Do you choose canned food or dry food? What brand? There are so
many different brands, all shapes and sizes of pet food to choose from
and pet owners are provided with very little information to base your
decisions on (other than advertising) - it can get so confusing! Well,
buckle your seatbelt depending on how much you know of the pet food
industry, this could be a bumpy ride! You are about to learn seven
secrets - well kept secrets - of pet food. Sit back, brace yourself, and
keep reading.
Beneful says it's 'Premium Dog Food for a Happy,
Healthy Dog' and sells for around $18.00 for a 31 lb. bag, Science Diet
"promises" 'precisely balanced nutrition through continuous research and
the highest quality food backed by your Vets endorsement' and sells for
around $21.00 for only a 20 lb bag. Then there are numerous pet foods
that make the very same statements - 'Premium Dog Food, Highest Quality'
- that sell for $30.00 or more for a 20 lb bag. And the same holds true
for cat owners...Do you choose Whiskas that states 'Everything we do is
about making cats happy!' or do you choose one of those high end cat
foods that make the very same claim of a happy, healthy cat but cost 3
times as much?
Now with the on-going pet food recall pet owners
have questions such as 'Has this food been recalled?' or 'Is this food
the next one to be recalled?'...'Is my pet safe?' Wow this is confusing!
And scary too! What exactly is a pet owner to do? How about learning a
few secrets! Equipped with the knowledge of a few secrets of pet food,
it's not nearly as confusing.
Secret #1...
All pet foods use
descriptive words like choice and premium, though few of them actually
use premium or choice ingredients in their food. The 'secret' is that
per the rules of the pet food industry, no pet food can make any claims
or references on their label or advertising as to the quality or grade
of ingredients. You see, the word 'premium' when it's related to pet
food DOES NOT mean that the ingredients in the food are premium. With
pet foods, premium does not (can not) describe the food nor does it (can
it) describe the quality of the food. It is a marketing term and that
is all. Per the pet food industries own rules and regulations, "There
are no references to ingredient quality or grade" (regulation PF5 d 3).
So, words like premium, or choice, or quality are just marketing or
sales terms. They should not be interpreted as terms describing the
quality of the food.
Now why wouldn't a pet food label be allowed
to tell a prospective customer the quality of their ingredients? Doesn't
a pet owner deserve to know what they are buying? This leads me to the
next secret...
Secret#2...
If I can compare 'people' food to
pet food for just a second, we all know there are different qualities
of people food. There is White Castle (I'm guilty here, I love the
little guys!) and there is Outback Steak House (another favorite). Both
restaurants serve meat and potatoes. At White Castle for under $3.00 you
can get a couple of hamburgers and an order of fries. While at Outback
you can get a steak and baked potato for around $16.00. Both serve beef
and potato - yet you already realize that there are huge nutritional
differences between a fast food hamburger and a steak...right?
The
problem in the pet food industry - is that most pet owners don't think
in the same terms when it comes to pet food. They don't think in terms
that there are fast food types of pet foods and there are sit down
restaurant more nutritious types of pet foods. In fact, several years
ago a young man tried this very experiment with his own diet - eating
nothing but fast food for 30 days. In just one month of eating fast food
three meals a day, he gained a great deal of weight, blood pressure and
cholesterol levels sky-rocketed. Now, imagine your pet eating this type
of food its' entire lifetime.
OK, so back to our two meals...if a
chemical analysis of your meal at White Castle was compared to a
chemical analysis of your meal at Outback - both would analyze with a
percentage of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Regardless whether you
consider a steak at Outback a higher quality of protein than the burger -
it would still analyze as protein. The analysis doesn't measure quality
of protein.
So here is the secret...All pet foods come with a
Guaranteed Analysis stating the percentage of protein, fat, fiber and
moisture in the food. The REAL secret lies in the quality of the
percentages of protein, fat, and so on.
In a chemical analysis of a
pet food - chicken feet would analyze as protein, although granted it
provides very little nutrition. And as well, a cow that was euthanized
(put to sleep) because of a disease that made it unfit for human
consumption - would analyze as protein although that could be considered
dangerous for consumption. Both of those things - chicken feet and a
euthanized cow - are allowable ingredients and commonly used in pet
food. You see the secret within the pet food industry is manufacturers
have a WIDE OPEN door to where they obtain their ingredients. The only
strict rule they must follow is an adult dog food must analyze with 18%
protein and an adult cat food must analyze with 26% protein. Sources to
acquire those particular percentages range from a 'human grade' meat, to
chicken feet, to euthanized animals, to grain proteins, to even man
made chemical proteins and many variations in between.
Pet food
labels do not have to tell - are not allowed to tell - the sources they
use to obtain that required 18% or 26% protein. And to make matters
worse...quality minded pet food manufacturers - the companies that use
100% human grade ingredients - are not allowed to tell customers or
potential customers that their products are quality, human grade
ingredients.
So how can you know if your pet's food uses chicken feet or euthanized cows or if it contains human grade ingredients?
Secret #3...
If
the words premium and choice mean basically nothing with regards to the
quality of pet food, and if some pet foods use chicken feet and
euthanized animals in their food - how can a pet owner know what they
are getting in their pets' food?
This big secret is found in
ingredient definitions. Unlike 'people' food where you can pretty much
look at the food to determine the quality, pet food is far different.
All 'people' food must meet particular USDA (United States Department of
Agriculture) and FDA (Food and Drug Administration) guidelines. The
same is not true for pet food. Chicken feet and euthanized cows are NOT
allowed in people food for obvious reasons - they have no nutritional
value or they could be dangerous to consume. The same is NOT true for
pet food. The only way to know if those chicken feet or euthanized cows
are in your pet's food is to know what ingredients they can be used in.
The
common pet food ingredient 'Meat and Bone Meal' is basically a
combination of many different discarded left-overs from the human food
industry. Components of 'meat and bone meal' can be anything from cow
heads, stomachs, and intestines, to (horrifying but true) euthanized
animals including cows, horses and dogs and cats from veterinarian
offices, animal shelters, and farms. And along with those euthanized
animals the pet food also contains the drug pentabarbitol that was used
to euthanize the animal. 'Meat and bone meal' can also contain left-over
restaurant grease, and diseased (including cancerous) meat tissues cut
away from slaughtered animals. In other words, this commonly used
ingredient is a mix of highly inferior and potentially dangerous
left-overs from the human food industry.
The pet food ingredient
'Meat By-Product' or 'Meat By-Product Meal' is pretty much the same
thing as 'meat and bone meal'. It is a highly inferior pet food
ingredient containing literally who-knows-what.
Another similar ingredient to the above is 'Animal Digest'.
As
to the chicken feet I mentioned earlier - this item can be found in the
ingredients 'Chicken By-Product' or 'Poultry By-Product' or 'Chicken
By-Product Meal' or 'Poultry By-Product Meal'. Any left-overs in the
chicken or poultry division - including but not limited to chicken feet,
skin including some feathers, chicken or poultry heads, and intestines
are found in these ingredients. It does NOT matter as to the health of
the bird - sick, healthy, dead, dying...all is included in these
ingredients.
So here is what you need to do...BEFORE you purchase
any pet food, flip the bag over and closely examine the list of
ingredients. The above mentioned ingredients would be listed within the
first five or ten ingredients. If you see ANY of those ingredients - it
is my suggestion to NOT purchase that food. Remember - chicken feet and
euthanized animals do analyze as protein. That is all that is required
in pet food - just the correct analysis.
Another little trick some
pet food manufacturers use in this category is using grains and
chemical additives to grain products to boost the protein percentages.
Which is exactly the cause of the pet food recall that began in March
2007 - chemical proteins. Two different chemical additives - that have
NO nutritional value to pets, but that analyzed as protein - were added
to a grain product (wheat gluten, corn gluten, or rice gluten) solely to
provide a cheap protein. Thousands of pets died and countless others
became ill because no one counted on the problem of the combination of
these two chemicals would cause kidney and urinary blockage. Again,
their secret is the product has to analyze as having a particular amount
of protein - no one is required to provide a quality meat protein.
While
you are looking at the ingredient listing - you should also take note
of how many grains (corn, wheat, rice) and/or how many grain products
(corn gluten, whole corn, ground corn, whole wheat, ground wheat, wheat
gluten, rice, brown rice, brewers rice, soy, and on and on) are listed
within the first five or so ingredients. If you find more than one grain
listed in the first five ingredients - that is telling you this pet
food is acquiring some of its protein from grains.
Why is protein
obtained from grains important for you to know? Several reasons - first
off science proves that cats and dogs alike require and thrive on a meat
protein. If a pet food is obtaining protein from grain sources, the pet
is not getting the meat that it needs to thrive. Second, if the grain
products are a corn gluten, wheat gluten, or rice gluten you take the
risk of chemicals such as melamime added to it used strictly to boost
the protein analysis. By the way, melamime is one of the chemicals found
to be the cause of the March 2007 pet food recall. And there is one
more concern with grains - aflatoxin. Aflatoxin is a deadly mold that is
common to corn, wheat, and soy and it's responsible for several other
pet food recalls you probably never heard about. In December 2005,
Diamond Pet Food contained moldy grains that killed over 100 pets before
the product was recalled - all due to aflatoxin.
It is my recommendation to avoid any pet food that contains corn, wheat, or soy in ANY variation. The risk is simply too high.
Secret #4...
I've
got more suggestions for you to look for in the ingredient
listings...chemical preservatives. A very well kept secret of the pet
food industry is their common use of chemical preservatives. BHA/BHT are
very popular chemical preservatives used in pet food and science has
linked them to tumors and cancer. Another common preservative is
ethoxyquin which has known risks to cancer. Ethoxyquin is ONLY allowed
in human food in some spices because of the very tiny proportions.
However it is allowed in much higher proportions in pet food.
If
you scan the ingredient listings, you will be looking for BHA/BHT and
ethoxyquin listed anywhere. Commonly BHA/BHT is used to preserve the fat
in the food which usually is found higher on the list. And also look
for any of these chemicals towards the end of the ingredient listing.
Personally, I wouldn't touch a pet food that contained these chemical
preservatives. You want a pet food that is preserved naturally - common
natural preservatives are 'natural mixed tocopherols' or 'vitamin E'.
Secret #5...
The
very best food to provide to your pet is a well made food using human
grade ingredients. That should be simple enough...How do you find that?
You already know that pet food manufacturers are NOT allowed to make any
statement as to quality or grade of ingredients, the only way you can
find out the grade or quality of your pets' food is to call the
manufacturer and ask them.
Now, let's say you call the ABC pet
food company and ask the question "Is your Premium dog food and Premium
cat food made using human grade ingredients?" It could be that you get
the response yes, we use human grade ingredients - when actually only a
couple of ingredients are human grade. Here's the trick to asking...ask
them if they are APHIS European certified.
Pet food manufacturers
that are APHIS European certified assures you that ALL ingredients in
their pet food are human grade. APHIS - Animal Plant Health Inspection
Services - is a division of the USDA. APHIS European certification
provides this pet food manufacturer with the opportunity to ship their
foods/treats to Europe. When importing pet foods from the US, European
countries demand that all ingredients are human grade and thus require
this certification. Most pet food manufacturers that have APHIS European
certification do not ship their products to Europe - they simply use
this as a means to assure their customers to the higher quality of their
ingredients.
Again, you WON'T see this listed on the label - it's
not allowed. You must call the manufacturer and ask. Often times the
representative of the pet food won't even know what you are talking
about when you ask about APHIS certification - if that's the case, you
can assume they are not APHIS European certified. APHIS European
certification is a bonus to pet owners - it is not required or even
suggested that any pet food manufacturer go through the extra steps to
obtain this. This is a special effort some pet foods go through to tell
their customers they REALLY CARE about the quality of their products.
Personally, I would NOT buy a pet food that doesn't have it.
And
by the way, if you can't reach the pet food manufacturer, or they do not
return your call within a short time frame, lose their number! Any
company that does not place a priority on answering customers questions -
doesn't deserve your business!
Secret #6...
Minerals are a
required ingredient in human diets as well as diets for our pets.
Copper, Iron and Zinc are common minerals found in pet foods. Just as
they are - copper, iron, and zinc are basically rocks, very difficult
for anyone or any pet to utilize. Science has developed several ways to
introduce minerals into the body (human and pet) for better absorption
thus benefiting the individual far more. This scientific development is
called chelating or proteinating and it's been around for years. Through
the chelating or proteinating process minerals are absorbed about 60%
better than just the minerals alone.
This secret is spotting the
minerals in your pet food to see if they are chelated or proteinated.
Notice the minerals on your pet food label, way down on the list of
ingredients. You are looking for minerals that read 'copper proteinate'
or 'chelated copper'. If you see just the mineral listed, your pet is
sort of like Charlie Brown at Halloween saying 'I got a rock'. If you
want your pet to have the best, chelated or proteinated minerals are
part of the best foods!
Secret #7...
This secret is called
'friendly bacteria'. Although 'friendly bacteria' sounds a little scary,
the reason for it lies in your pets' intestinal system. A large portion
of your pets' immune system is found within the intestinal system.
Keeping the immune system healthy helps to keep the animal itself
healthy. This friendly bacteria is similar to what's found in yogurt,
however in pet food it is introduced in a fashion so that the cooking
process doesn't destroy it. Looking at the fine print on your pet food
label, this time you are looking for lengthy, scientific words like
Lactobacillus Acidophilus or Bifidobacterium Thermophilum. If you do NOT
see these words or some very similar, that pet food is not addressing
the care of your pets' immune system. And again, if you want your pet to
have the best, you want 'friendly bacteria' in their food.
There
are your seven very secrets to help you find the absolute healthiest and
best pet food for your four-legged friend. Armed with those secrets -
you now have the knowledge to find your pet the best food possible! A
pet food that can extend their life and prevent early aging and disease.
If you don't want to bother doing the homework involved, I urge you to
subscribe to my monthly magazine Petsumer Report(TM). Through Petsumer
Report(TM) I've done all the homework for you - each month I review and
rate over 40 different pet foods, treats, toys, and various other pet
supplies. It's the ONLY publication of its' kind providing pet owners
with the information they need to know regarding their pet product
purchases.
I want to share just a couple more things...
It's
best to feed an adult dog or adult cat two meals a day. The nutrition
they consume with two meals is better utilized than with just one meal a
day. If you are currently feeding your pet one meal a day, split that
same amount into two meals and feed in the AM and PM.
You should
know that all canned or moist pet foods are anywhere between 70% to 85%
moisture. This means that 70% to 85% of that can or pouch of food is
useless nutrition - its water. Granted our pets need water, cats
especially tend not to drink enough water. But since all canned or moist
foods are mostly water, they do not provide adequate nutrition to be
fed strictly a canned or moist diet. Use a canned or moist product to
supplement your pet's diet - not as the only food.
The best pet
foods are preserved naturally (secret #4) - but there is a concern with
naturally preserved pet foods...freshness. Take notice of the expiration
date on your pets food label - typically with naturally preserved dry
pet foods (not as much of a concern with soft foods because of canning -
very little need of preservatives) the expiration date is one year to
18 months from the date it was manufactured. Let's say the pet food you
are considering to purchase on July 1, 2007 has a 'Best if Used by' date
of January 1, 2008. This would tell you that this particular bag of pet
food is already 6 months old. While it is still 'good' a fresher food -
a bag that is only 2 or 3 months old - is better. Naturally preserved
pet foods lose nutritional potency with time. Always try to find a very
fresh bag.
If you are considering changing your pets food, ALWAYS
consult with your Veterinarian first. You should always keep your
veterinarian advised of any changes you make with your pet. Don't take
chances. And if you do switch pet food, make the change over very
slowly. I always recommend to pet owners ¼ new food to ¾ old food for 4
to 7 days, ½ to ½ for another 4 to 7 days, and so on. Switching food
quickly can cause intestinal disorder! Its short term, but we don't want
intestinal disorder!!!
One last thing, as you are already aware
dogs and cats have a far better sense of smell than humans. Their food
bowl can be a wealth of smells - both good and bad. Some times a pet
will refuse to eat simply because he or she smells a previous food in
their bowl. Plastic food and water bowls retain odors the worst. And
surprisingly so does stainless steel bowls. The best type of food and
water bowl is a ceramic one. They retain odors the least.
"Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms." George Eliot.
I completely agree!
