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antipodi
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Mon Apr 17, 2006 10:58 pm
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Whilst watching a Popular TV show tonight I came accross this Item I thought is worth talking about...If you feed your pet so called fresh Pet mince...
An eight-year-old golden retriever, became seriously ill and very close to being put down as a result of the preservatives present in the dog's food.
It went from vomiting to rapid weight loss and the muscles in her back legs deteriorated to almost being non-existent, She lost the ability to walk and was literally on death's door."
A raft of blood tests, a spinal tap and MRI scans sent the vet's bill soaring to $12,000, before they realised the cause.
It was, without doubt, her diet.
The Owner thought he had been doing the right thing - giving his dog fresh lean meat, kangaroo and beef mince, from his local pet shop everyday.
But the veterinarian, who treated Annie, found the meat was loaded with dangerous preservatives - namely sulphur dioxide.
They were able to prove in the dog absolutely, without a doubt, that her disease was caused by thiamine deficiency due to the food that she was being fed which had the sulphur dioxide in it," the Vet said.
Sulphur Dioxide is added to fresh pet meats and fish to preserve it, mask the smell and prevent discolouration.
It is not allowed in meat meant for human consumption.
But for pets, it can be a deadly diet, because it destroys vitamins essential to survival.
"If treatment is not instituted right away the dog or cat could be dead in four days," The Vet said.
Sulphur dioxide destroys vitamin B very rapidly - the brain requires vitamin B for energy production so without it the brain gets damaged.
Animals affected by sulphur dioxide appear to be disorientated, their heads tilt to one side and they walk weakly around in circles.
The effects are more noticeable in cats, but hard to diagnose in dogs and many vets do not treat the problem.
I think the disease is much more widespread than we realise," The vet said.
Dr Richard Malik, from Sydney University's Post Graduate Foundation in Veterinary Science, said pets affected by sulphur dioxide were wobbly on their legs, they might have a head tilt and then it progresses to being paralysed.
They can't get up and they start to seizure, so they have fits as well and when that's happening you've got a very short period of time until they're going to be dead," The Vet said.
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Antipodi
May one day man and Animals live together in harmony and peace
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jsqueek
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Joined: 24 Feb 2006
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Location: UK
Tue Apr 18, 2006 4:51 am
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very serious indeed !
we've always given our pets vitamin tablets.
many years ago my dog, kept getting patches of missing fur, we took him to the vets, and he was prescribed tablets, they didnt work and the vet kept prescribing tablets, none of them worked, meanwhile we were spending lots of money on these useless tablets.
anyway we started giving him vitamins , within 2 weeks his fur was back.
we were feeding him complete dry dog food which were supposed to have all the vitamins they need, this cant be true !
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antipodi
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Tue Apr 18, 2006 9:31 am
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Interesting I was watching a Vet program and they were suggesting feeding some veggies as well especially dogs that seemed overweight ...I'll see if I can find out more...This practice seems wide spead in Pet stores and Supermarkets here where they sell "Fresh petmeat" do they do that in the UK and does their product sontain that Supher Dioxide to so call keep it fresh..
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Antipodi
May one day man and Animals live together in harmony and peace
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jsqueek
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Tue Apr 18, 2006 1:42 pm
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to be honest, i dont know, we feed our dog dry complete and fresh meat.
very occassionally we buy frozen pet meat.
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antipodi
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Tue Apr 18, 2006 11:36 pm
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This is a bit long but interesting reading..quite an eye opener infact...
DOG FOOD INGREDIENTS
Meat Products
The protein in dog food comes from poultry, cattle, lambs, swine, and other animals. Choice cuts are stripped away for human consumption. This leaves approximately 50% of the carcass including bones, blood, intestines, lungs, ligaments and any other portion not usually eaten by humans, according to the Animal Protection Institute.
Material received from the slaughterhouse is "denatured" to prevent it from being manufactured for human consumption. Denaturing involves covering the raw meat with any number of substances including the federally approved substances of carbolic acid (phenol, a potentially corrosive disinfectant), fuel oil, kerosene, crude carbolic acid, citronella, or creosote (used to preserve wood or as a disinfectant). Dr. Wendell Belfield, DVM, former USDA Vet, stated that as a veterinary meat inspector, he used carbolic acid and creosote, both of which are extremely toxic. Creosote, with its distinct odor, "was used for many years as a preservative for wood power poles. Its effect on the environment proved to be so negative that it is no longer used for that purpose."
At the rendering plant, the meat is shredded and cooked at high temperatures until the fat separates from the meat. This process is seen on a small scale when you boil chicken on your stove. The fat floats to the top; and if allowed to cool, it will harden in a thick layer. The fat is removed to be used later. The water is squeezed from the remaining material to create meat and bone meal. Although rendering kills bacteria, it also removes nutrients and proteins needed for energy.
Meat and bone meal is made of more than just meat and bone. All kinds of things find their way into the rendering pot. In addition to slaughterhouse waste, animals that fit within the 4D Rule are also rendered - that includes animals that are disabled, diseased, dead or dying. Other rendered items include restaurant grease and leftovers, road kill, euthanized companion pets complete with flea collars and the green bags in which they are transported, grocery store items such as meat and baked goods that are past their expiration date (Styrofoam tray and plastic wrap included) and much more.
AAFCO defines meat and bone meal as: "the rendered product from mammal tissues, including bone, exclusive of blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents, except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices." David C. Cooke writes in his article "Animal Disposal: Fact and Fiction" that it seems hardly feasible that rendering plants would be able "to remove the hair and stomach contents from 600,000 tons of dogs and cats prior to cooking them."
Meat by-products are defined by AAFCO as: "the non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. It includes, but is not limited to, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, liver, blood, bone, partially defatted low-temperature fatty tissue and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents. It does not include hair, horns, teeth and hooves."
No recipe exists for the meat material produced by the slaughterhouses and rendering plants. Meat by-products and meat and bone meals vary from batch to batch creating an unstable source of nutrition for pets.
Although many sources are opposed to the use of by-products in dog foods, Laura Michaels, the owner of Woodhaven Labradors feels differently. She states that just because humans do not consume a particular part of an animal does not mean that part lacks nutrients. People do eat intestines; they're known as chitlins. Grocery stores sell the cow's stomach; it's called tripe. Some people even eat pork brains in milk gravy in their scrambled eggs. These parts are all by-products used in pet food. The owner of Woodhaven Labradors pointed out that in the wild, animals "don't go for the 'meaty haunch', they go for the gut and pull out all that gooey stuff and eat it."
Fats
The food that comes from the manufacturing plant is so rancid that no dog would touch it. So why does your dog come running when you open a new bag of commercial pet food? Because that overpowering odor wafting from the bag smells like dinner to him. Fat is sprayed directly on the morsels of food, and that is what you and your dog smell. The fat that entices him to eat is gathered from the rendering plant, restaurant grease, and other sources of fats and oils that are too rancid for human consumption. The restaurant grease is gathered from various establishments and stored in huge drums, sometimes outside for weeks at a time in extreme temperatures. Fat is also used as a sort of glue to stick other flavors to pet food morsels. These flavors and the sprayed fat trick pets into eating the food.
Grain Products
Many dog foods list corn, corn products, or other grains on the ingredient list - usually two of the top three ingredients. The amount of grain products has steadily increased since the first commercial pet foods. The biggest problem posed by the nutrients in grains is digestibility. As much as 20% of the nutritional value of grains can pass through the body unused, however pet food companies still list this as viable nutrition on the label. Some grains are used as fiber and others to make dogs feel full. Peanut hulls, for instance, have no nutritional value but are a cheap form of fiber.
We all know that our pets enjoy meats - especially cats, who are true carnivores - so why are we feeding them corn? It all goes back to the pet food industry focusing on business first. Grains are a cheaper energy source, so grains are better for their bottom line.
Types of grains used in pet foods include wheat, soy, corn, white rice, potatoes, beans, oats, and peanut shells.
Additives & Preservatives
Additives are used in pet food for any number of reasons, but they have no nutritional value. Artificial colors and flavors are added to improve appearance and taste. Emulsifiers prevent the separation of water and fat. Antioxidants prevent the fat from turning rancid. T.J. Dunn, DVM of ThePetCenter.com notes that the exceptional amount of additives in commercial dog foods "simply reveals the trickery needed to coax dogs and cats into consuming such material."
Semi-moist treats are especially full of additives, preservatives, and dyes. Ann Martin writes of a woman who "fed her cat some of these semi-moist tidbits. The cat became ill shortly after eating them, and even professional carpet cleaners could not remove the red dye from the carpet where her cat had been ill."
Pet foods are able to be stored for long periods of time - from manufacturing through shipping to the grocery store shelves and your home. More preservatives are used in dry foods than moist, since canning is a method of preservation in and of itself.
The fats used in pet foods are preserved with either synthetic or "natural" preservatives. Common synthetic preservatives include butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and ethoxyquin. Little research has been done on these potentially dangerous chemicals. They are used at low levels; however, our pets consume them every day of their lives. According to the Animal Protection Institute of America newsletter, "Investigative Report on Pet Food," ethoxyquin remains in dogs' bodies for months after it is removed from their diets. After the FDA received many complaints regarding pets that ate foods containing ethoxyquin, it required Monsanto, ethoyquin's manufacturer, to perform a detailed study. Monsanto found no major safety issues with its own product, but the FDA requested that manufacturers lower the amount of the antioxidant from 150 ppm to 75 ppm. This was not required of manufacturers, only requested until further studies can be made. API points out that even though ethoxyquin is approved for human use at 100 ppm in spices such as chili powder, it would be quite difficult for one to consume as much chili powder in a lifetime as a dog does dry dog food.
Some manufacturers are switching to natural preservatives, such as Vitamin C and Vitamin E, because of the publicity concerning ethoxyquin's safety. Natural preservatives are not as effective as synthetic ones, however they are safe. Consumers should be wary of dog foods that are labeled as "all natural," "preservative free" and other such labeled products. Dr. Lisa Freeman, DVM, writes in her article, Nutrition, that there is no legal definition of "all natural," and that "manufacturers define products by what they believe these terms mean." Sometimes a manufacturer may not have added any preservatives, but the meat or other ingredients may have had preservatives added to them by suppliers.
ILLNESS & DISEASE
Low quality ingredients, excessive chemical additives, and poor labeling standards all result in problems for your companion pet, from skin allergies to cancer.
The manufacturing processes of rendering and extruding may kill bacteria, but they do nothing to destroy the toxins produced by bacteria. Other toxins that are not necessarily removed during processing include:
* Hormones, such as those used to fatten livestock or increase milk production
* Insecticide from flea collars on euthanized companion pets and patches from livestock
* Condemned and contaminated material from slaughterhouses
* Sodium pentobarbital, the drug used to euthanize pets
Even the grains used in pet food can be contaminated and may cause sickness and disease. Improper drying techniques or storage methods and low quality grains often result in the growth of mold or fungi. The toxins produced can cause vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, liver damage, lameness, or death.
Nature's Recipe was forced to recall thousands of tons of dog food in 1995, and in 1999 Doane Pet Care recalled 54 brands of dry dog food including Wal-Mart's Ol' Roy because of fungal toxins. Twenty-five dogs died in the Doane Pet Care case, and 250 dogs became ill after eating the contaminated Nature's Recipe.
Feeding Problems
Another factor that may cause sickness in your dog is how you feed him. The directions for feeding your pet are not always the healthiest feeding practices. Some puppy or kitten foods recommend moistening the food with water or milk. Leaving the wet food at room temperature is a breeding ground for bacteria. Another common feeding instruction is to feed your pet one time a day. It is better to feed two smaller meals than let the food sit, especially if you use canned food. Adjust portions so that your pet eats as much as he needs without leaving any in the bowl. Feeding only one meal a day has been known to cause irritation of the esophagus from stomach acid. Just as smaller more frequent meals are better for humans, they're better for our pets as well.
Cusick says "the feeding practices listed on dog food packages are written for a hypothetical animal that does not exist: the 'average' member of the sub-species canine." Every breed has different nutritional requirements to meet their various physical characteristics and needs. Feeding the same diet to every dog will cause problems and sickness for these animals. For example the NRC report entitled "Nutrient Requirements of Dogs" shows that a Collie requires 270 IU/kG of vitamin D. However there are other breeds of the same weight that only require 8 IU/kG. Cusick points out that if you were to feed one of these other dogs the correct nutrition for a Collie, it could be toxic; but if you fed the Collie the lesser amount, it would not be sufficient for his needs.
Some companies list higher portions on their labels in order to force consumers into purchasing more of their product. They note that Procter & Gamble took the opposite route with their Iams and Eukanaba brands. They decreased the recommended feeding portions and then claimed that their product was cheaper to feed pets. A competing manufacturer sued Proctor & Gamble after they conducted an independent study that found the feeding levels to be inadequate to maintain health. Jerry Sicherman, president of Nutro, states "Iams is not only being sued by Nutro for false and misleading claims, but they are also being sued independently on the same charges by Kal Kan, and in a consumer class-action suit that has been brought against Iams in California." According to the Wasserman, Comden, Casselman and Pearson L.L.P web site, consumers who have purchased Iams since the label change in 1999 have filed a class action lawsuit. The suit claims that Iams misled consumers by lowering the portion sizes. It also refers to five independent studies testing Iams feeding instructions and statements made by the company. In all five studies, the humane officer terminated the study because of "significant weight loss suffered by the dogs following Iams' feeding instructions."
Ann Martin says if you skip commercially packed foods completely and feed your pet foods you've made yourself, you'll discover that "the amount fed is about half of what is listed on lower grade commercial foods." The reason is that your pet is using all of the nutrition he's getting instead of it passing through his body unused.
A reccomendation of Foods to feed your dog/cat is in part 2 on another thread)
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Antipodi
May one day man and Animals live together in harmony and peace
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