Monday, July 13, 2009

What's Really In Your Dogs Dinner?

The Truth About Commercial Pet Food
by Tina Perry

Cow brains. Sheep guts. Chicken heads. Road kill. Rancid grain. (Bloggers Note: EUTHANIZED Pets!) These are a few of the so-called nutritionally balanced ingredients found in the commercial pet food served to companion animals every day.
More than 95 percent of US companion animals derive their nutritional needs from a single source: processed pet food. When people think of pet food, many envision whole chickens, choice cuts of beef, fresh grains, and all the nutrition that a dog or cat may ever need -- images that pet food manufacturers promote in their advertisements. What these companies do not reveal is that instead of whole chickens they have substituted chicken heads, feet, and intestines. Those choice cuts of beef are really cow brains, tongues, esophagi, fetal tissue dangerously high in hormones, and possibly diseased and even cancerous meat. Those whole grains have had the starch removed for corn starch powder and the oil extracted for corn oil, or they are hulls and other remnants from the milling process. Grains used that are truly whole have usually been deemed unfit for human consumption because of mold, contaminants, poor quality, or poor handling practices. Pet food is one of the worlds most synthetic edible products, containing virtually no whole ingredients.

Pet food manufacturers have become masters at inducing companion animals to eat things cat and dogs would normally spurn. Pet food scientists have learned that it's possible to take a mixture of inedible scraps, fortify it with artificial vitamins and minerals, preserve it so that it can sit on the shelf for more than a year, add dyes to make it attractive, and then extrude it into whimsical shapes that appeal to the human consumer. For this, pet food companies can expect to earn $9 billion in sales in 1996.

Scraps and Byproducts
For years, many care givers have tried to avoid feeding their companion animals people food leftovers, having been warned by veterinarians about the heath problems they can cause. Yet much scrap material from the human food industry is ending up in dogs and cats dinner bowls. What the consumer purchases and what the manufacturer advertises are often two entirely different products, and this difference threatens the animals healthy, especially as they age. Learning to read ingredient labels and taking the time to read them carefully is crucial to making an educated choice when purchasing pet food. Ingredients are listed in descending order of weight (heaviest first) under standards established by the Center for Veterinary Medicine for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The name of the product (in most states) is dictated by the regulations of the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). The trouble is, AAFCO standards can lead to deceptive product names due to the weight and volume variations between wet and dry ingredients. Also, the average consumer has no idea what the definitions for the listed ingredients mean. Preservatives, vitamins, minerals, flavorings, and cereal make up most of what the companion animal eats.
It is not happenstance that four of the top five major pet food companies in the United States are subsidiaries of major multinational food production companies: Colgate Palmolive (which produces Hills Science Diet), Heinz, Nestle, and Mars )see The Corporate Connection). From a business standpoint, multi-national food companies owning pet food manufacturers is an ideal relationship. The multinationals have captive market in which to dump their waste products, and the pet food manufacturers have a direct source of bulk materials. Both make a profit from selling scraps that originate from places far worse than the dinner table. In his 1986 book Pet Allergies veterinarian Al Plechner sums up what goes into companion animals food: Condemned parts and animals rejected for human consumption are routinely rerouted for commercial pet foods. A similar fate applies to so-called 4-D animals. These are food animals picked up dead, or that are dying, diseased, or disabled, and do not meet human-food qualifications. They are processed straightaway for companion animal consumption. Little goes to waste. Says Plechner, Food processing refuse of all sorts winds up in your animals dinner bowls. Moldy grains. Rancid foods. Meat meal. The latter is ground-up slaughterhouse discards often containing disease-ridden tissue and high levels of hormones and pesticides, the very things that may have contributed to the death of the steer or hog. A decade later, his words still apply. When cattle, swine, chickens, lambs, or other animals meet their ends at a slaughterhouse, the choice cuts -- lean muscle tissue and organs prized by humans -- are trimmed away from the carcass for human consumption. Whatever remains of the carcass (bones, blood, pus, intestines, ligaments, subcutaneous fat, hooves, horns, beaks, and any other parts not normally consumed by humans) is, according to the pet food industry, perfectly fit as a protein source for cat and dog food.

The Pet Food Institute, the trade association of pet food manufacturers, acknowledges in its 1994 Fact Sheet the importance of using byproducts in pet foods as additional income for processors and farmers. The purchase and use of these ingredients by the pet food industry not only provides nutritional foods for pets at reasonable costs, but provides an important source of income to American farmers and processors of meat, poultry, and seafood products for human consumption. Many of these remnants are indigestible and provide a questionable source of nutrition. The amount of nutrition provided by meat byproducts, meals, and digests varies from vat to vat of this animal protein soup. A vat filled with chicken feet, beaks, and viscera is going to make available a lower amount of protein than a vat of breast meat. James Morris and Quinton Rogers, professors with Department of Molecular Biosciences at the University of California at Davis Veterinary School of Medicine, assert that there is virtually no information on the bio-availability of nutrients for companion animals in many of the common dietary ingredients used in pet foods. These ingredients are generally byproducts of the meat, poultry and fishing industries, with the potential for wide variation in nutrient composition. Claims of nutritional adequacy of pet foods based on the current AAFCO nutrient allowances (profiles) do not give assurances of nutritional adequacy and will not until ingredients are analyzed and bioavailability values are incorporated. Meat byproducts, the catch-all term of the pet food industry, is a misnomer because these byproducts contain little if any meat. Byproducts contain little if any meat. Byproduct are animal parts leftover after the meat has been stripped from the bone. Chicken byproducts include heads, feet, entrails, lungs, spleens, kidneys, brains, livers, stomachs, noses, blood, and intestines free of their contents. What the pet food manufactures fail to mention is that most byproducts, digests and meals are also filled with other substances, such as cancerous tissue cut from the carcass, plastic foam packaging containing spoiled meat from supermarkets, ear tags, spoiled slaughterhouse meat, road kill, and pieces of downer animals.

Canned Cannibalism
Another source of meat that isn't mentioned on pet food labels is pet byproducts, the bodies of dogs and cats. In 1990 the San Francisco Chronicle reported that euthanized companion animals were found in pet foods. Although pet food company executives and the National Renderers Association vehemently denied the report, the American Veterinary Medical Association and the FDA confirmed the story. The pets serve a viable purpose by providing foodstuff for the animal feed chain, said Lea McGovern, chief of the FDA's animal feed safety branch. Because of the sheer volume of animals rendered and the similarity in protein content between poultry byproducts and processed dogs and cats, rendering plant workers say it would be impossible for purchasers to know the exact contents of what they buy. In fact, Sacramento Rendering cited by inspectors five times in the past two years for product-labeling violations.

Grease and Grain
The most nutritious dry pet food is no better than the worst if an animals will not eat it. Pet food scientists have discovered that spraying the kibble or pellets with a combination of refined animal fat, lard, kitchen grease, and other oils too rancid or deemed inedible for humans makes an otherwise bland or distasteful product palatable. Animal fat is mainly packing house waste or supermarket trimmings from the packaging of meats. Animals love the taste of this sprayed fat, which also acts as a binding agent to which manufacturers may add other flavor enhancers. The pungent odor wafting from an open bag of pet food is created by this concoction. Restaurant grease has become a major component of feed-grade animal fat over the last 15 years. Often held in 50-gallon drums for weeks or months in extreme temperatures, this grease is usually kelp outside with no regard for its safety or further use. The rancid grease is then picked up by fat blenders who mix the animal and vegetable fats together, stabilize them with powerful antioxidants to prevent further spoilage, and then sell the blended products to pet food companies. Rancid, heavily preserved fats are extremely difficult to digest and can lead to a host of animal health problems, including digestive upsets, diarrhea, gas, and bad breath. Once considered a filler by the pet food industry, the amount of grain products included in pet food has risen over the last decade as the American population has focused its attention away from consuming beef and toward a healthier diet of grains and vegetables. Commonly two of the top three pet food ingredients are some form of grain products. For instance, Alpo's Beef Flavored Dinner lists ground yellow corn, soybean meal, and poultry byproduct meal as its top three ingredients. 9 Lives Crunchy Meals lists ground yellow corn, corn gluten meal, and poultry byproduct meal as its top three ingredients. Of the top four ingredients of Purina's O.N.E. Dog Formula -- chicken, ground yellow corn, ground wheat, and corn gluten meal -- two are corn-based products from the same source. This is an industry practice known as splitting. When components of the same whole ingredient are listed separately (ground yellow corn and corn gluten meal) it appears that there is less corn than chicken, even when the whole ingredient may weigh more than the chicken. Soy is another common ingredient in many pet foods. It is used by the manufacturers to boost the claimed protein content and add bulk so that when animals eat a product containing soy they will fell more sated. Tofu is suitable for humans, but most forms of soybean do not agree with a dog or cat's digestive system. Like many other pet food ingredients, soy is virtually unusable by an animal's body. Being obligate carnivores, cats have little ability to digest any nutrients from soy. The problem is worse for dogs because they lack the essential amino acid to digest soy products. Soy has also been linked to bloat and gas in many dogs.

Additives and Processing
Pet food industry critics note that many of the ingredients (such as corn syrup and corn gluten meal) used as humectants to prevent oxidation also bind water molecules in such a way that the food actually sticks to the animal's colon and may cause blockage. Blockage of the colon may cause an increased risk of cancer of the colon or rectum. Two-thirds of the pet food manufactured in the United States contains synthetic preservatives added by the manufacturer. Of the remaining third, 90 percent includes ingredients already stabilized by synthetic preservatives. Because most pet food contains large percentages of added fat, a stabilizer is needed to maintain the quality of the food. Sodium nitrite, often used as a coloring agent, fixative, and preservative, has the ability to combine with natural stomach and food chemicals (secondary amends) to create nitrosamines, powerful cancer-causing agents, according to A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives.
Many pet foods advertised as preservative-free do not contain preservatives. Almost all rendered meats have synthetic preservatives added as stabilizer, but manufacturers aren't required to list preservatives they themselves haven't added. Premixed vitamin additives can also contain preservatives. In the 1003 Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, veterinarian Philip Roudebush reported finding low concentrations of synthetic antioxidant preservatives in all analyzed samples of products labeled as chemical free or all-natural. Other types of additives depend on whether the pet food is semi-moist, dry or canned. Because semi-moist food contains 25-50 percent water, antimicrobial preservatives must be used. Propylene glycol was frequently used in cat food until it was pulled in 1992 for causing a variety of health problems. Processing greatly alters the nutritional value of the food ingredients. Veterinarian R. L. Wysong states in Rationale for Animal Nutrition: Processing is the wild card in nutritional value that is, by and large, simply ignored. Heating, freezing, dehydrating, canning, extruding, pelleting, baking and so forth, are so commonplace that they are simply thought of as synonymous with food itself. Because the ingredients that pet food companies use are not wholesome, and harsh manufacturing practices destroy what little nutritional value the food may have had in the first place, the final product must be fortified with vitamins and minerals.


Questionable Nutrition
How, then, can any pet food be guaranteed to be 100 percent complete or nutritionally adequate? As long as it meets the AAFCO minimum standards, such a guarantee can be on the label. Yet in 1994, feed tests conducted by the New York State Agriculture Department showed 7 percent of all pet foods analyzed failed chemical analyses for guaranteed nutrients. Other states report similar findings, with failure of analyzed feed ranging from to 12 percent. Even if a pet food meets AAFCO standards, certain nutritional requirements (for example, lysine) can vary between species by as much as seven-fold. Although manufacturers clam that millions of companion animals can thrive on a diet consisting of nothing by commercial pet food, research and an increasing number of veterinarians implicate processed pet food as a source of disease or as an exacerbating agent for a number of degenerative diseases. For example, kidney disease is on of the top three killers of companion animals. According to Plechner, the extra protein and harsh ingredients of many pet foods place an overload on the kidneys. Left untreated, the toxic buildup leads to vomiting, loss of appetite, uremic poisoning, and death. Wysong adds, In the last few years, large statistical studies have shown the link between the diet (of processed foods) and a variety of degenerative diseases, including cancer, heart disease, allergies, arthritis, obesity, dental disease, etc. After extensive research, the Animal Protection Institute (API) published a Pet Food Investigative Report to educate companion animal care givers about pet food ingredients, ingredient definitions, labeling, and dietary ailments resulting from processed commercial pet food, including the most commonly know brands. Yet, whether such food is purchased at the supermarket, pet store, or from a veterinarian, it makes little difference in terms of the quality -- only in the cost. Since the report was published earlier this year, API has conducted more research on holistic pet care and pet food alternatives, but still claims that the vast majority of pet foods available on the market today provide less that optimum nutrition for companion animals.
It is sad to think that the food provided by animal care givers to their four-legged friends could be hazardous to the animals'; health and longevity. Care givers should assume responsibility for providing as healthful a diet as possible for the animals in the care. Consumers should be informed: speak with a holistic practitioner or herbalist, or consult your veterinarian (but be aware that a veterinarian's knowledge of nutrition may be limited to the two weeks of nutrition he or she had veterinary school 20 years ago). Although the ideal solution would be for companion animals to be fed only wholesome homemade and/or vegetarian diets, this is not an optician for everyone -- the cost and time commitment is sometimes prohibitive. By taking more moderate steps, however, care givers can still greatly improve a companion animals' diet and quality of life.

Have you been affected by the Pet Food Recall? Please click on title above to watch a DVD on "What's Really in Your Pet's Food?"

(Don't read if you have a weak stomach)

-----------------

Tina Perry is an animal advocate with the Animal Protection Institute.
Reprinted from The Animals' Agenda
Nov/Dec 1996

We are very happy to report that HealthyPetNet's Life's Abundance and Flint River Ranch contain NONE of the things you have read about above, only human-grade, whole ingredients!!!


Important Disclaimer: The stories and information on this site are not meant to diagnose or prescribe for you. If you or your pet has a medical problem, you should consult your medical doctor or veterinarian. The ideas and information on this site have not been endorsed or approved by the FDA. In no event shall the owners of this website be liable for any damages whatsoever resulting from any action arising in connection with the use of this information or its publication, including any action for infringement of copyright or defamation. The decision to use, or not to use, any information is the sole responsibility of the reader. Opinions expressed here are those of individual contributors. This web site does not verify or endorse the claims of contributing writers.
The statements above have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This product(s) is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.


http://www.preciouspets.org/truth.htm

Is what you're feeding your dog delivering toxic doses of flouride and putting your pet at risk?

Is what you're feeding your dog delivering toxic doses of flouride and putting your pet at risk?

An independent lab study of 10 dog food brands commissioned by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that eight out of ten of them contained levels of flouride up to two and a half times higher than the standard set by the EPA for drinking water, highlighting the need for more stringent guidelines for pet foods.

"Our findings point to the need for basic health protections that require companies to prove their products are safe before they are sold. Bringing public health laws in line with the newest scientific research is a critical step in protecting the health of all members of American households, whether they walk on two legs or four." - Olga Naidenko, Ph.D, lead researcher of the study

The findings of the study, hot on the heels of the melamine in pet food scandal, claim that the levels of flouride in the dog foods were higher than those associated with bone cancer in boys (Harvard, 2006), but because no limits have been set for dogs, the study raises more questions than it answers.

"Due to a failed regulatory system and suspect practices by some in the pet food industry, countless dogs may be ingesting excessive fluoride that could put them at risk." - Naidenko

The sources of the flouride were most likely from animal byproducts and bone meal, and EWG stated that the brands found to contain excess flouride had contents which included chicken by-product meal, poultry by-product meal, chicken meal, beef and bone meal. These ingredients are so-called "filler" used to bulk up the food.

The levels of fluoride found in the dog foods ranged between 7 and 11.2 mg per kilogram (kg) with an average of 8.9 mg/kg in the 8 brands. Two of the dog food brands did not contain detectable levels of fluoride.

According to the report, a 10-pound puppy that eats a cup of dog food per day would consume 0.25 milligrams of fluoride per kg of body weight per day, which is five times higher than the safe level set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

EWG recommends purchasing dog food which is free from bone meal and "byproducts" to be on the safe side, and doing some research to find the healthiest, cleanest food for your pet.

http://www.care2.com/causes/animal-welfare/blog/flouride-in-dog-food-bone-meal-and-cheap-fillers-may-deliver-toxic-dose/

Friday, July 3, 2009

Are You Doing The RIGHT Things To KEEP Your Dog Healthy And PREVENT Disease?

The Unexplained Death of a Veterinarian's Dog: His quest for answers reveals why your Dog may be ill or at RISK of dying young.

Do you know what the fastest growing cause of death in dogs is?

Accidents
Heart Disease
Parvovirus
...or?
It may surprise you, but the fastest growing cause of death in dogs isn't accidents... it isn't Heart Disease... and it isn't Parvovirus.

It's diseases caused by the Poor Quality Food that your dog eats... namely, Cancer.

Yes, it's sad, shocking, and true. This year more dogs will die of Cancer - caused largely by poor nutrition - than any other disease.

Pet Health Webinar featuring Dr. Andrew Jones DVM


Pets 911 is excited to be hosting an upcoming webinar on pet health featuring Dr. Andrew Jones. Dr. Jones was raised on a farm in rural British Columbia, Canada. He grew up reading James Herriot books, which were stories about the life of a mixed animal veterinarian in rural England. These humorous stories inspired the young Dr. Jones and painted a picture of a dedicated vet and a fulfilling life.
In the fourteen years since graduating with his DVM from the University of Saskatchewan, Dr. Jones has been practicing as a small animal veterinarian and has treated thousands of animals. He has a special interest in a variety of alternative, non-traditional remedies for pets and has written numerous pet-health articles. He is the owner and one of the practicing vets at the Nelson Animal Hospital, in Nelson BC.

Dr. Jones' pets, Lewis and Cleo, are a part of his family. This philosophy of animals being members of the family is applied to his practice as well; his client's pets are a part of their family and they deserve the best care possible.

Dr. Jones beloved Hoochie is no longer with him.

'Hoochie'


Hoochie passed away in my arms from a massive tumor bleed

at 12:02pm on April 12, 2003 - the saddest day of my life.



He passed on at a young age of 8… from a deadly disease that could have been prevented.



It is not too late for you and your pet if you read on and find out exactly what you must do now.



We think you will find Dr. Jones Webinar to be very revealing and informative. Go here now to sign up, seating is limited.



P.S. - We know everyone who truly loves their pets will want to provide for their safety and well-being. So why wait? Sign up now and you'll begin learning how to dramatically improve your pet's health and extend his or her life.

P.P.S. - Remember that not only do you get to attend this free iniformational webinar, but you also get the Dogfood Report. The information in the Dog Food report alone is worth taking the time to attend this webinar.

Click on title above to visit; http://www.pets911.com/

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Pet Food Poisoners Plead Guilty And Face Jail Time

SOURCE: Business Owners Plead Guilty...Tainted Ingredient Used In Pet Food
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/mow/news2009/miller.ple.htm

6/16/09, SUMMARY: Matt J. Whitworth, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western
District of Missouri, announced that Sally Qing Miller, 43, a Chinese
national, and her husband, Stephen S. Miller, 56 (both of Las Vegas, Nev.)
and their company, Chemnutra, Inc., pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate
Judge John Maughmer to distributing a tainted ingredient used in pet food.
[Their action led to] a nationwide recall of pet food in 2007... FDA
consumer reports suggest that approximately 1,950 cats and 2,200 dogs died.

Under federal statutes, the Millers are each subject to a sentence of up to
two years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $200,000 and
an order of restitution. Chemnutra is subject to a fine up to $400,000 and
an order of restitution...

KINSHIP CIRCLE REFERENCES
2/9/08 JAN-MAR UPDATES: Companies Prosecuted In Poisoned Pet Food Recall
http://www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_jan-mar_2008.html#anchor15
APR-JUN 2007 UPDATES: $45 Million Damage For Menu Foods
http://www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_april-june_2007.html#anchor7
5/8/07: Our Companions Count - FDA Must Monitor Food
http://www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1646&seriesfirst=true
4/25/07: Pet Food Saga Hall Of Shame
http://www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_04_25_07.html
4/14/07: PET FOOD RECALL - News, Updates, Action
http://www.kinshipcircle.org/updates/updates_04_14_07.html
4/2/07: TOXIC FOOD - Updates & Action Against Menu Foods
http://www.kinshipcircle.org/letter_library/letter.asp?LetterID=1638&seriesfirst=true