The Truth Is Out There: Are You Feeding Your Fur-Baby Dangerous Pet Food?

Since Little Bear has gotten real sick and I've changed his diet, I've learned so much about Pet Food, what's in it, what NOT to feed him and ingredients to completely avoid. Then talking to other pet owners that have sick pets got me thinking...could the pet food I've fed Little Bear in the past be part of the reason he got so sick? Hmmm....who knows? The things I've learned is an eye opener and even though my pup is sick, he's lost weight and his blindness has slowed. According to my groomer, for a dog with Canine Cushings Disease & Canine Diabetes he's doing really good, has a full coat, no sores and no odor. I only feed Little Bear pet food with the AAFCO ( Association of American Feed Control Officials ) Logo and if it states it's HUMAN GRADE. And I still read the label! I have to share what I've learned and hope it helps you too. After all I've done a blog on what we eat and even have tools to help you shop smarter and healthier! See Tricks, Tips & Tools For A Better Diet

It's your responsibility as a pet owner to look past the pretty pictures of fresh cuts of meat and juicy vegetables, the cute commercials and the misleading, biased information about "proper nutrition" and question the statements the manufacturer makes. You might have read or heard about dog/cat/pet food from online or a friend or Vet and you've thought "Should I be feeding Fido commercial dog food or should he be on an organic or home cooked raw diet? It would be GREAT if we could all afford to feed all our pets home cooked food prepared just for them but it would get very expensive. Not all commercial dog food is prepared with low quality ingredients and cheap byproducts, only meeting the bare minimum of nutritional requirements. Examples are beef or chicken "flavored" corn or rice byproducts. One of the BEST websites I use is The Dog Food Advisor and for the Feline Lovers

The philosophies and ethics of manufacturers alter broadly and it is my goal to make as much data available as likely so you can pattern your own attitude about what is a good nourishment and what isn't. If sufficient pet proprietors make an attentive alternative, bypass the "junk food" and support trustworthy manufacturers by buying their value products, perhaps it will send a message to the businesses who are happy to deal you sacks of beef with added flavor" maize or rice byproducts.

Research the food you're buying your pet

Happily, changes are already happening. More and more smaller, privately owned businesses are entering the market with quality products. Almost every pet food manufacturer that is owned by a corporate giant is following the example of the successful smaller companies, trying to secure themselves a piece of the "natural" or "holistic" segment of the market. Royal Canin offers "Natural Blend" and "Sensible Choice", Heinz Pet Products offers "Nature's Recipe" and Colgate-Palmolive offers Science Diet "Nature's Best" and "Advanced Protection". Even the low-end range on the grocery store shelf has candidates like Purina "Beneful".

In some cases a quick look at the ingredient list reveals whether the product is made of quality components or not, in others it takes more knowledge about individual ingredients to determine which food is the better one. Of course every company is going to tell you that they are using only the best quality ingredients, but the constitutional right to freedom of speech does not require such statements to be truthful.

I have an extensive list here and suggest you jot down these ingredients and take them to the store with you the next time you purchase your pet food. Be sure to check the recall list too! Do not buy pet food containing these ingredients!

ANIMAL DIGEST: Horribly bad stuff! A cooked-down, disgusting broth used for flavor rendered by chemical and/or enzymatic process. It's ANONYMOUS, meaning it does not specify the source animals because the manufacturer does not know what they are! Like ground up carcasses from "4D" animals: DEAD, DISEASED, DISABLED OR DYING PRIOR TO SLAUGHTER! No healthy meat! From zoos, euthanized animals from shelters, and it can contain cancerous, diseased tissue containing parasites, pus, worms, tumors and decomposed (spoiled) tissue.

ANIMAL FAT Non-descriptive, “generic”, cheap fat source, often rancid prior to preserving with Vitamin E (gimmicky to cover poor quality fat).

Again, this particular ingredient is anonymous, meaning it doesn’t even specify the source animals because the manufacturers don’t know what they are!

Usually contains high levels of rancid restaurant grease or other oils that are deemed inedible for humans. Also from 4D animals! Get this! The FDA says it is probable that animal fat contains the lethal drug Pentobarbital which is used to euthanize cats and dogs!

BEEF and BONE MEAL: Bad, bad stuff! A disgusting byproduct made from pork or beef parts which are not suitable for human consumption. It can incorporate the entire animal, including the bones, but the quality cuts of meat are always removed. This is an inexpensive, low quality ingredient used to boost the protein percentage made by rendering plants.

And again,the FDA says it is probable that beef and bone meal contains the lethal drug pentobarbital which is used to euthanize cats and dogs.

BEEF TALLOW: Terrible source of fat. Nutritionally unfit for dogs or cats.

Includes the fat that comes from the disgusting production of meat meal.

Widely used in the soap and chemical industries to produce household items.

Fat with titer above 40 degrees Celsius, obtained from the tissue of cattle in the commercial process of rendering. Also called beef fat. Pets like the taste so it's most common in low quality food to make it appealing to your pet.

BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole): An additive that is used as a preservative in very low quality pet food. Causes enhanced stomach and urinary bladder carcinogenesis and squamous-cell carcinomas in stomachs (cancers of this type are among the most lethal and fastest acting, the swiftest effects being seen among animals with light colored fur.) Banned for humans! Found in the very lowest quality of pet foods.

BHA is a known carcinogen! As is.....

BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene): An additive that is used as a preservative in very low quality pet food. It accumulates in the body fat and is known to cause cancer in animals and disrupt the body’s hormone balance. Banned for human consumption in most parts of the world.

Laboratory studies have shown BHT causes cancer and results in detrimental reproductive effects in rats. Promoted urinary bladder carcinogenesis and could be a promoter of thyroid carcinogenesis.

BREWER'S RICE: Waste product, pure junk. Waste product from breweries, cheap, non-nutritive filler can be harsh on intestines and lead to diabetes. Useless filler. Major source of pet allergies and a host of other problems in cats and dogs, triggers seizures and skin problems such as itching, excessive shedding, eye and ear infections and causes irritable bowel problems.

BREWER'S YEAST EXTRACT: Condensed liquid left over from brewery process. Can become toxic to the liver.

CHICKEN BY-PRODUCTS, CHICKEN BY-PRODUCTS MEAL, POULTRY BY-PRODUCT: Waste product, pure junk, very cheap protein source. The word “by-product” is an instant NO when it comes to pet food! Yuk! Made from anything from the chicken that is not fit for human consumption, including cancerous tissue.

All parts that is animal is used. This includes unspecified parts such as bones, blood, intestines, lungs, ligaments, heads, feet, ears, neck and teeth!

Ground up chicken carcasses often come from “4-D animals” (dead, diseased, disabled, or dying prior to slaughter), all internal parts void of healthy meat. I can't stress it enough! chicken by-products can contain cancerous or diseased tissue containing parasites, pus, worms, tumors and decomposed (spoiled) tissue. Don’t forget that chicken by-products consists of any parts of the animal OTHER than meat. There is NO MEAT in chicken by-products!

HIGH QUALITY PET FOODS NEVER, EVER CONTAIN BY-PRODUCTS!

CORN, CORN MEAL, CORN GRITS, CORN PROTEIN:

Waste products, pure junk, very poor protein source. Corn and corn derivatives are among the worst (and cheapest) ingredients in pet food. It is NOT THE SAME CORN WE EAT AT HUMANS! It's the nasty corn that is filled with mold or fungus that causes death!

DRIED BEET PULP: Waste product, pure junk. Cheap filler/fiber causes sugar rush/addiction to food, hyperactivity and allergies. May cause allergies, seizures, skin problems such as itching and excessive shedding, ear and eye infections. It's known to be an artificial stool hardener. This is dangerous because when the stool remains in the colon too long, it exudes toxins into the blood stream, which could lead to a variety of short term (E.Coli) or long term health problems. Sugar in beet pulp causes diabetes, hypoglycemia, weight gain, nervousness and fearful behavior, cataracts, ill health in general and a host of other symptoms and diseases.

It triggers seizures, skin problems such as itching and excessive shedding, ear and eye infections and causes irritable bowel problems.

DRIED EGG PRODUCT: Waste product, pure junk. Cheap source of protein, waste product of egg industry, can contain undeveloped and diseased eggs, floor sweepings, etc. Not fit for human consumption.

ETHYLENEDIAMINE: A solvent, urinary acidifier and color promoter that can irritate the skin and mucus membranes and may cause asthmatic reactions and allergic skin rashes.

FISH:: Generic product name, waste not fit for human consumption. Often from from rancid fish, high mercury content. This ingredient is anonymous, meaning it doesn’t even specify the fish source because the manufacturers don’t know what they are! Made from unspecified parts of an unspecified fish.

FISH MEAL: Generic product name, waste not fit for human consumption. Often from rancid fish, high mercury content. This ingredient is anonymous, meaning it doesn’t even specify the fish source because the manufacturers don’t know what they are! And According to U.S. law (Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security) fish meal MUST be preserved with ethoxyquin, a know carcinogen (see definition above) to prevent explosion during transport.

FISH OIL: Generic product name, usually waste not fit for human consumption. Could be from rancid fish, high mercury content and may contain ethoxyquin, a known carcinogen. Another anonymous fish source!

GLYCERYL MONOSTEARATE: An emulsifier (breaks down fats), lethal to lab rats, still under investigation by FDA. Widely used in foodstuffs, cosmetic, medicine and plastic processing industries.

Can contain up to 200 ppm butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) as a preservative (a known carcinogen).

PROPYLENE GLYCOL – Added as a sweetener. Used in antifreeze solutions, in hydraulic fluids, and as a solvent.

So, after you have read this God awful list what kind of diet do you want to feed your furbaby? What I've found in feeding my Little Bear a healthier diet is it's actually less expensive to feed your pet a healthy diet than the bargain brands! I tried and tried to get the weight off of Lil Bear and he'd actually gain at times! On a diet! When I switched him, he lost 6 1/2 lbs! And he's not hungry all the time. When he was eating a cheaper diet he was hungry all the time. Now I feed Little Bear Grain Free Blue Buffalo or another leading healthy dog food. Take the compare test and get $6 off your purchase! Blue Buffalo Compare DOG Food
Blue Buffalo Compare CAT Food

Remember! Poor diet doesn't always kill. More often it sickens and the cause is rarely associated with the diet. Poor nutrition often results in chronic skin conditions, cancer, diabetes, autoimmune deficiencies, poor liver and kidney function and a general breakdown of the animals' systems. Low-quality foods affect their personalities and their ability to learn and even control their bodily functions. Inadequate diets cause dry, flaky skin (dander) and excessive shedding, both of which are the major reasons people release their animals to pounds and rescue agencies. Poor nutritional values are just a slower and more expensive way to kill our pets than euthanasia injections.

Are you going for:

VERY BEST: A balanced RAW MEAT DIET

BEST: A High Quality pet food, Wet is best followed by kibble

Here's a list of foods that are safe for humans but dangerous for pets:

Alcoholic beverages

Apple seeds

Apricot pits

Avocados

Cherry pits

Candy (particularly chocolate—which is toxic to dogs, cats, and ferrets—and any candy containing the toxic sweetener Xylitol)

Coffee (grounds, beans, and chocolate-covered espresso beans)

Garlic

Grapes

Gum (can cause blockages and sugar free gums may contain the toxic sweetener Xylitol)

Hops (used in home beer brewing)

Macadamia nuts

Moldy foods

Mushroom plants

Mustard seeds

Onions and onion powder

Peach pits

Potato leaves and stems (green parts)

Raisins

Rhubarb leaves

Salt

Tea (because it contains caffeine)

Tomato leaves and stems (green parts)

Walnuts

Xylitol (artificial sweetener that is toxic to pets)

Yeast dough

This information was compiled from various sources.

Accidental poisoning refers to a situation where a pet is exposed to household or environmental toxins that make them sick and can even, in severe cases, cause death. Here is a website that lists everything known to poison your pet and what to do if it happens.

Here is another great site to look up before you go shopping. Just in case there is a recall. Like the infamous Chicken Jerky that kills!

AVMA

Dirty Dozen In Pet Food

Roger Biduk Ingredients to Absolutely Avoid in Pet Foods

Dog Food Project

Humane Society
FDA Pet Food Labels

http://www.petfood.aafco.org