a sprinkling of herbal or vegetable matter. But for many of us, providing that kind of diet is inconvenient and expensive. For those of us who have gotten used to the ease of feeding dried fog food out of a bag, this can help you become an informed consumer. 

FOODS SHOULD CONTAIN:
Superior sources of protein. This means either whole, fresh meats or single-source meat meal (for example, chicken meal rather than poultry meal).

A whole meat source as one of the first two ingredients (chicken) or chicken meal, for instance). A meat source in two of the top three ingredients also helps indicate the food is high in meat. Ingredients are always listed in descending order of weight, i.e. the ingredient responsible for the greatest amount of weight in the bag is listed first. If a label reads, “beef, ground yellow corn, rice, corn gluten meal,” it appears that there is more beef than anything else in the sack, but the total weight of the ground yellow corn plus corn gluten meal may outweigh the beef.

Whole unprocessed grains, vegetables, and other foods. Whole unprocessed grains, vegetables, and other foods have a great chance of having its nutrients and enzymes intact.

Look for foods that have whole meat (listed simply as lamb, chicken, beef, etc.) in the top three ingredients. Look for whole foods like rice, wheat, eggs, and foods that are kept fresh with natural preservatives like vitamin C and E (often listed as mixed-tocopherols).

Meat is the most important and natural source of protein for canines.
The only exception might be for dogs that have been proven to be allergic to all meat proteins. Pets need enzymes essential for every biochemical bodily function, vitamin C is critically important, vitamin E is an antioxidant needed to detoxify.

No matter what the commercials say, dog food does not contain “all the nutrients your dog will ever need.” Don’t buy any pet food that contains “meat” meal, “meat & poultry by-products," bone meal, animal fat, or tallow.

FOODS SHOULD NOT CONTAIN:
Meat by-products. These “second-class” products are not handled as carefully as whole meat. Meat by-products - the non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. It includes, but is not limited to, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, partially defatted low temperature fatty tissue, and stomachs and intestines.

Poultry by-products - must consist of non-rendered clean parts of carcasses of slaughtered poultry such as heads, feet, viscera.

Poultry by-products meal - Poultry by product meal consists of the ground, rendered clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered poultry, such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs, and intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices.

Animal by-products meal - the rendered product from mammal tissues, exclusive of any added hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents...This ingredient definition is intended to cover those individual rendered animal tissue products that cannot meet the criteria as set forth elsewhere in this section.

Fats or proteins named generically - for example, animal fat, poultry fat or meat meal as opposed to the better quality beef fat, chicken fat or lamb meal. The generic term indicates that the ingredient is actually a mixed bag of ingredients, coming from a number of sources. 

Food fragments - brewer’s rice, corn gluten, etc., this item is the least odious on this list. Most foods contain at least one fragment, as makers economize where it least hurts the food. 

Artificial preservatives are used to prevent food from turning rancid. These include BHA, BHT, (especially) ethoxyquin, potassium sorbate, sodium nitrate, these are known to cause liver and kidney dysfunction.

Artificial colors, Sweeteners - added to attract dogs to unappealing food; Propylene glycol-( a first cousin to anti freeze), toxic when consumed in large amounts; causes the fatal destruction of red blood cells. This is added to some “chewy” foods to keep them moist.

Recommended Reading:

 NEW EDITION
Food Pets Die for: Shocking Facts About Pet Food
    By Ann N. Martin, foreword by Shawn Messonnier, DVM

 Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats
    By Richard H. Pitcairn, D.V.M., Ph.D. & Susan Hubble Pitcairn

 Give Your Dog a Bone:
The Practical Commonsense Way to Feed Dogs
    By Dr Ian Billinghurst, B.V.SC, B.Sc.Agr., Dip. Ed.  
Copyright © Ahimsa Rescue Foundation 2003 - 2007 No reprints or copies without expressed, written permission
 reprinted with kind permission from Teresa L. Morton, Ahimsa Rescue Founder
 
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The above information is simply informational. It's intent is not to replace the advice of a veterinarian nor to assist you in making a diagnosis of your pet. Please consult with your own veterinarian for confirmation of any diagnosis. Your pets life may depend on it.