But with commercial pet food you get what you get so to speak and most people are quick to point out that chicken or fish or whatever meat is the first ingredient on their bags or cans label. Therefore they believe or picture it as the main ingredient in the food. But is it really the bulk of the food your pet is eating?

The first ingredient listed on a label always makes up the bulk of the food. That applies to all food that comes pre-made, canned, or bagged.

So if corn is the first ingredient on the list than you already know that it’s making up the most of the food and you can bypass it for a more meaty meal.

But pet food companies obviously want you to buy their food at the least cost to them. Because corn is an inexpensive filler for pet food pet, along with other grains, these pet food companies want to put it in there without us realizing that it is making up the majority of the food and they use label splitting to accomplish this.

Let’s use corn as an example. There is a long list of corn products that can be used in pet food. These include:

Corn Flour – This is the small size, hard part of ground corn that contains modest amounts or none of the bran or germ.

Corn Bran – This is the outer covering of the corn kernel and contains little or none of the starchy part of the germ.

Corn gluten meal – This is the dried remains from the corn after the starch and germ are removed. It is a by-product of processing corn to make corn starch and corn syrup.

So to demonstrate food splitting let’s use these corn products in an ingredient list.

Chicken, Corn Flour, Soybean Mill Run 16% (source of fiber), Chicken By-Product Meal, Powdered Cellulose, Corn Gluten Meal, Soybean Meal, Chicken Liver Flavor, Corn Bran, Soybean Oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, potassium iodide, Vitamin D-3 supplement, folic acid, sodium selenite, biotin. A-4586.

So we may think that chicken is the biggest ingredient and corn flour is the second biggest ingredient but that’s not really the case here.

When we pull out all the ingredients that actually come from corn we can see that they are spread around the ingredient list and clearly added together would make the bulk of the food.

Corn as a whole would be the greatest ingredient of this food. And that’s how food splitting works.

So check out your pet food and see if you’ve been feeding what you think you’ve been feeding or is food splitting with corn or other grains happening to you.

If it is you can bet that it’s a trick to make you think otherwise and how much would you trust a food making company that’s trying to trick you?

Learning your way around pet food whether it be commercial or homemade can be confusing. Learn how to make the healthiest decision for your pets by doing your research. Sharda Baker can help you do that with years of research behind her. Learn more at http://www.dogsfooddangers.com.

Technorati Tags: comes, food, Labeling, Mean, Splitting

Ferndale, WA: Sometimes I do strange searches around the Internet and this question probably takes the cake, but its a very interesting one (and I like to think sideways anyway) and in a funny sort of way rather relevant because so many people are talking about raw food diets and vegetables are edible and nutritious right? So bottom line strange is in the eye of the beholder. Let’s plug forward and have a look-see what this is all about, and in the process I think we all will learn quite a bit about the different nutritional needs of dogs, cats and us humans.

District 9

The first thing that pops into my mind about the safety of eating pet food is the scene from the Hollywood Blockbuster film, District 9, where the stranded aliens buy and eat cat food from food stalls scattered throughout their refugee camp. Villers, the main protagonist in the story, about one third of the way into the film, gets transformed into an alien and begins to crave cat food. Its awful as he takes great handfuls of tinned cat food and eats it. Is it possible for humans to eat cat food safely?

The answer is its not recommended, animal and human nutritional requirements are very different (which we are going to explore) especially those of an obligate carnivore like a cat. We’ll get to the safety thing in a minute.

Obligate Carnivore

Now an obligate carnivore is described as an animal that can only sustain itself buy eating the flesh of other animals. Your cat was built by Mother Nature to get her nutritional needs met by the consumption of a large amount of animal-based proteins (meat/organs) and derives much less nutritional support from plant-based proteins (grains/vegetables). It means that cats lack specific metabolic (enzymatic) pathways and cannot utilize plant proteins as efficiently as animal proteins.  On the other hand, dogs and humans can get nutrition from plants and thus live on a vegetarian diet but cats cannot.

The safety question.  The answer is it depends on the pet food. I can’t see it in my mind eating kibble nor tinned cat food, but if one did I believe a persons stomach would probably reject it but as far as I’ve been able to research, a person can’t die from ingesting dog kibble or wet pet food.  One reason is that most pet foods are made from scraps and leftover foods that humans wont eat and also, many dry and wet dog pet foods also contain rice, wheat and other plants, not to mention added vitamins and minerals.

What’s rather unsavory about this whole discussion from the 50,000 foot level looking down, is that what goes into pet food falls between the regulatory cracks between the FDA and AFFCO¹ (Association Of American Feed Control Officials), so even though its commercial grade pet food you buy from a store, the labels (and the ingredients) are less stringent so anything can be used. If you look carefully or test commercial pet foods you find they contain high percentages of cooked starches and things like re-processed human made restaurant waste, slaughterhouse scraps and other fun stuff. Yuck!

What about the Recall?

One important point to make lest we forget is the major U.S. pet food recall in March of 2006, in which the FDA issued a major recall on some “cuts and gravy” style of canned pet food that evidently caused rapid kidney failure and death in hundreds of animals. The FDA later recalled more animal edibles, tracing the problem back to wheat gluten, a component used to thicken pet foods.  The scientists who tested the pet meals in question say an ingredient called melamine (a fire retardant and plastic-producing chemical) was to blame for the deaths, and further investigation found that the melamine came from a Chinese manufacturer of wheat gluten. Because melamine “looks” like protein when tested, adding it to pet food could deceptively boost protein levels—a major selling point for consumers. This, some allege, may be why it ended up in pet food.

Is Pet Food Safe?

So coming full  circle, if  people do eat pet food these days, is it really safe? The jury is out in light of the pet food crisis, but sticking to food intended for humans would be a wise choice.²

On the other hand, there are bright manufacturers out there (AND WE ARE ONE OF THEM!) and some of the modern pet foods these days do have food grade ingredients and are probably very nutritious. Some people do eat some of the food grade raw³ (usually they do cook them for human consumption which we would definitely recommend) and cooked dog foods that are available and claim to enjoy them greatly!

You Can Eat Our Natural Dog Treats

At AllPetNaturals we have our own nutritious dog treat brand called Doggie Deli Treats and I 100% know what we put into our treats and its HUMAN GRADE! In fact the bacon is truly bacon, so is the chicken, its all cooked and chopped up and the peanut butter is exactly that and we use dried banana slices (which anyone can get from the health food store) and we then take all these ingredients and mix them in a special batter then double bake them. They are then frosted with rosemary to enable the proper taste to permeate through all the natural ingredients. You can actually eat them. You wouldn’t want to mind you because the double baking process works to squeeze all the moisture out and the treat therefore hardens something close to a rock – great for the teeth of a dog!

I think in this blog post we’ve covered a lot of ground but I think the take away for everyone is two-fold. Yes its possible for something quite toxic to happen  if you eat pet food since the ingredients are not known and perhaps something strange has been included. But for the most part the jury seems to suggest that eating pet food will not be great for your body but you can do it. But don’t. Its not the right nutritional mix.

by William Greenbaum, President & Founder of AllPetNaturals

____________________________________________

Technorati Tags: food, people, Safe

So really, we shouldn’t treat out dogs as sheltered creatures, because their long history have showed that they are true survivors – which is the reason why we have them now as docile and loyal friends. This is especially so because they know that we only want what’s best for them. That is probably the reason why we strive to find out what their healthiest food option is. And that is possibly the reason why you are reading this.

Here are some guaranteed healthy, raw dog food recipes to try:

Basic Raw Dog Food Recipe (given by a friend, who said they’ve been using it for their third generation pets already)

Ingredients: half a cup of raw meat (ground poultry, lamb, chicken, organ meats, etc.), half a cup of pureed vegetables (choose your own veggies), one-fourth cup of whole grains, a teaspoon of bone meal powder, one-fourth teaspoon ascorbic acid powder, one-fourth teaspoon of kelp powder, one-fourth teaspoon minced garlic, and 2 teaspoons of an oil mixture (11 oz. cold-pressed canola oil, 2 oz. wheat germ oil, 2 oz. flax seed oil – the remainder, you can keep for future use).

Procedure. Mix together. Serve.

Chicken, Liver and Vegetables

Ingredients: 2 and a half ounces of chicken (take out and discard chicken skin; cut into small chunks after washing it), an ounce of liver (cut into smaller pieces), three-eighths of an ounce of food grade bone meal, one-half cup of sliced carrots, half a teaspoon of olive oil, half a cup of Brussels sprouts, and a pinch of minced garlic.

Procedure: Wash meat and vegetables thoroughly. Peel off carrot skin and cut into small pieces. Mix the meat, liver and vegetables in your dog’s bowl. Add the bone meal, oil and garlic. Serve. (These ingredients provide your dog a balanced mix of protein and nutrients, including iron, potassium, beta-carotene, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins A and C, and fat.)

Never have qualms about giving your dog a raw food diet. Studies have shown that giving this diet to your pet would make him less susceptible to illnesses and certain cancers. (Yes, dogs can have cancers of different organs too, just like people.) Plus, you will always have the upper hand as you will now know what food exactly you are giving your pet, and you won’t have to guess what preservatives were put in commercial dog food.

Technorati Tags: food, Healthier, recipes

Today, most of society is seeing the benefits of an all-natural and nutritious healthy diet.  It works to keep humans thriving and at their optimum level of health.  The same is true for pets.  Dogs (and cats) by nature are carnivores and to receive the nutrition their bodies need requires a level of food that is more than can be found in canned or processed foods with ingredients that would not normally be found in nature.  For dogs, it can be found in a raw dog food diet.

Some dehydrated dog food products are frozen and some remain fresh in their natural state until you add warm water to create a refreshing and unpolluted meal for your dog.  Many raw food alternatives use hormone-free and antibiotic-free meats as well as 100 percent organic grains.  When the ingredients can be referred to as 100 percent human grade food, you can be confident that food choice is a good one.

Raw food in dehydrated (dried) form is a natural process that has been used throughout the ages by humans.  The nutritional value of the ingredients remains at premium quality through the use of this method.  The moisture in the food (water) is removed in the process of dehydrating raw foods.  When water is re-added to the food, it becomes whole again and offers the best nutrient-rich food source.  For meat and egg components, the drying takes place at a high enough temperature to kill any bacteria that may have been present so that each food item remains completely safe.

How do you know if the raw dog food you choose for your pet is the right one?  After a month or so, you should be able to notice a natural sheen on your dog’s coat, healthier skin, a brighter attitude, and an increased energy level.  If you notice these changes, and your dog gets a glowing annual report from your veterinarian showing good overall test results and strong teeth, you will have a good indicator that your best canine friend is receiving the proper nutrition.

Technorati Tags: food, healthy

FDA launched an investigation within 24 hours after being notified by Menu Foods of a recall and investigators arrived at the company’s plant and searched for possible sources of contamination. The same day, FDA consumer complaint coordinators nationwide began taking calls from consumers and veterinarians who reported illnesses potentially associated with the contaminated pet food. FDA has received over 12,000 reports in the last three weeks more than twice the number of complaints typically received in a year by the consumer complaint coordinators. In an effort to trace all of the contaminated product, the Agency conducted numerous inspections of manufacturers and warehouses identified as recipients of the suspect product. FDA has also been working with the affected firms to assist them with their product recall efforts.

FDA’s investigation identified the distributor of the contaminated wheat gluten as ChemNutra, of Las Vegas, Nevada. FDA worked with the firm to trace the suspect product, and identified its Chinese source. FDA has asked the Chinese government to help us with the investigation which continues to determine how the melamine may have gotten into the wheat gluten. FDA is currently sampling 100 percent of all Chinese wheat gluten being offered for import. FDA Field laboratories confirmed the presence of melamine in shipments of wheat gluten received from a source from China.

This was done through testing of samples of finished product and raw materials. Melamine is a product used as a fertilizer with other industrial and commercial uses. FDA laboratories have conducted over 400 sample analyses, and to date have found 21 samples that were positive for melamine. To date, voluntary recalls of pet food products have been conducted by Del Monte Pet Products, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Menu Foods, Nestle Purina PetCare Company, P&G Pet Care, and Sunshine Mills. On April 5, Sunshine Mills, Inc., of Red Bay, Alabama, voluntarily recalled a portion of its branded dog biscuits made at its Red Bay, Alabama biscuit plant during part of March 2007. In addition, Menu Foods, Inc., voluntarily expanded its pet food recall for selected cuts and gravy pet food products, manufactured back to November 8, 2006. Both firms issued press releases which are accessible on the FDA website.

Be sure you are aware of these other facts of the recall. This is an ongoing investigation. FDA is conducting recall audit follow-ups to ensure an effective recall. They continues to work with federal, state, and local partners, veterinarians, and members of the public as part of this investigation. At this time there is no evidence that any wheat gluten contaminated with melamine has entered the human food supply.

Understanding the role of melamine in each of the dog and cat illnesses will require an extensive analysis of the information, assistance from outside sources, and perhaps further research. The Food Drug Administration’s priority now is to assure that all contaminated product is identified and removed from store shelves. All the contaminated wheat gluten has been traced, and all the pet food manufacturers who have received contaminated ingredients have been identified and have initiated recalls. Following the removal of all suspect products from retailers, there remains an ample supply of safe cat and dog food available at stores throughout the U.S.

The Food Drug Administration has a dedicated pet food recall page on its website which has all of the current information including all press releases issued, frequently asked questions, as well as contact information for FDA consumer complaint coordinators. FDA urges members of the media and public to visit the FDA website.

With the food recall, What should a pet owner look for in their pet food. Most pet owners have heard that it is better to feed their animals specially formulated food for pets rather than table scraps. An occasional treat is fine, but table scraps used to excess may unbalance a pet’s diet. Purchasing pet foods labeled as “complete and balanced” can help ensure that your pet’s diet is nutritionally adequate.

Dog and cat foods labeled as “complete and balanced” must meet standards established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) either by meeting a nutrient profile or by passing a feeding trial. The AAFCO’s Canine Nutrition Expert (CNE) Subcommittee and Feline Nutrition Expert (FNE) Subcommittee have established new nutrient profiles for “complete and balanced” dog and cat foods. Dog Food Nutrient Profiles were established in 1991 and Cat Food Nutrient Profiles were established in 1992. Both were updated in 1995 to incorporate new scientific information.

The new nutrient profiles replaced the recommendations of the National Research Council (NRC) as the AAFCO-recognized authority on canine and feline nutrition. Dog and cat foods labeled as “complete and balanced” based on the AAFCO Dog or Cat Food Nutrient Profile must meet all the nutrient minimum and maximum levels as established by the Subcommittee. The Subcommittee set these levels after considering the most current information on good nutrition for dogs and cats. The profiles are designed to provide practical information for manufacturers of dog and cat foods.

There are now two separate nutrient profiles — one for growth and reproduction and one for adult maintenance, instead of just one for all life stages. This allows dog and cat foods made for adult animals only to contain lower amounts of some nutrients, eliminating unnecessary excesses. Also, maximum levels of intake of some nutrients have been established for the first time, because of concern that over nutrition, rather than under nutrition, is a bigger problem with many pet foods today.

The protocols for conducting the feeding trials for dog and cat foods have also been updated. With these improvements, label reference to either the AAFCO nutrient profile or AAFCO feeding trials better assures the consumer of the validity of a “complete and balanced” claim. Endorsements, seals of approval, etc., from other organizations do not add assurances of safety and may be misleading.

Technorati Tags: food, nutritious, recall, Replacement, select

For your dog’s sake, be a bit suspicious. Don’t be convinced by anyone (including me) that what they are trying to sell you is necessarily in your dog’s best interest.

Instead, it may be in their own best interest if they gain a sale from convincing you.

If you’re having a problem getting your head around the idea of raw dog food, then I suggest it’s your problem, not your dog’s.

Dogs evolved on a diet of raw food over millennia. Humans have only recently taken an interest in making dog food.

Do you really imagine, for one moment, that humans have been able to change the domestic dog’s digestive and immune system in fifty odd years?

You may well say that humans have had an impact on the way dogs look, with all the different breeds. Yes, that’s true. But have you also noticed that pedigree dogs are also the most unhealthy? What I call a Heinz 57 dog, is normally much healthier.

So in breeding a selective type of dog, humans have gone against nature, by isolating one or more traits, until the breed becomes what the breeder wants.

And so it is with food. Humans tinker about with food, under the guise of ‘science’. I call it junk science, because there’s nothing scientific about commercial dog food. The word ‘science’ has come to be revered by the majority. Just as the word ‘natural’ is currently enjoying popularity.

So a clever commercial dog food manufacturer will incorporate the word ‘science’ and/or ‘natural’ in the advertising, to lure you in.

That doesn’t mean there’s anything of quality within the packet or can. It could be anything. You have no way of knowing how the food was prepared or what is in each pack.

Raw dog food, on the other hand, contains all the nutrients essential to a healthy dog.

I appreciate that it may take you time to get your head around the idea, because you’ve probably been brought up on the idea that commercial pet food is the healthiest way to go.

If that was true, how cum that dogs health invariably improves when a switch from commercial to raw dog food is made? The only way you’re really going to find out for sure is to try it out yourself.

You may be worried about parasites and bacteria in raw dog food.

Neither of these are an issue for dogs, whose digestive system is very robust, with powerful digestive juices. Dogs aren’t carnivores, they’re omnivores, which means they can eat anything (as long as it’s raw), including vegetation and rotting carcasses.

In fact, you will notice that when you feed a raw dog food, fleas and worms decrease and almost disappear.

Dogs have problems with unnatural foods – those that are cooked, those that contain preservatives. Neither of these are natural. Cooking destroys many vitamins and denatures other nutrients.

I can genuinely assure you, that your dogs health will improve considerably when you start feeding a raw dog food. There may be a ‘de-toxing’ period initially, but this is normal, natural and only takes a short time to go through.

Why not try it for a month and see for yourself? What have you got to lose?

Technorati Tags: food, healthy, It’S, sure

There are quite a few books out there on the topic, as well as a plethora of websites devoted to raw dog food. On many of these, pet owners share their experiences with putting their pets on a raw diet. These sites are a great place to start, and you can get advice and tips from others who have already taken the plunge into raw diets for their dog.

When you are ready to start feeding a raw dog food diet, start simply to let your dog get accustomed to the change. Try chicken or other poultry (with bones, raw bones are fine for your dog – it is important to note however, that you should NEVER feed your dog cooked bones as they may shatter causing serious injury to your pet). After a week or so, you can begin varying the diet a little by incorporating some vegetables – carrots, zucchini and green beans are all good ones to start your dog on. Ground meats can be added at this time too (lean cuts at first, you pet will need a few more weeks before you should begin adding fattier foods to their diet). Before long you can add eggs and liver to the mix.

Supplements are part of the raw dog food plan as well. These usually include, but are not limited to nutritional yeast (available at health food stores), vitamins C and E and sometimes a little oil, especially flax oil – your dog needs their omega fatty acids too. The amounts used will vary by breed and size of dog; this is where research comes in. You’ll want to be well aware of your dog’s specific nutritional needs before embarking on a new diet for them.

An important thing to about vegetables in your raw dog food diet is that they must be crushed or blended. The digestive systems of dogs were not designed to break down cellulose, which is what holds veggies together. Once crushed into a pulp though, their nutrients are available to your dog, and are quite healthy for them.

To prepare your dog for this new and unfamiliar diet though, digestive enzymes and beneficial bacteria (acidophilus and the like) should be added while your dog learns to digest it’s new raw dog food diet. If done properly and with thorough preparation, a raw food diet can be a wonderful thing. You’ll feel great because of the health benefits your dog is receiving, and your dog will notice too and thank you.

Technorati Tags: Diet, food, Switching

The meats used in pet food can be extremely low grade and unfit for human consumption. Summarized as the ‘4 D’s’ (dead, diseased, disabled and dying), these can include roadkill, zoo animals and infected and cancerous meats.

At the rendering plants ingredients are highly heated and processed, destroying nutrients and enzymes, with strong preservatives added which do not appear on the labels. These include fat stabilizers such as BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytolulene), both of which are known to cause liver and kidney dysfunction and Ethoxyquin, a suspected cancer-causing agent. Semi-moist dog foods may also contain propylene glycol, a relation to ethylene glycol (anti-freeze), which can destroy red blood cells.

Pets in your pet food

Though reportedly not the case today, it is well recorded that dogs and cats have ended up in dog and cat food. In his 1990 article How Dogs and Cats Get Recycled Into Pet Food, John Eckhouse, an investigative reporter, wrote: ‘Each year, millions of dead American dogs and cats are processed along with billions of pounds of other animal materials by companies known as renderers. The finished products — tallow and meat meals — serve as raw materials for thousands of items that include cosmetics and pet food.’

Doctor of weterianry medicine Wendell Belfield in Foods Not Fit For a Pet (Earth Island Journal, 1996), reports that ‘federal and state agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and medical groups such as the American Veterinary Medical Association and the California Veterinary Medical Association, confirm that pets, on a routine basis, are rendered after they die in animal shelters or are disposed of by health authorities, and the end product frequently finds its way into pet food.’

Toxic Grains

The very use of grains in pet food is questionable as grains are ill-suited to the digestive physiology of carnivores. This is especially so for cats who are obligatory carnivores and meet their glucose requirements through amino acids in their diet. Further, the grains used in dog and cat foods may contain mycotoxins, fungi that can cause chronic conditions and even death in both humans and animals. As the grains used in pet food are low grade, they are dealt with last in the handling process and because of this are often left in storage where insects, mites and mycotoxic molds can grow.

The consumption of dead mites can cause skin allergies. If your pet has skin allergies, change their diet first before turning to steroids which can be seriously detrimental to your pets health.

Alfatoxin poisoning, a common mycotoxin that grows on corn as well as other foods, has been reported for over 50 years. Vomotoxin is another mycotoxin found in wheat products. Where large doses of mycotoxins can cause cancer and even rapid death, small continuous amounts may suppress the immune system and damage organs over time, leading to long-term chronic health conditions.

Just recently at the end of 2005, over 100 dogs were killed in the United States because of alfatoxin found in pet food, with some 19 brands of Diamond dog food being recalled. It is likely there were many more deaths than those reported, and as alfatoxin attacks the liver it is likely surviving dogs may develop chronic liver disease or liver cancer in the future.

Toxic Chemicals

The toxin sodium pentobarbital, a chemical is used to euthanize animals and pets, has been found in commercial pet foods. The US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine performed two studies (1998 and 2000) to test for pentobarbital. Of the 74 samples analysed, over half were found to contain pentobarbital. What’s more, none of the 43 brands and product lines that tested positive warned of its presence on their labels.

The FDA researchers also tested the food for the presence of dogs or cats but reported none present. It was believed the pentobarbital residues were entering pet foods from euthanized, rendered cattle or even horses.

The FDA say the small amounts of the drug found in these foods were harmless, but not all veterinarians agree. Long-term continual doses, even at small levels may be increase the onset of chronic and degenerative diseases.

Aside from the toxins and base ingredients of commercial pet foods, these harshly processed and high-carbohydrate products in no way match the natural diets dogs and cats would have eaten in the wild. They are species-inappropriate and ill-suited to canine and feline physiology. I recommend healthy, homemade, raw diets or optimum natural, holistic alternatives for the health and well-being of your dog and cat. Before embarking on a raw food diet (otherwise known as BARF – ‘biologically adequate raw food’), thoroughly research the area first as nutritional balance is essential.

Technorati Tags: commercial, Every, food, Horrors, know, Owner, should

What have we been feeding our pets all these years? We’ve all, including Veterinarians like myself, trusted the pet food companies completely. We believed they have always held our pets – and our – best interests to heart. But in the case of the large multinational pet food companies, apparently not.

What we’ve been feeding has obviously not been what’s best for our pets. What we’re seen is shorter life spans, more disease, and more cancer – not healthier pets. While genetics do play a role, our pets are just like us. Garbage in… you know the result.

Pet food company ethics aside, the ultimate question that needs to be answered is this: what is the best food that we can feed our pets? Should we feed home diets, or are there companies that we can still trust? And what about raw food home diets?

The quick, simple answer, regardless of what you choose to do, is this: be informed. Be an informed, educated pet owner, and know what you are feeding your pet. You are your pet’s guardian. You know your pet better than anyone else, including your veterinarian. Your pet’s health is ultimately your responsibility – and that definitely includes what you feed your pet.

If you feed home diets, you’ll clearly know the ingredients, and can find the ultimate sources of the foods you buy. If you feed prepared food (kibble or canned), make sure you know what really goes in that food. Make sure you know the company very well – that they have trustworthy sources for their ingredients, and that they can prove it.

The other consideration, and I am hearing this quite a lot lately, is simplicity and convenience. The main reason prepared pet food became popular in the first place was because of convenience. Many of the dog and cat home diets you see tend to be quite complicated, and this scares many pet owners away.

I also hear many pet owners voicing concerns about home diets, wanting to ensure that they are ‘nutritionally balanced’. And while this is a consideration, the truth is that it’s not difficult to attain.

And again, what about raw food diets? Raw food and all of the apparent concerns (founded or unfounded) are definitely the subject of another article entirely, although it is definitely something I do recommend to some degree. So where does this leave us?

Ideally, I would recommend a switch to home diets, whether raw or cooked. You have the most control (again, in as much as we trust our own food sources) over the ingredients. You see, every day, exactly what you are feeding your pets.

However, the ideal is not always the most practical for many pet owners. There is also a consideration of the transition from completely packaged kibble to home food preparation. Many pet owners are unsure of how to prepare the foods properly, especially when dealing with raw food.

A great way to start, and this is what I am currently doing, is to feed a combination of home diets and packaged kibble. Again, make sure that you trust the company that produces the packaged food – do your own research! But I have found that this works well for most pet owners. Start with a home diet that you are comfortable with and feed it once or twice per week, and go from there. For my own pets, I feed one home cooked diet and one prepared, pre-frozen raw food diet. My dog and cat both love their new diets and are responding very well.

The other benefit of doing a combination is that you are providing a varied diet, something I definitely recommend now. There is not one food – packaged or otherwise – that is going to be perfect for all pets. By varying the diet you will make up for any nutritional imbalances your pet may experience from one particular diet or another.

For home diets, I have several available on my site, “Dr. Andrew Jones’ Inner Circle”, theonlinevet – please see the link in my bio. I’ve also prepared a list of pet food companies that I feel are trustworthy. In addition, I’m in the process of writing a book on pet food that will take on all of the subjects in this article, and provide many home diets and recommendations. Please visit my sites below to sign up for my newsletter if you would like to be notified when the book is available.

Being an informed pet owner includes not only diet, but health in general. I have an e-book and complete home study course on just that – visit Veterinary Secrets Revealed for more information.

To your pet’s good health…

Technorati Tags: best, food

For some 25 years I have alerted the public to the dangers of exclusively feeding heat processed foods. Companion animal feeding has progressed – actually digressed – from table scraps and real foods the family could spare to today’s “100 % complete” processed foods in primarily kibble form, with some canned and semi-moist also available. The foods appear to be scientific and improved, but they’re far worse for the animals. Not only is nutrient value diminished by heat, but a spectrum of toxins is created. Additionally, the singular feeding of processed food has led to the spurious “100% complete and balanced” claim that is both logically and scientifically flawed.

Entrepreneurs have seized upon this information to create a spate of raw frozen (RF) foods to capture a market niche and to fill the demand from consumers wanting a raw alternative to standard heat processed canned, semi-moist and dried pet foods. This market trend, as with most others, may begin with some truth (raw food is the best food) but gets distorted, if not perverted, once economic opportunity enters the picture. This paper will examine the rationale of these products, their economics and dangers. A more intelligent and healthy alternative will be proposed.

Dangers

1. Weakened Pets And Highly Virulent Organisms – A raw state and the presence of moisture in food provide the perfect environment for the growth of pathogenic organisms. Although prey foods in the wild often putrefy and are teeming with microorganisms, carnivores in the wild are immunologically adapted to these organisms and even benefit from the probiotic effects of some. On the other hand, domestic pets eating sterilized heat processed foods are immunologically compromised and are threatened by mutated and highly virulent pathogenic strains created by modern circumstances and antibiotic resistance. Freezing at appropriate temperatures puts pathogens in a state of arrest but does not eliminate them. Although all foods contain some pathogens, unless they are sterilized (requiring high heat or other measures that greatly diminish the nutritional value and create toxins), it is the load of these pathogens that must be of concern to consumers. RF foods are a potential reservoir and vector of large numbers of pathogens.

2. Producers With Only Kitchen Technology – Because of the minimal technology required to produce a RF pet food, essentially anyone regardless of credentials or expertise can bring a product to market. All one needs to do is grind and mix ingredients in a kitchen, package and put in a freezer. There are no controls over the conditions in the kitchen, the quality of the ingredients or the method of freezing. All these factors can dramatically influence the nutritional value and pathogenic and toxic content of the food. But being in a frozen state hides these potential dangers and therefore poses a threat to both pets and the humans who handle the foods. John Doe can make a food under unknown conditions and with unknown ingredients, label, package, freeze and deliver to consumers or stores without one single control monitoring or impeding the process. Regulators may eventually examine the label if they happen to see it in a store (they will never see it if shipped directly to consumers) and object to some terminology or the like; but, all John needs to do is change the label and all will be well. The product could contain every manner of ingredient, be laced with virulent pathogens, and receive the aegis of regulators … and into the market it goes.

3. Raw Frozen Foods Are Not “100% Complete” – Many RF foods make (or imply) the same spurious 100% complete claim as heat processed foods and thus carry with them the same health dangers. Feeding any food exclusively, let alone a nondescript packaged food containing who-knows-what from who-knows what manufacturing environment, is a bad choice if health and safety are of concern. (See The Truth About Pet Foods by Dr. Wysong).

4. Problems Are Ignored By Producers – RF food pathogens include not only bacteria, but fungi, viruses and parasites. Toxins include those from molds (mycotoxins), bacteria and those created by oxidation. In our study of RF products in the stream of commerce, not one producer addressed these concerns with any technological know-how that we could discern, and most did not even acknowledge the problems potentially lurking in their foods.

5. Freezing Masks Inedibles – Raw meat and organ tissue continues to use ATP (source of energy) until it is exhausted and the tissue enters a state of rigor. Endogenous enzymatic activity within the tissue continues to digest the muscle tissue (proteolysis), softening it until it becomes tender and develops the typical palatable taste. This process is retarded by cold. The freezing of properly aged meat presents few problems, however, any residual ATP present in the tissue during freezing will contract the muscle upon thawing resulting in a more unpalatable product. Mixed RF foods would hide this problem.

6. Free Radical Problems Masked – Essential fatty acids and other health enhancing lipids are critical in the diet. Once foods are ground, mixed, exposed to air, light and pro-oxidants such as heme iron and other metals found in plant and animal tissue, the contained lipids are oxidized to chain reaction producing free-radicals, causing rancidity and oxidant toxins. Freezing at appropriately low temperatures slows this process but does not stop it. The temperature in conventional freezers used for RF foods is not insurance against such oxidation. Because the frozen state masks olfactory detection of rancidity, foods that would be otherwise rejected end up being consumed. The free-radical pathology potential can then work its chronic degenerative disease and immune weakening effects.

7. Freezer Burn Indicates A More Serious Problem – Air reaching the meat surface is the cause for the freezer burns that result in the typical grayish-brown leathery spots. Frozen water on the surface or just beneath it sublimates (from solid state directly to vapor) into the air, causing moisture to be lost from the meat over time resulting in discoloration and a dry, leathery texture. Proper packaging helps maintain quality and prevent freezer burn, however most packaging is permeable to air. The prevalence of freezer burn in RF products speaks to the fact that the product is being oxidized and with that creating free radical toxins to lay the seeds for various degenerative diseases.

8. Display Packaging Causes Free Radicals – Light, as well as air, can promote free radical production. Retail display packaging that is clear or light permeable permits light to catalyze the free radical (disease promoting) process.

9. Frozen Products Are Not Inert To Degradation – In frozen storage there is deterioration in organoleptic quality – meat texture, fat turning granular and crumbly, and discoloration. Microbial enzymes also remain active, especially lipases that break down fats increasing their susceptibility to oxidation.

10. Frozen Foods Can Lead To Acidemia – Tissue degradation and oxidation under high heat freezing (above 29° F), which occurs along the supply chain with most RF products, also leads to acidification. Increasing acid consumption can contribute to acidemia that lies at the base of virtually every chronic degenerative disease plaguing modern pets. (See reference below.)

11. Temperature And Time Are Critical – Ice nucleation, as opposed to ice crystallization, is the primary vector in producing a stable, tasty, frozen product. Freezing is a technically complex process based on the optimum combination of temperature and time, amongst other factors. In the wrong processor’s hands, slips in proper freezing care can lead to a microbiologically unstable product and/or a sensory inferior one. Rapid freezing leads to nucleation, thereby preventing undesirable large ice crystals from forming throughout the product. With rapid freezing the molecules don’t have time to form positions in the characteristic six-sided snowflake, so nucleation overrides crystallization. On the other hand, slow freezing (the usual RF situation) creates large ice crystals, which on thawing causes cellular damage to the meat. This in turn causes meat to “drip” – lose juiciness – and form a perfect liquid medium for bacterial growth.

12. The High Risk In Thawing – Thawing is another critical phase in the freezing process as it involves a change from crystal ice to melted water, which upon reabsorption results in microbial reactivation. Pathogenic bacteria inherently contaminate raw meat, fish, and poultry and will begin to multiply again when the temperature reaches just 29.3º F – which is below freezing! Thus a product that may appear subjectively frozen could be a veritable incubator of pathogens. When consumers attempt to thaw RF foods, dangers dramatically increase. The surface temperature rises long before the interior is sufficiently thawed to serve. For example, it takes about 15 hours for the middle of a 22-pound turkey to get to 32º F. In the interim the surface temperature rises to 53º F. In this amount of time there would be about 4 multiplications

of spoilage bacteria as well as non-detectable multiplications of pathogens. The FDA Model Food Code (1999) recommends that food be thawed in the refrigerator or in flowing water. Thawing RF food in the refrigerator can be inefficient and time consuming, in addition to occupying refrigeration space required for other food items. Most of all, this lengthy procedure can lead to the risk of cross-contamination when the drip from the raw meat comes in contact with ready-to-eat food stored in the refrigerator. In the alternative, consumers usually put the RF food out at room temperature, creating the perfect circumstance for pathogen proliferation.

13. Undetected Freeze-Thaw Cycles – The transit time of RF food from the processor (or John Doe’s kitchen) to the distributor, to the stores and eventually to the consumer is very critical. Although freezer delivery trucks might putatively maintain stable product temperatures, lack of thermocouples fitted in the truck to show temperature readings, and/or inadequate TTIs (time-temperature indicators) can lead to microbiologically infested products without any visible spoilage signs. If the refrigeration in any part of the supply chain fails temporarily and then goes back to frozen (freeze-thaw-freeze), the consumer would never know of this abuse and danger.

14. Supply Chain Time Dangers – Time is the enemy of nutrition and safety. The longer the time between the farmer’s field and the belly, the greater the potential problems. RF foods create the illusion that time is not a factor. Because the frozen state masks toxins and odors, the consumer can be given the impression of value and freshness when, in fact, they may be getting age and toxicity.

15. Microwave Thawing Dangers – If RF foods are thawed in the microwave as a matter of convenience, the value of the food is greatly compromised. Microwaves can virtually boil the liquid phase within cells and electromagnetically alter important food components rendering them not only useless nutritionally, but toxic as well.

16. Mycotoxins Go Undetected – RF foods, particularly those that are a mix of cooked grains (which of course negates the claim for “rawness”) and vegetables, can contain mycotoxins. None of the producers surveyed addressed this problem.

17. Frozen Product Mixtures Make No Health Sense – In an attempt to cover every conceivable base and not miss any opportunity for profit, many RF producers mix every manner of ingredient. For example, watermelon, grains, persimmons, liver, lamb, etc. Not only would creatures in the wild never eat such a mixed gruel at one sitting, such combinations in the fresh state can cause serious digestive stress. Many of the exotic RF ingredients do not keep well in the fresh frozen state (for example, freeze watermelon alone and see what happens, let alone combining it with meat). Also, the combination of fruit sugars with proteins can potentially create toxins such as glycation end products, acrylamides (particularly in those “RF” foods containing cooked carbohydrates) and reaction products of proteins with plant tannins, phenols and flavonoids. Producers “throwing the book” at RF formulations in desperate attempts to capture

market share make evident their motives and their scientific, health and technical naiveté.

18. Parasites Are Ignored – A wide range of parasites can be found within RF foods. Although there is technology in terms of freezing and natural ingredients that can be used to thwart this problem, none of the producers examined employed any of it that we could detect.

Packaging

The best packaging for any food, particularly RF foods, is light- and oxygen-barrier and modified atmosphere flushed. In the absence of this, oxidation proceeds rendering the lipids toxic. None of the producers surveyed employed these technologies that we could detect. Even if they did, the other problems and dangers listed above would remain.

Environmental

We live in an age of pollution and energy diminishment. RF foods require a tremendous amount of refrigeration and equipment all along the supply path. Freezing is energy inefficient and consumes valuable energy resources. Since RF foods are 70% water (at least) there are huge resources wasted in freezing and transporting the tons of this food-contained water through the supply chain. Along with all the equipment, trucking, freezing and frozen water handling inefficiency comes the pollution that parallels such industry.

Quality

In order to make their foods anywhere near affordable, RF producers must search the ingredient market for items that can carry the name of real food but may in fact be only a hollow shell of the real thing. Inferior meat and organ ingredients, heat processed grains and vegetable riffraff (for example “broccoli” on a label may really be broccoli stems – like eating a branch from an apple tree rather than the apple) are used because they are of low cost. That is not to say the marketing brochures and labels do not make it appear as though the brand is not a true gourmet meal. If one reviews the various labels it becomes clear that the race is on to see who can put the fanciest and most exotic ingredients on labels … as if that is the road to pet health. (It is not.) In a brief ingredient survey this is what we found:

Every manner of “pureed” vegetable

Organic beef, rabbit, chicken, turkey, goat, lamb, duck, pork

Organic honey

Organic papaya, persimmons, blueberries, oranges, apples, pears

Organic yogurt

Organic alfalfa, millet, quinoa and barley sprouts

Wheat grass

Nettles

Bok choy

Cultured kefir

Cod liver oil

Capsicum

Watermelon

The reader is challenged to go to the store and total up the cost of such ingredients. Some of the organic ingredients can cost over $15 per pound. But the RF diets containing them can retail for as little as $2-4 per pound. Take away margins for distributors and retail stores and the producer is selling them wholesale for close to a dollar per pound. Now on top of the cost of ingredients is the production, advertising, packaging, freezing and in some cases a sales force making six figures. Something most certainly does not add up. The only thing that can be missing is true ingredient quality. But how can the label say these expensive ingredients are in the food? All the producer needs to do is put in pinches of the expensive ingredients just to say they are there.

The only economic hope for a RF producer is to create the perception of “value added.” They simply could not put the costly ingredients in the food to any degree and make a profit for themselves and all the middlemen up and down the chain. The price they would have to charge would be ridiculous. In effect, in order to be successful, producers must become accomplished at propaganda, not health and nutrition.

Consumers interested in cutting through to the truth do themselves and their pets a service by going to the grocery store with a list of the ingredients ostensibly in a RF diet. Although some RF diets in the lower price range appear to not be attempting to mislead, consumers should do the math comparing the exotic ingredients in

RF pet foods to the prices for the real thing in the store and decide for themselves whether either value or honesty resides in RF products.

Economics

Consumers are under the mistaken assumption that a nondescript package mix of ingredients with an officious label and from a producer posing as a nutritional authority (none of the producers we examined had people at the helm with expertise or credentials) would be the best choice. Little do they realize that they could avoid essentially all of the caveats listed above by simply going to the grocer and buying fresh meats and produce. Pets do not require every nutrient in existence at every meal, as is the impression given by the 100% complete RF producers, and for that matter the rest of the pet food industry. Why would people choose to pay a producer to mix inferior ingredients, package them, label them, freeze them, transport them, advertise them and pay the margin for the producer, the distributor, sales force and the retailer when they can avoid all that cost and put their money into real quality fresh foods? Some people are so convinced that RF manufacturers perform some sort of magic that they will pay to have such foods put in special insulated containers packed with dry ice and overnight delivered! This is particularly ridiculous when one considers that no real convenience – and certainly no health or nutritional value – is added in the process. The consumer still has to go to the store and buy something.

At the grocer a person can buy fresh, raw, untainted meats and produce appropriate for pet carnivores at less than $1 per pound. Slightly out-of-date meats, sale items, trimmings or other still excellent products that cannot be put in the meat case can be even less. True, if you are to purchase the ingredients listed above in perfect human grade organic form (as many RF producers boast) the cost could be far greater. But at least you would know what you are getting. RF foods can cost as much as $7 per pound with an average of about $3-4 per pound (not including shipping to the customer’s door) and most of that cost is going into freezing, transportation and profits through a whole chain of participants. Here is a case where a consumer gets to pay more (a whole lot more) and get less (a whole lot less). Isn’t marketing a wonderful thing?

A Better Alternative

Fresh foods fed in variety are without question the perfect form of nutrition. Appropriately designed supplements to help reduce the risk of food-borne pathogens and oxidation, and to help balance high meat meals and provide a spectrum of vegetable-based nutrients and nutraceuticals can also be of great benefit. Anything less than this is a compromise. The next best alternative is packaged dried raw foods that have incorporated in them food technology to impede pathogens, parasites and oxidation. The low water activity of these products is a great inhibitor of pathogens and the low level of moisture make storage and shipping efficient and environmentally friendly. Good quality table scraps and properly designed dried extruded and canned foods can be mixed into the diet rotation with benefit as well.

Consumers must learn the principles of fresh foods fed in variety and to trust in nature. Every pet owner desires the best for a beloved pet, and is correct in thinking food is an essential element in achieving that goal. But it is incorrect to believe that another person can do more for their pet’s health than they can do themselves. All that is required is a little understanding and use of common sense.

[ NOTE: To that end, the Wysong Institute makes available a free e-Health Letter, a free one-hour CD entitled, “The Thinking Person’s Master Key To Health,” healthy product alternatives designed intelligently with health as the number one objective, and books and recipes for anyone wanting to take control of their own and their family’s and pet’s health.

www.wysonginstitute.org

References:

Cano-Muñoz, G. (1991). Manual on meat cold store operation and management. FAO Animal Production And Health Paper 92. Food and Agriculture Organization of The United Nations, Rome.

FDA Food Code (1999). U.S. Public Health Service, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. Pub. No. PB99-115925. Washington, D.C. 20250

Food Safety and Inspection Service (2004). FOCUS ON: Freezing. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Washington, D.C. 20250

Klose, A.A., Lineweaver, H., and Palmer, H.H. (1968). Thawing turkeys at ambient air temperature. Food Tech. 22:1310-1314.

Muldrew, K. and McGann, L.E. (1999). Cryobiology – A Short Course.

http://www.ucalgary.ca/~kmuldrew/cryo_course/cryo_chap13_1.html

Snyder, O. P. (1999). Thawing At Ambient Temperature On The Counter. Hospitality Institute of Technology and Management, St. Paul, MN.

Wysong, R. L. (2004). Nutrition is a Serious Health Matter: The serious responsibility of manufacturing and selling. Wysong Institute, Midland, MI.

Wysong, R. L. (1990). Lipid Nutrition: Understanding Fats and Oils in Health and Disease. Midland, MI: Inquiry Press.

Wysong R. L. (1993). Rationale for Animal Nutrition. Midland, MI: Inquiry Press.

Wysong, R. L. (2000-2005). Wysong e-Health Letter. Wysong Institute, Midland, MI. For subscriptions:

http://www.wysong.net/subscribehl.shtml,

and archived at

http://www.wysong.net/archivesehl.shtml

Wysong, R. L. (2002). The Truth About pet foods. Midland, MI: Inquiry Press.

Wysong, R. L. (2003, January 14). What to do to reverse and prevent acidemia. The Wysong e-Health Letter. http://www.wysong.net/health/post_101_011403.shtml Wysong Institute, Midland, MI.

Wysong, R. L. (2004). The Thinking Person’s Master Key to Health (60 Minute CD Discussion). Wysong Institute, Midland, MI.

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.

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