Dog
Food Logic:
High intake of calcium is associated
with various bone diseases in Large and Giant breed dogs. Owners
mistakenly believe that "more is better" and attempt to
supplement all kinds of things with bigger breed dogs. Diets high in
protein also increase the growth lameness tendencies for large dogs.
Most experienced breeders also recommend that no vitamin or mineral
supplement (other than Vitamin C) be given to puppies of these
larger breeds.
Poor quality foods bear quite a
large part of the blame for growth problems like HOD (Hypertrophic
Osteodystrophy), OCD (Osteochondritis
Dessicans) and Pano (Panosteitis).
The problem is too fast growth caused by too much protein,
unbalanced fat to protein ratios, or poor quality protein and fat
sources.
Usually a good quality Adult dog
food that is 22-25% protein and 15-19% fat is recommended. In
recent years, protein requirements have turned into a numbers game.
Research has shown that 21% to 24% protein is optimum for various
life stages. It's not just the quantity but the quality of
your dog's protein source that is vital. For example, a 32%
content of a poor quality protein source could give your dog too
little protein.
Many pet food companies add
low-quality protein products such as meat and bone meal, by-products
and corn gluten meal, knowing they can increase the percentage of
crude protein on the label, without making a better food. Low
quality proteins are not easily digestible, therefore not easily
assimilated by the dog. You may be paying for food that
your dog can not utilize. One of my pet peeves is with companies
like Iams, Eukaneuba and Purina, who make "puppy foods"
which contain low quality and way too high poor quality
protein content for Giant Breed dogs to do well.
Quality dog foods usually contain
more calories per pound and are more digestible than store brands,
so it takes less quantity of a quality food, to meet your dog's
needs. Also, smaller amounts of highly digestible, quality food mean
less stools--another major advantage of quality digestible food.
Dogs of many breeds are susceptible
to bloat and torsion so the less stress on the gastrointestinal
tract the better. Good highly digestible diets are a MUST for most
breeds, many even recommend feeding a Raw Food diet.
Many folks interested in feeding for
maximum health, low cost and low environmental impact now espouse a
feeding plan called BARF (Bones and Raw Food) .
Based on the premise that when fed a natural whole food diet,
animals are far healthier than if fed cooked and processed foods.
This harks back to the "natural" state for wild canids, of
the need for raw freshly killed meat, and the partially digested
vegetable contents of the stomachs of their prey.
Puppies are usually fed 3-4 times a
day, gradually decreasing to twice a day between 6 months to a year.
NEVER, EVER feed puppy or growth food (high low quality protein
levels of 28-30% and high calories which promote accelerated growth)
to a large or giant breed pup, that's like asking for leg and bone
growth related problems.
Another "mistake" that
food companies and dog owners make, is lowering fat content in
foods. This causes several problems, the most serious of which are
skin and allergy type disorders. Veterinarians will many times
suggest dropping fat contents in foods fed to overweight dogs. This
in fact causes weight GAIN, due to hunger caused by protein to fat
imbalances in the diet, which make the dog constantly feel hungry.
Instead, feeding a higher fat (15-19%), moderate protein (19-23%)
food with LOWER calories and supplementing with some raw foods
(meats and veggies) will facilitate steady and gradual weight loss,
with little stress to the dog or its digestive system.
-
Dog Food Preservatives -
What do cancer, kidney disease,
pancreatic disease, allergies, hair loss, blindness and
immunodeficiency have in common? Preservatives used in dog food have
been blamed for causing every one of these problems.
The nutrient that is most susceptible
to spoilage is fat. Fat spoilage (oxidation) decreases the
nutritional quality of the food, makes it less palatable to the dog,
and can even make it unsafe to eat. Since most dog food contains
high level of fat and fat-soluble ingredients (including vitamins A
and E), it is critical to prevent oxidation to maintain quality,
nutritional value and palatability. Canned dog food is protected
from oxidation by its airtight storage, but dry food, even with
modern packaging, must include preservatives to maintain quality and
safety. Dry dog food needs preservatives, but which
preservatives is the best?
Preservatives can be either
artificial or natural. Both types work by preventing fat and other
ingredients in the food from oxidizing. The most common artificial
preservatives used by the pet food industry are ethoxyquin,
butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA).
Tocopherols (vitamin E) and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) are the most
common natural preservatives.
The preservative that has caused dog
owners the most concern is ethoxyquin. It is currently allowed in
dog food at levels up to 150 parts per million (ppm). Although
ethoxyquin has been used in animal feed for more than 30 years, in
the last nine years the FDA has received many consumer reports about
health problems occurring in dogs that were fed ethoxyquin-containing
foods. Although several studies have not shown any adverse effects
from using ethoxyquin in dog food at approved levels, consumer
concerns have triggered further investigation into the safety of
this preservative. A recent study by Monsanto, the major producer of
ethoxyquin, indicated that the only problems caused by long-term,
moderate-to-high ethoxyquin levels in food were mild increases in
blood levels of liver enzymes and an increase in the levels of a
normal red-blood-cell metabolite in the livers of lactating bitches,
who generally eat more than other dogs. No reproductive
abnormalities or other health problems occurred.
Although the liver findings referred
to above are considered to be very mild and of no clinical
significance, further investigation is needed. In July 1997, the
FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine sent letters to the
manufacturers of ethoxyquin and to the pet food industry requesting
that the maximum levels of ethoxyquin be lowered to 75 ppm in dog
food. A study currently under way by the Pet Food Institute is
designed to determine whether still lower levels (30 or 60 ppm) of
ethoxyquin provide adequate antioxidant protection for dog food. The
FDA will take appropriate action based on the results of this study.
Although vitamins C and E can both be
used as preservatives, neither is as effective as the artificial
preservatives. For example, one study found that dry dog food
preserved with vitamin E spoiled faster than food preserved with
ethoxyquin or BHA.
To provide alternatives to artificial
preservatives or other ingredients perceived as unhealthy, many
companies now market dog foods that are "all natural." The
problem is that there's no legal definition of "all
natural," "preservative free," or similarly named
products. Manufacturers define products by what they believe
these terms mean. In general, the implication is that no
preservatives or artificial colors have been added and that natural
preservatives, such as vitamin C or vitamin E, have been used, but
this can vary from brand to brand. In addition, although these
products may not contain added artificial preservatives, they
may still contain low low levels of artificial preservatives that
were already in the meat or fat-soluble vitamins obtained from
suppliers.
The low levels of artificial
preservatives in dry dog food pose an extremely small risk to the
general canine population. Nevertheless, until the studies now being
conducted produce conclusive information, some dog owners will
choose to avoid artificial preservatives and give their dogs a
naturally preserved dry dog food. Also, there is a small percentage
of dogs that cannot tolerate artificial preservatives. For those
dogs, owners can choose from a wide variety of canned and dry foods
preserved with either vitamins C or E. If you do choose to give your
dog a naturally preserved food, remember that it should be consumed
within four to six months of the date of manufacture. The date
should be listed on the label, but sometimes it's difficult to read
or is listed only as a code. In these cases, call the manufacturer
for further information (as you should do with any specific
questions you have about the food). Although you should stay
up-to-date on information coming to light regarding preservatives,
be discerning about what pet food manufacturers and other people in
the dog world tell you. A wise consumer judges the evidence and
doesn't just listen to the hearsay.
What's Really in Pet
Food
Plump whole chickens, choice cuts of beef, fresh grains, and all
the wholesome nutrition your dog or cat will ever need.
These are the images pet food manufacturers promulgate through
the media and advertising. This is what the $11 billion per year
U.S. pet food industry wants consumers to believe they are buying
when they purchase their products.
This report explores the differences between what consumers think
they are buying and what they are actually getting. It focuses in
very general terms on the most visible name brands -- the pet food
labels that are mass-distributed to supermarkets and discount stores
-- but there are many highly respected brands that may be guilty of
the same offenses.
What most consumers don't know is that the pet food industry is
an extension of the human food and agriculture industries. Pet food
provides a market for slaughterhouse offal, grains considered
"unfit for human consumption," and similar waste products
to be turned into profit. This waste includes intestines, udders,
esophagi, and possibly diseased and cancerous animal parts.
Three of the five major pet food companies in the United States
are subsidiaries of major multinational companies: Nestlé (Alpo,
Fancy Feast, Friskies, Mighty Dog, and Ralston Purina products such
as Dog Chow, ProPlan, and Purina One), Heinz (9 Lives, Amore, Gravy
Train, Kibbles-n-Bits, Nature's Recipe), Colgate-Palmolive (Hill's
Science Diet Pet Food). Other leading companies include Procter
& Gamble (Eukanuba and Iams), Mars (Kal Kan, Mealtime, Pedigree,
Sheba, Waltham's), and Nutro. From a business standpoint,
multinational companies owning pet food manufacturing companies is
an ideal relationship. The multinationals have increased
bulk-purchasing power; those that make human food products have a
captive market in which to capitalize on their waste products, and
pet food divisions have a more reliable capital base and, in many
cases, a convenient source of ingredients.
There are hundreds of different pet foods available in this
country. And while many of the foods on the market are similar, not
all of the pet food manufacturing companies use poor quality or
potentially dangerous ingredients.
Ingredients
Although the purchase price of pet food does not always determine
whether a pet food is good or bad, the price is often a good
indicator of quality. It would be impossible for a company that
sells a generic brand of dog food at $9.95 for a 40-lb. bag to use
quality protein and grain in its food. The cost of purchasing
quality ingredients would be much higher than the selling price.
The protein used in pet food comes from a variety of sources.
When cattle, swine, chickens, lambs, or other animals are
slaughtered, the choice cuts such as lean muscle tissue are trimmed
away from the carcass for human consumption. However, about 50% of
every food-producing animal does not get used in human foods.
Whatever remains of the carcass -- bones, blood, intestines, lungs,
ligaments, and almost all the other parts not generally consumed by
humans -- is used in pet food, animal feed, and other products.
These "other parts" are known as "by-products,"
"meat-and-bone-meal," or similar names on pet food labels.
The Pet Food Institute -- the trade association of pet food
manufacturers -- acknowledges the use of by-products in pet foods as
additional income for processors and farmers: "The growth of
the pet food industry not only provided pet owners with better foods
for their pets, but also created profitable additional markets for
American farm products and for the byproducts of the meat packing,
poultry, and other food industries which prepare food for human
consumption."1
Many of these remnants provide a questionable source of
nourishment for our animals. The nutritional quality of meat and
poultry by-products, meals, and digests can vary from batch to
batch. James Morris and Quinton Rogers, two professors with the
Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of California at
Davis Veterinary School of Medicine, assert that, "There is
virtually no information on the bioavailability of nutrients for
companion animals in many of the common dietary ingredients used in
pet foods. These ingredients are generally by-products of the meat,
poultry and fishing industries, with the potential for a wide
variation in nutrient composition. Claims of nutritional adequacy of
pet foods based on the current Association of American Feed Control
Officials (AAFCO) nutrient allowances ('profiles') do not give
assurances of nutritional adequacy and will not until ingredients
are analyzed and bioavailability values are incorporated."2
Meat and poultry meals, by-product meals, and meat-and-bone meal
are common ingredients in pet foods. The term "meal" means
that these materials are not used fresh, but have been rendered.
What is rendering? Rendering, as defined by Webster's Dictionary,
is "to process as for industrial use: to render livestock
carcasses and to extract oil from fat, blubber, etc., by
melting." Home-made chicken soup, with its thick layer of fat
that forms over the top when the soup is cooled, is a sort of
mini-rendering process. Rendering separates fat-soluble from
water-soluble and solid materials, removes most of the water, and
kills bacterial contaminants, but may alter or destroy some of the
natural enzymes and proteins found in the raw ingredients. Meat and
poultry by-products, while not rendered, vary widely in composition
and quality.
What can the feeding of such products do to your companion
animal? Some veterinarians claim that feeding slaughterhouse wastes
to animals increases their risk of getting cancer and other
degenerative diseases. The cooking methods used by pet food
manufacturers -- such as rendering, extruding (a heat-and-pressure
system used to "puff" dry foods into nuggets or kibbles),
and baking -- do not necessarily destroy the hormones used to fatten
livestock or increase milk production, or drugs such as antibiotics
or the barbiturates used to euthanize animals.
Animal and Poultry Fat
You may have noticed a unique, pungent odor when you open a new
bag of pet food -- what is the source of that delightful smell? It
is most often rendered animal fat, restaurant grease, or other oils
too rancid or deemed inedible for humans.
Restaurant grease has become a major component of feed grade
animal fat over the last fifteen years. This grease, often held in
fifty-gallon drums, may be kept outside for weeks, exposed to
extreme temperatures with no regard for its future use. "Fat
blenders" or rendering companies then pick up this used grease
and mix the different types of fat together, stabilize them with
powerful antioxidants to retard further spoilage, and then sell the
blended products to pet food companies and other end users.
These fats are sprayed directly onto extruded kibbles and pellets
to make an otherwise bland or distasteful product palatable. The fat
also acts as a binding agent to which manufacturers add other flavor
enhancers such as digests. Pet food scientists have discovered that
animals love the taste of these sprayed fats. Manufacturers are
masters at getting a dog or a cat to eat something she would
normally turn up her nose at.
Wheat, Soy, Corn, Peanut Hulls, and Other Vegetable Protein
The amount of grain products used in pet food has risen over the
last decade. Once considered filler by the pet food industry, cereal
and grain products now replace a considerable proportion of the meat
that was used in the first commercial pet foods. The availability of
nutrients in these products is dependent upon the digestibility of
the grain. The amount and type of carbohydrate in pet food
determines the amount of nutrient value the animal actually gets.
Dogs and cats can almost completely absorb carbohydrates from some
grains, such as white rice. Up to 20% of the nutritional value of
other grains can escape digestion. The availability of nutrients for
wheat, beans, and oats is poor. The nutrients in potatoes and corn
are far less available than those in rice. Some ingredients, such as
peanut hulls, are used for filler or fiber, and have no significant
nutritional value.
Two of the top three ingredients in pet foods, particularly dry
foods, are almost always some form of grain products. Pedigree
Performance Food for Dogs lists Ground Corn, Chicken By-Product
Meal, and Corn Gluten Meal as its top three ingredients. 9 Lives
Crunchy Meals for cats lists Ground Yellow Corn, Corn Gluten Meal,
and Poultry By-Product Meal as its first three ingredients. Since
cats are true carnivores -- they must eat meat to fulfill certain
physiological needs -- one may wonder why we are feeding a
corn-based product to them. The answer is that corn is a much
cheaper "energy source" than meat.
In 1995, Nature's Recipe pulled thousands of tons of dog food off
the shelf after consumers complained that their dogs were vomiting
and losing their appetite. Nature's Recipe's loss amounted to $20
million. The problem was a fungus that produced vomitoxin (an
aflatoxin or "mycotoxin," a toxic substance produced by
mold) contaminating the wheat. In 1999, another fungal toxin
triggered the recall of dry dog food made by Doane Pet Care at one
of its plants, including Ol' Roy (Wal-Mart's brand) and 53 other
brands. This time, the toxin killed 25 dogs.
Although it caused many dogs to vomit, stop eating, and have
diarrhea, vomitoxin is a milder toxin than most. The more dangerous
mycotoxins can cause weight loss, liver damage, lameness, and even
death as in the Doane case. The Nature's Recipe incident prompted
the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to intervene. Dina Butcher,
Agriculture Policy Advisor for North Dakota Governor Ed Schafer,
concluded that the discovery of vomitoxin in Nature's Recipe wasn't
much of a threat to the human population because "the grain
that would go into pet food is not a high quality grain."3
Soy is another common ingredient that is sometimes used as a
protein and energy source in pet food. Manufacturers also use it to
add bulk so that when an animal eats a product containing soy he
will feel more sated. While soy has been linked to gas in some dogs,
other dogs do quite well with it. Vegetarian dog foods use soy as a
protein source.
Additives and Preservatives
Many chemicals are added to commercial pet foods to improve the
taste, stability, characteristics, or appearance of the food.
Additives provide no nutritional value. Additives include
emulsifiers to prevent water and fat from separating, antioxidants
to prevent fat from turning rancid, and artificial colors and
flavors to make the product more attractive to consumers and more
palatable to their companion animals.
Adding chemicals to food originated thousands of years ago with
spices, natural preservatives, and ripening agents. In the last 40
years, however, the number of food additives has greatly increased.
All commercial pet foods must be preserved so they stay fresh and
appealing to our animal companions. Canning is a preserving process
itself, so canned foods contain less preservatives than dry foods.
Some preservatives are added to ingredients or raw materials by the
suppliers, and others may be added by the manufacturer. Because
manufacturers need to ensure that dry foods have a long shelf life
to remain edible after shipping and prolonged storage, fats used in
pet foods are preserved with either synthetic or "natural"
preservatives. 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. For these
antioxidants, there is little information documenting their
toxicity, safety, interactions, or chronic use in pet foods that may
be eaten every day for the life of the animal.
Potentially cancer-causing agents such as BHA, BHT, and
ethoxyquin are permitted at relatively low levels. The use of these
chemicals in pet foods has not been thoroughly studied, and long
term build-up of these agents may ultimately be harmful. Due to
questionable data in the original study on its safety, ethoxyquin's
manufacturer, Monsanto, was required to perform a new, more rigorous
study. This was completed in 1996. Even though Monsanto found no
significant toxicity associated with its own product, in July 1997,
the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine requested that
manufacturers voluntarily reduce the maximum level for ethoxyquin by
half, to 75 parts per million. While some pet food critics and
veterinarians believe that ethoxyquin is a major cause of disease,
skin problems, and infertility in dogs, others claim it is the
safest, strongest, most stable preservative available for pet food.
Ethoxyquin is approved for use in human food for preserving spices,
such as cayenne and chili powder, at a level of 100 ppm -- but it
would be very difficult to consume as much chili powder every day as
a dog would eat dry food. Ethoxyquin has never been tested for
safety in cats.
Some manufacturers have responded to consumer concern, 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. Other ingredients,
however, may be individually preserved. Most fish meal, and some
prepared vitamin-mineral mixtures, contain chemical preservatives.
This means that your companion animal may be eating food containing
several types of preservatives. Federal law requires preservatives
to be disclosed on the label; however, pet food companies only
recently started to comply with this law.
Additives in Processed Pet Foods
Anticaking agents
Antimicrobial agents
Antioxidants
Coloring agents
Curing agents
Drying agents
Emulsifiers
Firming agents
Flavor enhancers
Flavoring agents
Flour treating agents
Formulation aids
Humectants
Leavening agents
Lubricants
Nonnutritive sweeteners
Nutritive sweeteners
Oxidizing and reducing agents
pH control agents
Processing aids
Sequestrants
Solvents, vehicles
Stabilizers, thickeners
Surface active agents
Surface finishing agents
Synergists
Texturizers
While the law requires studies of direct toxicity of these
additives and preservatives, they have not been tested for their
potential synergistic effects on each other once ingested. Some
authors have suggested that dangerous interactions occur among some
of the common synthetic preservatives.4 Natural
preservatives do not provide as long a shelf life as chemical
preservatives, but they are safe.
The Manufacturing Process
How Pet Food Is Made
Although feeding trials are no longer required for a food to meet
the requirements for labeling a food "complete and
balanced," most manufacturers perform palatability studies when
developing a new pet food. One set of animals is fed a new food
while a "control" group is fed a current formula. The
total volume eaten is used as a gauge for the palatability of the
food. The larger and more reputable companies do use feeding trials,
which are considered to be a much more accurate assessment of the
actual nutritional value of the food. They keep large colonies of
dogs and cats for this purpose, or use testing laboratories that
have their own animals.
Most dry food is made with a machine called an expander or
extruder. First, raw materials are blended, sometimes by hand, other
times by computer, in accordance with a recipe developed by animal
nutritionists. This mixture is fed into an expander and steam or hot
water is added. The mixture is subjected to steam, pressure, and
high heat as it is extruded through dies that determine the shape of
the final product and puffed like popcorn. The food is allowed to
dry, and then is usually sprayed with fat, digests, or other
compounds to make it more palatable. Although the cooking process
may kill bacteria in pet food, the final product can lose its
sterility during the subsequent drying, fat coating, and packaging
process. A few foods are baked at high temperatures rather than
extruded. This produces a dense, crunchy kibble that is palatable
without the addition of sprayed on palatability enhancers. Animals
can be fed about 25% less of a baked food, by volume (but not by
weight), than an extruded food.
Ingredients are similar for wet, dry, and semi-moist foods,
although the ratios of protein, fat, and fiber may change. A typical
can of ordinary cat food reportedly contains about 45-50% meat or
poultry by-products. The main difference between the types of food
is the water content. It is impossible to directly compare labels
from different kinds of food without a mathematical conversion to
"dry matter basis."5 Wet or canned food begins
with ground ingredients mixed with additives. If chunks are
required, a special extruder forms them. Then the mixture is cooked
and canned. The sealed cans are then put into containers resembling
pressure cookers and commercial sterilization takes place. Some
manufacturers cook the food right in the can.
There are special labeling requirements for pet food, all of
which are contained in the annually revised Official Publication of
AAFCO.6 The use of the terms "all" or
"100%" cannot be used "if the product contains more
than one ingredient, not including water sufficient for processing,
decharacterizing agents, or trace amounts of preservatives and
condiments." Products containing multiple ingredients are
covered by AAFCO Regulation PF3(b) and (c). The "95% rule"
applies when the ingredient(s) derived from animals, poultry, or
fish constitutes at least 95% or more of the total weight of the
product (or 70% excluding water for processing).
Because all-meat diets are usually not nutritionally balanced,
they fell out of favor for many years. However, due to rising
consumer interest in high quality meat products, several companies
are now promoting 95% and 100% canned meats as a supplemental
feeding option.
The "dinner" product is defined by the 25% Rule, which
applies when "an ingredient or a combination of ingredients
constitutes at least 25% of the weight of the product"
(excluding water sufficient for processing) as long as the
ingredient(s) shall constitute at least 10% of the total product
weight; and a descriptor that implies other ingredients are included
in the product formula is used on the label. Such descriptors
include "recipe," "platter," "entree,"
and "formula." A combination of ingredients included in
the product name is permissible when each ingredient comprises at
least 3% of the product weight, excluding water for processing, and
the ingredient names appear in descending order by weight.
The "with" rule allows an ingredient name to appear on
the label, such as "with real chicken," as long as each
such ingredient constitutes at least 3% of the food by weight,
excluding water for processing.
The "flavor" rule allows a food to be designated as a
certain flavor as long as the ingredient(s) are sufficient to
"impart a distinctive characteristic" to the food. Thus, a
"beef flavor" food may contain a small quantity of digest
or other extract of tissues from cattle, without containing any
actual beef meat at all.
What Happened to the Nutrients?
Dr. Randy L. Wysong is a veterinarian and produces his own line
of pet foods. A long-time critic of pet food industry practices, he
said, "Processing is the wild card in nutritional value that
is, by and large, simply ignored. Heating, cooking, rendering,
freezing, dehydrating, canning, extruding, pelleting, baking, and so
forth, are so commonplace that they are simply thought of as
synonymous with food itself."7 Processing meat and
by-products used in pet food can greatly diminish their nutritional
value, but cooking increases the digestibility of cereal grains.
To make pet food nutritious, pet food manufacturers must
"fortify" it with vitamins and minerals. Why? Because the
ingredients they are using are not wholesome, their quality may be
extremely variable, and the harsh manufacturing practices destroy
many of the nutrients the food had to begin with.
Contaminants
Commercially manufactured or rendered meat meals and by-product
meals are frequently highly contaminated with bacteria because their
source is not always slaughtered animals. Animals that have died
because of disease, injury, or natural causes are a source of meat
for meat meal. The dead animal might not be rendered until days
after its death. Therefore the carcass is often contaminated with
bacteria such as Salmonella and Escherichia coli. Dangerous E. Coli
bacteria are estimated to contaminate more than 50% of meat meals.
While the cooking process may kill bacteria, it does not eliminate
the endotoxins some bacteria produce during their growth and are
released when they die. These toxins can cause sickness and disease.
Pet food manufacturers do not test their products for endotoxins.
Mycotoxins -- These toxins comes from mold or fungi, such as
vomitoxin in the Nature's Recipe case, and aflatoxin in Doane's
food. Poor farming practices and improper drying and storage of
crops can cause mold growth. Ingredients that are most likely to be
contaminated with mycotoxins are grains such as wheat and corn,
cottonseed meal, peanut meal, and fish meal.
Labeling
The National Research Council (NRC) of the Academy of Sciences
set the nutritional standards for pet food that were used by the pet
food industry until the late 1980s. The NRC standards, which still
exist and are being revised as of 2001, were based on purified
diets, and required feeding trials for pet foods claimed to be
"complete" and "balanced." The pet food industry
found the feeding trials too restrictive and expensive, so AAFCO
designed an alternate procedure for claiming the nutritional
adequacy of pet food, by testing the food for compliance with
"Nutrient Profiles." AAFCO also created "expert
committees" for canine and feline nutrition, which developed
separate canine and feline standards. While feeding trials can still
be done, a standard chemical analysis may be also be used to
determine if a food meets the profiles.
Chemical analysis, however, does not address the palatability,
digestibility, or biological availability of nutrients in pet food.
Thus it is unreliable for determining whether a food will provide an
animal with sufficient nutrients.
To compensate for the limitations of chemical analysis, AAFCO
added a "safety factor," which was to exceed the minimum
amount of nutrients required to meet the complete and balanced
requirements.
The digestibility and availability of nutrients is not listed on
pet food labels.
The 100% Myth -- Problems Caused by Inadequate Nutrition
The idea of one pet food providing all the nutrition a companion
animal will ever need for its entire life is a myth.
Cereal grains are the primary ingredients in most commercial pet
foods. Many people select one pet food and feed it to their dogs and
cats for a prolonged period of time. Therefore, companion dogs and
cats eat a primarily carbohydrate diet with little variety. Today,
the diets of cats and dogs are a far cry from the primarily protein
diets with a lot of variety that their ancestors ate. The problems
associated with a commercial diet are seen every day at veterinary
establishments. Chronic digestive problems, such as chronic
vomiting, diarrhea, and inflammatory bowel disease are among the
most frequent illnesses treated. These are often the result of an
allergy or intolerance to pet food ingredients. The market for
"limited antigen" or "novel protein" diets is
now a multi-million dollar business. These diets were formulated to
address the increasing intolerance to commercial foods that animals
have developed. The newest twist is the truly
"hypoallergenic" food that has had all its proteins
artificially chopped into pieces smaller than can be recognized and
reacted to by the immune system.
Dry commercial pet food is often contaminated with bacteria,
which may or may not cause problems. Improper food storage and some
feeding practices may result in the multiplication of this bacteria.
For example, adding water or milk to moisten pet food and then
leaving it at room temperature causes bacteria to multiply.8
Yet this practice is suggested on the back of packages of some
kitten and puppy foods.
Pet food formulas and the practice of feeding that manufacturers
recommend have increased other digestive problems. Feeding only one
meal per day can cause the irritation of the esophagus by stomach
acid. Feeding two smaller meals is better.
Feeding recommendations or instructions on the packaging are
sometimes inflated so that the consumer will end up purchasing more
food. However, Procter & Gamble allegedly took the opposite tack
with its Iams and Eukanuba lines, reducing the feeding amounts in
order to claim that its foods were less expensive to feed.
Independent studies commissioned by a competing manufacturer
suggested that these reduced levels were inadequate to maintain
health. Procter & Gamble has since sued and been countersued by
that competing manufacturer, and a consumer complaint has also been
filed seeking class-action status for harm caused to dogs by the
revised feeding instructions.
Urinary tract disease is directly related to diet in both cats
and dogs. Plugs, crystals, and stones in cat bladders are often
triggered or aggravated by commercial pet food formulas. One type of
stone found in cats is less common now, but another more dangerous
type has become more common. Manipulation of manufactured cat food
formulas to alter the acidity of urine and the amount of some
minerals has directly affected these diseases. Dogs also form stones
as a result of their diet.
History has shown that commercial pet food products can cause
disease. An often-fatal heart disease in cats and some dogs is now
known to be caused by a deficiency of the amino acid taurine.
Blindness is another symptom of taurine deficiency. This deficiency
was due to inadequate amounts of taurine in cat food formulas, which
itself occurred because of decreased amounts of animal proteins and
increased reliance on carbohydrates. Cat foods are now supplemented
with taurine. New research suggests that supplementing taurine may
also be helpful for dogs, but as yet few manufacturers are adding
extra taurine to dog food. Inadequate potassium in certain feline
diets also caused kidney failure in young cats; potassium is now
added in greater amounts to all cat foods.
Rapid growth in large breed puppies has been shown to contribute
to bone and joint disease. Excess calories and calcium in some
manufactured puppy foods promoted rapid growth. There are now
special puppy foods for large breed dogs. But this recent change
will not help the countless dogs who lived and died with hip and
elbow disease.
There is also evidence that hyperthyroidism in cats may be
related to excess iodine in commercial pet food diets.9
This is a new disease that first surfaced in the 1970s, when canned
food products appeared on the market. The exact cause and effect are
not yet known. This is a serious and sometimes terminal disease, and
treatment is expensive.
Many nutritional problems appeared with the popularity of
cereal-based commercial pet foods. Some have occurred because the
diet was incomplete. Although several ingredients are now
supplemented, we do not know what ingredients future researchers may
discover that should have been supplemented in pet foods all along.
Other problems may result from reactions to additives. Others are a
result of contamination with bacteria, mold, drugs, or other toxins.
In some diseases the role of commercial pet food is understood; in
others, it is not. The bottom line is that diets composed primarily
of low quality cereals and rendered meat meals are not as nutritious
or safe as you should expect for your cat or dog.
How to grade your dog's food:
Start with a grade of 100:
1) For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10
points
2) For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or
"poultry", meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10
points
3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10
points
4) For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain
source,subtract 5 points
5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the
first five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewerâ?Ts
rice", "rice flour" are all the same grain), subtract
5 points
6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less
than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points
7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points
8 ) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract
3points
9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2
morepoints
10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish
oil,subtract 2 points
11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is
allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points
12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points
13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isnâ?Tt
allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points
14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isnâ?Tt
allergic to beef), subtract 1 point
15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point
Extra Credit:
1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points
2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or
nutritionist, add 5 points
3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points
4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points
5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points
6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains),
add 3 points
7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free,
add 2 points
8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points
9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2
points
10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point
11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point
12) For every different specific animal protein source (other
than
the first one; count "chicken" and "chicken
meal" as only one protein source, but "chicken" and
"" as 2 different sources), add 1 point
13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point
14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are
pesticide-free, add 1 point
94-100+ = A
86-93 = B
78-85 = C
70-77 = D
69 = F
Here are some foods that have already been scored. If you don't
see your dog's food here, ask and someone will score it for you.
Dog Food scores:
Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+
Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F
Canidae / Score 112 A+
Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+
Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F
Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B
Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A
Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+
Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+
Foundations / Score 106 A+
Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 D
Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D
Innova Dog / Score 114 A+
Innova Evo / Score 114 A+
Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+
Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B
Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B
Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F
ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley / Score 103 A+
Purina Benful / Score 17 F
Purina Dog / Score 62 F
Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F
Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+
Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+
Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A
Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F
Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+
Wolfking Adult Dog (bison) by Solid Gold / Score 97 A
Recommended foods:
It is hard to recommend any foods, as our time and pocket book
don't always allow us to do what we believe is best. If you choose
to put your dog on a dry dog food, here are a few brands to
consider: (please note I have listed the puppy formula's, but they
of course are available in adult as well).
---------------------------------------
Wellness Super5Mix Puppy Formula
Drs. Foster & Smith Chicken & Brown Rice Formula
dry puppy food sustains your growing dog's high energy and demanding
nutritional needs. Delicious real chicken. Whole wholesome brown
rice. Whole fresh fruits and vegetables. Omega 3 & 6 fatty
acids. Healthy ingredients help ensure proper overall growth and
development of strong muscles, strong bones, healthy internal
organs, soft skin, and a shiny coat. Contains 26% protein, 12% fat,
4% fiber.
