 Pet Food and Nutrition
In a World of Recalls, What Is The Best Food for My Pet?
Raising Happy, Healthy Cats and Dogs
After the major recall of pet food manufactured by Menu Foods, I became concerned about the safety and quality of all commercial pet foods. What have I unknowingly fed my pets? What should I feed them now? What’s really in pet food?
Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms. ~George Eliot
 Pet Food Recall
The pet food recall was significant for all pet owners. Wheat gluten contaminated with melamine is the toxic ingredient that prompted the recall of many commercial pet foods. Melamine is a chemical used to make plastic cutlery and fertilizer. It’s been reported that over 3,000 pets died from the effects of tainted food, mostly due to kidney failure. Many others became ill. More than 100 brands of pet food were recalled, all made by Menu Foods, one of the three giant processors of pet food.
There have been other major pet food recalls in 1995, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2006 that received less publicity. Recalled pet foods contained Salmonella bacteria, aflatoxin from moldy corn, unknown causes of liver disease, vomitoxin from a wheat fungus, metal tags in food and enamel coating from the can. And in the most recent recall, melamine plastic and cyanuric acid had been deliberately added to pet food, causing acute kidney failure in pets.
Should I Stop Using Commercial Pet Food?
No pet diet should be changed suddenly. All changes should be phased in gradually, over a week or more.
Which Is Better, Canned or Dry Pet Food?
Commercial wet food is usually better than dry. Wet food is canned and does not undergo the rendering and processing that dry food does. Wet foods usually contain much more protein, along with more water. Because the canning is a preserving process, there are fewer chemical preservatives in canned food in general.
What Should Dogs and Cats Eat?
Cats and dogs are carnivores. They need meat protein and lots of it. Cats should have a diet of 75% animal protein. Cats also get most of their water from the food they eat. Dogs, descended from wild wolves, need a diet of 65% animal protein. Meat, poultry, dairy and eggs provide high quality protein. Rice, barley, wheat, rye and corn provide a lower quality vegetable protein. Pets cannot use vegetable protein unless it is cooked. The pet diet should also include fats, vitamins and minerals. It goes without saying that clean, fresh drinking water is important.
Pets need variety in their diet, to prevent allergies and nutrient deficiencies. The idea that one pet food provides all the nutrition a companion animal will ever need for its entire life is a dangerous myth. Feeding your pet a grain-based, processed diet, year-in and year-out, results in serious health problems too numerous to list.
How Is Commercial Dry Pet Food Made?
Many ingredients used in pet food are not fit for human consumption, and in many opinions, not fit for pet consumption. The protein in pet food comes from slaughterhouse waste, restaurant grease and garbage. Pet food processors regularly use dead, diseased, dying and disabled animals as ingredients. The ingredients are cooked in a vat to kill bacteria. Vat processing also kills the healthy enzymes in meat byproducts. Processing does not remove heavy chemicals, like sodium pentobarbital that is used to euthanize animals. The grain included in pet food is not whole grain, but grains not considered fit for human consumption, the sweepings from farm silos. It can include disinfectants, metals and fungus. Grains that are condemned for human consumption by the USDA due to chemical residue may legally be used, without limitation, in pet food.
From the vat, pet food is extruded into cute shapes, sprayed with the tallow fat from the vat for flavor and sprayed with toxic chemicals to prevent mold during its long shelf life. Without the tasty coating of sprayed fat, our pets would not touch the kibble we put into their food dishes.
Industry insiders admit that rendered cats and dogs and roadkill were used in pet food some years ago, but there is no evidence of that practice today.
Semi-moist foods and many pet treats are also made with an extruder. To be appealing to consumers and to keep their texture, they contain many additives, colorings, and preservatives. They are not a good choice for a pet’s primary diet. Canned food can contain 78% or more water.
What Are Animal Byproducts?
When an animal is slaughtered, the muscle tissue is reserved for human consumption. The remaining head, feet, bones, blood, intestines, lungs, spleen, liver, ligaments, fat trimmings, and anything unfit for human consumption, are called animal byproducts.
What Additives Can Be Used In Pet Food?
Anticaking agents. Antigelling agents. Antimicrobial agents. Antioxidants. Color additives. Condiments. Curing agents. Drying agents. Emulsifiers. Essential oils. Flavor enhancers. Flavoring agents. Grinding agents. Humectants. Leavening agents. Lubricants. Palatants. Pelleting agents and binders. Petroleum derivatives. pH control agents. Preservatives. Seasonings. Spices. Stabilizers. Sweeteners. Texturizers. Thickeners.
Is Pet Food Production Regulated and Supervised?
The Food and Drug Administration is the federal arm responsible for safe and wholesome pet food, through its division the Center for Veterinary Medicine. However, almost no agency testing of pet food is conducted. A trade organization made up of pet food manufacturers, the Association of American Feed Control Officials, AAFCO, is in charge of product labeling and standards, but again it conducts no actual testing.
But the real “enforcers” are the feed control officials in each state. They are the ones who actually look at the food and, in many instances, run basic tests to make sure the food meets its Guaranteed Analysis, the chart on the label telling how much protein, fat, moisture, and fiber are present. Some states do no testing and enforcement.
No feeding trials are required to show that a pet food is a complete and balanced diet. However, pet food manufacturers use laboratory animals to test the food for palatability. Menu's own lab animals, who were deliberately fed the tainted food, were the early victims. Tests began on February 27, 2007, after the first reports of trouble. Lab animals started to die painfully from kidney failure a few days later.
What Is the Best Food for My Pets?
The best diet for cats and dogs is a good home-cooked meal. Pet food companies mislead us when say that pets should not be given “human” food. Those companies have a vested interest in selling to customers. Pet food marketing is intentionally misleading and full of gimmicks. In fact, dogs and cats have always been fed “human” food up until seventy years ago, when Ken-L-Ration began canning horsemeat as pet food. Now commercial pet food does $15 billion sales annually.
The ideal meal for your pet will include lots of variety. This homemade diet even sounds healthy and delicious. Start with animal protein, 1/3 lb of cooked chicken, beef or eggs. Add two cups of cooked macaroni, potato, rice or rolled oats. Or else begin with a cup of vegetable protein, like cottage cheese, soybeans or lentils. Add 1 to 2 cups of brown rice, potato, macaroni, kidney beans, black-eyed peas or rolled oats. Add a cup of cooked vegetables like broccoli, carrots and squash to the mix, along with a tablespoon of olive oil or flax seed oil. Don’t forget a vitamin supplement and a probiotic for digestion. Clean, crushed eggshells will provide needed calcium.
When you cannot find the time for home-cooked pet meals, you can still add healthy table leftovers to supplement an organic meat-based pet food.
Remember to make a gradual changeover to healthy eating, to give your pet time to adjust.
How to Choose a Commercial Pet Food
If you choose a commercial pet food for its convenience, look for meat as the first ingredient. The product label is your best tool. If a dry pet food says “Chicken Dinner” or "Chicken Recipe" or "Chicken Entrée" or "Chicken Platter," it contains at least 10% chicken by weight. If a wet pet food has this label, it contains 25% chicken by weight. If the label says “With Chicken” or “With Lamb,” it might contain no more than 3% chicken or lamb by weight. That’s right, 3%. If the label says “Chicken Flavor,” the product need not contain any chicken at all.
According to the AAFCO, products labeled for “older cats” and “older dogs” are generally no different from regular formulas. Older dogs and cats actually need more protein than younger ones. But they need a higher quality protein that is easier to digest.
How Can I Find a Good Pet Food?
Avoid all commercially prepared dry food, because it is grain based. It is important that your pet’s diet contains 65% to 75% animal protein. The better brands of pet food, such as many “super-premium,” “natural,” and “organic” varieties, do not use meat byproducts. On the label, you’ll see one or more named meats among the first few ingredients, such as “turkey” or “lamb.” These meats are still mainly leftover scraps. In the case of poultry, bones are allowed in pet food, so “chicken” consists mainly of backs, spine and ribs, minus their expensive breast meat.
What Artificial Preservatives Are Used in Pet Food?
Synthetic preservatives include butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), propyl gallate, propylene glycol (also used as a less-toxic version of automotive antifreeze), and ethoxyquin. There is little information about the safety of these additives. Propylene glycol was banned in cat food because it causes anemia in cats, but it is still allowed in dog food.
Many pet food makers have responded to consumer concerns, and are now using “natural” preservatives such as Vitamin C (ascorbate), Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols), and oils of rosemary, clove, or other spices, to preserve the fats in their products. The shelf life is shorter, only about 6 months.
A Few Good Brands
These superior brands of pet food were not involved in any recall: Nature's Variety, Wellness, Castor & Pollux, Newman's Own Organics, Wysong, Innova, and EaglePack. Nature’s Logic and Flint River Ranch are especially recommended for quality.
Should I Feed My Pet Raw Meat?
Although raw meat is good for your pet, meat should be cooked because of the possible presence of Salmonella and e-coli bacteria.
What Foods Are Dangerous for Pets?
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Avoid onions and garlic, because they can cause anemia.
- Avoid grapes and raisins. Animals have died from eating them, although no one knows why.
- Raw bones are nutritious, but cooked bones may become splintery and dangerous.
- Milk and cheese can be hard for pets to digest. Adult cats lose the ability to digest the lactose in milk. If they can tolerate it, a small amount is fine. But fermented milk products, like yogurt, kefir buttermilk and cottage cheese, are nutritious and usually well-digested.
Can I Feed My Pet Chocolate?
Dogs and cats should not be given chocolate because it contains theobromine. In pets, theobromine leads to vomiting, diarrhea, increased urination and muscle tremors.
Should I Allow My Pets to Eat Grass?
The nutrients in grass, weeds and dandelions are actually good for your pet. If your grass is chemically treated, or if the pet vomits after eating it, grass should be avoided.
I hope life brings you much success. I wish you and your pets a very happy day.
----- Surfer Sam
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