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The Dangers of
Commercial Pet Food
By Colleen
Paige
Many pets are called to
their bowl day in and day out, thinking that they notice a new and
refreshing twinkle in the eye of their server who just might decide that
today is the day they will eat caviar. Unfortunately the only difference
today is that the food has been doused with warm water, as if the owner
expects the pet to shout, “Gravy! Yes! Rich, thick, hearty gravy with
subtle undertones of rosemary and garlic!” Once again, poor Rupert is left
at the bowl with perpetual faith that tomorrow will offer a different
menu.
You don’t have to spend half your day preparing real food for your pets
(and preparing for the dent it causes in your wallet), and you also don’t
have to feed them poor quality pet food either! Cheap, commercial pet food
can be the sole cause of behavior problems, illness and allergies and end
up costing you more in vet and pet training bills down the road. Just as
it's important for humans to incorporate a healthy diet into their
lifestyle, it is just as important that your furry kids eat high quality
food, because on the whole, they eat virtually the same thing, day in and
day out. Today, we're learning more and more about the dangers of poor
quality pet food, food that’s primarily filler, sugar, and chemicals.
A large number of people are allergic to corn and wheat without even
realizing it. Many pets suffer from corn and wheat allergies, creating
long-term chronic illness, infections, behavior problems and intestinal
distress. Corn and wheat also create a sugar high in your pets after
eating. Take dogs for instance. Sugar in dog food the effects the way your
dog learns. It also affects your dogs’ mood as well as energy levels. Many
dog foods contain sugars like corn syrup. This sugar high can cause a dog
to be very hyper and lack the focus he needs to learn. Many dogs are
believed to have a form of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
but not much research has been done about this disorder in dogs and owners
continue to think that their dogs are just being misbehaved and
uncooperative.
It's common for dogs to have an energy cycle which gives them more energy
in the morning and the evening, with the afternoon hours left for sleeping
and resting. A couple of hours after the dog receives sugar, he will then
get a sugar low. This sugar low will make him sleepy, lethargic, moody,
irritable and in some cases, a feeling of malaise. The other symptoms of a
sugar low is hunger and in the case of the dog who only eats in the
morning and the evening and is left alone by himself during the day, this
hunger is not satisfied. A hungry dog exhibits behavior problems as a
direct result of frustration and attention disorders because of a lack of
proper nutrition.
ADHD is a neurobiological disorder. Recent research shows that the
symptoms of ADHD are caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. When you
take dog food, and you fill it with corn and wheat and sugar and
chemicals, of course there has to be some imbalance! Here is an example of
how this disorder interferes with a dog's focus. Each brain cell has an
axon, the part of the cell that sends messages to other cells. It also has
many dendrites, the part of the cell that receives messages from other
cells. There is a space between the axon and the next brain cell, as they
don’t connect or touch each other. This space is known as a Neural Gap.
Because the nerve endings don’t actually touch one another, important
chemicals called neurotransmitters carry messages from the axon to the
dendrites. With ADD and ADHD, there is a short circuit in the way the
brain deals with the neurotransmitter production, storage or flow, causing
the imbalance. Combining this physiological disorder with allergies, sugar
and chemicals makes for a foggy brain and compromises even short-term
memory.
Corn, wheat and sugar are not the only components of pet food that one
must be wary of. The USDA loosely regulates the by-products that go into
pet food; therefore most people have no idea that the food their feeding
their pet can actually be detrimental to their health. The by-products
included in pet food contain the following; sterilized cancerous tumors,
brain matter, intestines, lung tissue, beaks, eyes, tongue etc. The
unhealthy elements of low quality cat food can cause a cat to have urinary
cystitis and crystals in the bladder which, if left unnoticed and
untreated, can cause kidney failure and death.
There are also many chemical preservatives in pet food that are
unnecessary in this day and age, to use. Three likely chemical
preservatives you'll find in dog food are BHA, BHT, and Ethoxyquin. Human
food contains BHA and BHT, however we aren’t eating the same food day in
and day out for 15 years containing these chemicals. It's one thing to
have a snack every day which contains these chemical preservatives; it’s
another thing to ingest them with every meal. BHA and BHT have been
scientifically proven to cause cancerous tumors in animals. Most people
are unaware of this and are horrified to learn this during a consultation
and not only start to focus more attention on their pets’ diet, but theirs
as well.
Ethoxyquin was first used as a rubber stabilizer in the 1950s. It has also
been used as a pesticide and insecticide. Originally it was used to
preserve alfalfa clover and grasses for livestock feed. Since pet food
falls under the same category as "feed”, it has been a common ingredient
in pet food which helps to prevent oxidization and rancidity. Ethoxyquin
is not used as a preservative for humans, except to "promote color
retention" in paprika and ground chili pepper with a maximum concentration
of 100 ppm.
People who worked with Ethoxyquin in the rubber industry, showed a
dramatic rise in such diseases as liver/kidney damage, cancerous skin
lesions, hives, allergies, loss of hair, blindness, leukemia, fetal
abnormalities and chronic gastrointestinal distresses such as chronic
diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome. Its symptoms and diseases vary from
immune deficiency problems, thyroid and gland disorders, spleen, stomach
and liver cancer, and much more. Studies indicate that three out of four
pets have or will have cancer by middle age. This rising threat has to be
stopped and public awareness must be stressed.
The maximum allowable “safe” Ethoxyquin residue in eggs, meat, and fruits
for human consumption is 0.5 ppm. In pet food, the maximum allowable
concentration of Ethoxyquin is 150 ppm. Now considering that dogs and cats
are much smaller than people and yet, maximum concentration of this
chemical is much lower in human food, how is it safe for a dog or cat
weighing as little as eight pounds, to ingest this every day? As BHA and
BHT have been proven to promote tumors, Ethoxyquin is still questionable,
but why take a chance, when there are all natural alternatives such as
vitamin E or ascorbic acid, more commonly known as, vitamin C?
The reason that most pet food companies don’t preserve their food with
vitamin E or C is because these natural preservatives don’t hold up as
long to prevent oxidation and spoilage. Large pet food manufacturers like
the ones you see at the supermarket, distribute a large quantity of food
all over the world. This food is often prone to sit for long periods of
time on store shelves or in a warehouse where extreme temperatures can
alter the quality of the product. Whereas, with smaller, all natural pet
food manufacturers, the production quantity is much less than that of
commercial pet food, therefore much more capable of staying fresh until
sold. To buy dog food that is preserved with Mixed Tocopherols (a form of
Vitamin E) and leave it sitting on the shelf for six months will
definitely compromise the nutritional value and palatability of the food,
so it's best to use the food right away.
Pet food labels are regulated by two agencies. The Federal regulations,
which are enforced by the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM),
establishes standards applicable for all animal food. They regulate the
identification of the product, manufacturer's address, proper ingredient
listing and the net quantity statement. Enforcement of labeling
regulations can also differ from State to State. Many of these States have
adopted the standard pet food regulations established by the Association
of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). These regulations are more
specific in nature, covering the aspects of pet food labeling such as the
product name, the guaranteed analysis, the nutritional adequacy statement,
feeding directions, and calorie statements.
All ingredients are required to be listed in order of predominance by
weight. That does not necessarily mean that the first ingredient is the
main component of the food. The weights of ingredients are determined as
they are added in the formulation, including their water content. For
example, one pet food may list "meat" as its first ingredient, and "corn"
as it’s second. The manufacturer doesn't hesitate to point out that its
competitor lists "corn" first ("meat meal" is second), suggesting the
competitor's product has less animal-source protein than its own. However,
meat is very high in moisture (approximately 75% water). On the other
hand, water and fat are removed from meat meal, so it is only 10% moisture
(what's left is mostly protein and minerals). If we could compare both
products on a dry matter basis, we could see that the second product had
more animal protein from meat meal than the first product had from meat,
even though the ingredient list suggests otherwise.
This is not to say that the second product has more "meat" than the first,
or in fact, any meat at all. Meat meal is not meat per se, since most of
the fat and water have been removed by rendering. Ingredients must be
listed by their "common or usual" name. Most ingredients on dog food
labels have a corresponding definition in the AAFCO Official Publication.
For example, "meat" is defined as the "clean flesh of slaughtered mammals
and is limited to the striate muscle with or without the overlying fat and
the portions of the sinew, skin, nerve and blood vessels which normally
accompany the flesh."
On the other hand, "meat meal" is "the rendered product from animal
tissues, exclusive of any blood, hair, horn, hide, manure (digest),
stomach and rumen contents." In addition to the processing, it could also
contain parts of animals that would really not be even considered as
"meat." Meat meal, however undesirable as it sounds to eat, is usually
more nutritious.
Lovely. Makes me want my pets to be come vegan. Think I’ll just eat salad
today.
Normally towards the bottom of the list are ingredients that no one can
pronounce unless they’re a scientist! These ingredients are usually
vitamins, minerals, artificial colors, artificial flavors and
preservatives. Below is a short breakdown of some of the label
definitions.
Guaranteed Analysis
At the very least, a pet food label must state guarantees for the minimum
percentages of crude protein and fat, and the maximum percentages of crude
fiber and moisture. The "crude" term refers to the specific method of
testing the product, not to the quality of the nutrient itself.
Feeding Directions
Feeding directions help the pet owner to determine how much to feed a
certain food and how often. This is generally determined by the pets’ age
and weight. Certain factors like age, weight, health status such as
pregnancy, lactation or compromised kidneys, environment, exercise and
type of food given should be taken into consideration when feeding your
pet.
Other Label Claims
Many pet foods are labeled as "premium," "super premium" and "ultra
premium." Other products are labeled as "gourmet". Premium or gourmet
foods are not required to contain any different quality ingredients, and
they are not held up to any higher nutritional standards than their
competitor’s products.
"Natural" is not the same as "organic." The latter term refers to the
conditions under which the plants were grown or animals were raised. There
are no official rules governing the labeling of organic foods (for humans
or pets) at this time, but the United States Department of Agriculture is
developing regulations dictating what types of pesticides, fertilizers and
other substances can be used in organic farming. Practically any food you
choose from a neighborhood pet food store will be safe for your pet. Ask
the employee there to recommend a food void of corn, wheat, soy, added
sugar, BHT, BHA, Ethoxyquin and by-products. Your pets will love you for
it!
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