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 (other than advertising) - it can become so confusing! Well, buckle up your seat belt according to what you know about the pet food industry, this could be a bumpy ride! You are about to learn seven secrets - well-kept secrets – of healthy pet food. Sit down, hang in there and keep reading.
Beneful says it's a "Premium Dog Food for a happy and healthy dog" and sells for about $ 18 for a 31-pound bag. Science Diet "promises" precisely balanced nutrition through continuous research and superior food supported by your veterinarian. sells for about $ 21.00 for only one 20 lb. bag. Then there are many pet foods that make the same claims - 'Premium Dog Food, Highest Quality' - that sell for $ 30.00 or more for a 20 lb. bag. And it's the same for cat owners ... Choose Whiskas that states "All we do is make cats happy! Or do you choose one of those high-end cat foods that do the same thing to a happy and healthy cat, but cost 3 times more?
Now, with the current pet food recall, pet owners have questions such as, "Has this food been recalled? or 'Is this food the next to be recalled?' ... 'Is my animal safe?' Wow it's confusing! And scary too! What exactly is a pet owner to do? How about learning some secrets! Equipped with the knowledge of some secrets of healthy pet food, it is not so confusing.
Secret # 1 ...
All pet foods use descriptive words like choice and premium, although few actually use the ingredients of choice or choice in their food. The "secret" is that according to the rules of the pet food industry, no pet food can make claims or references on their label or advertise as to the quality or quality of the ingredients . You see, the word "premium" when it is related to pet food does not mean that the ingredients in the food are of superior quality. With pet foods, premium does not describe (can not) food and does not describe the quality of the food. It's a marketing term and that's it. According to the rules and regulations of the pet food industry, "there is no reference to the quality or grade of the ingredient" (regulation PF5 d 3). Thus, words like premium, or choice, or quality are just terms of sale or sale. They should not be interpreted as terms describing the quality of the food.
Now, why would not a pet food label be allowed to tell a potential customer the quality of its ingredients? Does a pet owner not deserve to know what he is buying? That brings me to the next secret ...
Read My Previous Article: WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR DOG DIES AT HOME
Secret # 2 ...
If I can compare the food of "people" to pet food for a second, we all know that there are different qualities of food for people. There's White Castle (I'm guilty here, I like little guys!) And there's Outback Steak House (another favorite). Both restaurants serve meat and potatoes. At White Castle for less than $ 3.00, you can get a couple of burgers and order fries. While at Outback, you can get a steak and baked potatoes for about $ 16.00. Both serve beef and potatoes - but 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 do not think in the same terms when it comes to pet food. They do not think in terms that there are types of fast food pet foods and there are more nutritious types of pet foods. In fact, several years ago, a young man tried this experiment with his own diet - eating nothing but fast food for 30 days. In just one month of eating three meals a day, he gained a lot of weight, blood pressure and cholesterol. Now, imagine that your pet is eating this type of food all his life.
Read My Previous Article: WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR DOG DIES AT HOME
OK, so let's go back to our two meals ... if a chemical analysis of your meal in White Castle was compared to a chemical analysis of your Outback meal - both would analyze with a percentage of protein, carbohydrate and fat. Regardless of whether you consider an Outback steak a protein quality superior to that of the burger - it would still be analyzed as protein. The analysis does not measure the quality of the protein.
So here's the secret ... All pet foods come with a guaranteed analysis showing the percentage of protein, fat, fiber and moisture in the food. The real secret lies in the quality of the percentages of protein, fat, etc.
In a chemical analysis of a pet food - chicken legs would analyze as protein, although very little nutrition is given. In addition, a cow that has been euthanized (sleeping) due to a disease that renders it unfit for human consumption - would be analyzed as a protein, although this may be considered dangerous for consumption. These two things - chicken feet and a euthanized cow - are authorized ingredients and commonly used in pet foods. You see the secret within the pet food industry is the manufacturers have a big open door to where they get 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. The sources for these particular percentages range from "human grade" meat, chicken feet, euthanized animals, grain proteins, man-made chemical proteins, and many variations between the two.
Pet food labels do not have to say - are not allowed to say - the sources they use to get the required protein of 18% or 26%. And to make matters worse ... quality pet food manufacturers - companies that use 100% human ingredients - are not allowed to tell customers or potential customers that their products are quality, quality ingredients human.
So how do you know if your pet's food uses chicken paws or cows euthanized or if it contains human grade ingredients?
Secret # 3 ...
If the words prime and choice basically mean nothing about the quality of animal feed, and if some animals use chicken feet and euthanized animals in their food, how can an animal owner know what 'they get?
This big secret is in the ingredient definitions. Unlike the food of "people" where you can watch the food to determine the quality, the pet food is very different. All foods for "people" must adhere to specific guidelines from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The same is not true for pet food. Chicken feet and euthanized cows are NOT allowed in people's food for obvious reasons - they have no nutritional value or could be dangerous to consume. The same is not true for pet food.
The common ingredient for pet foods 'Meat and Bone Meal' is essentially a combination of many remains of the human food industry. The components of "meat and bone meal" can range from cow heads, stomachs and intestines to euthanized animals (horrible but true), including cows, horses and dogs and cats from veterinary offices, refuges for animals and farms. And with these euthanized animals, pet food also contains pentabarbitol that was used to euthanize the animal. "Meat and bone meal" may also contain remaining restaurant fat and diseased meat tissues (including cancerous tissue) cut from slaughtered animals. In other words,
The pet food ingredient "by-product meat" or "by-product meat meal" is pretty much the same as "meat-and-bone meal". It is a very inferior pet food ingredient containing literally who-knows-what.
Another ingredient similar to the above is "Animal Digest".
With regard to the chicken feet that I mentioned earlier - this ingredient can be found in the ingredients "chicken by-product" or "poultry by-product" or "chicken by-product" or "by-product Poultry". All remains of the chicken or poultry division, including but not limited to chicken legs, skin, including some feathers, chicken or poultry heads and intestines, are found in these ingredients. No matter how healthy the bird - sick, healthy, dead, dying ... everything is included in these ingredients.
So here's what you need to do ... BEFORE you buy pet food, turn the bag over and look closely at the list of ingredients. The ingredients mentioned above would be listed in the first five or ten ingredients. If you see any of these ingredients - it's my suggestion not to buy this food. Remember - chicken feet and euthanized animals test for protein. That's all that's needed in pet food - just the right analysis.
Another tip that some pet food manufacturers use in this category is to use cereals and chemical additives for grain products to increase protein percentages. Which is exactly the cause of the pet food recall that began in March 2007 - the chemical proteins. Two different chemical additives - which have NO nutritional value for domestic animals, but which have been analyzed as protein - have been added to a cereal product (wheat gluten, corn gluten or rice gluten) only to provide a protein cheap. Thousands of animals died and countless others became ill because no one was counting on the problem of the combination of these two chemicals that would cause kidney and urinary blockage. Again, their secret is the product must be analyzed as having a particular amount of protein - no one is required to provide a quality meat protein.
While you are looking at the list of ingredients - you should also note 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 so on) are listed in the first five ingredients. If you find more than one grain listed in the first five ingredients - that tells you that this pet food is acquiring some of its protein from cereals.
Why are proteins made from grains important to you? Several reasons - first of all science proves that cats and dogs require and thrive on a meat protein. If a pet food gets protein from cereals, the animal does not get the meat it needs to thrive. Second, if cereal products are corn gluten, wheat gluten or rice gluten, you are at risk of chemicals such as melamine being used to stimulate protein analysis. By the way, melamine is one of the chemicals that led to the pet food recall in March 2007. And there is another concern with grains - aflatoxin. Aflatoxin is a deadly mold common to corn, wheat and soy and is responsible for several other pet food recalls you've probably never heard of. In December 2005, Diamond Pet Food contained moldy grains that killed more than 100 animals before the product was recalled - all because of aflatoxin.
It is my recommendation to avoid any pet food that contains corn, wheat or soy in any variation. The risk is just too high.
Secret # 4 ...
I have more suggestions for you to look in the lists of ingredients ... 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 of cancer. Ethoxyquin is only allowed in human food in some spices because of the very small proportions. However, it is allowed in much higher proportions in pet food.
If you scan the ingredient lists, you will be looking for BHA / BHT and Ethoxyquine listed anywhere. Generally BHA / BHT is used to preserve fat in the food that is usually higher up the list. And also look for one of these chemicals near the end of the list of ingredients. Personally, I would not touch a pet food that contained these chemical preservatives. You want a pet food that is naturally preserved - the common natural preservatives are "natural mixed tocopherols" or "vitamin E".
Secret # 5 ...
The best food to provide your pet is a well done food using human grade ingredients. That should be pretty simple ... How do you find that? You already know that pet food manufacturers are not allowed to make any statement about the quality or quality of the ingredients, the only way to know the quality or quality of your pet's food is to call the manufacturer.
Now, let's say you call the pet food company ABC and ask, "Is your premium dog food and premium cat food made with human grade ingredients? It may be that you get the answer yes, we use human grade ingredients - when in fact only a few ingredients are of human quality. Here's the trick to ask ... ask them if they are APHIS Europe certified.
APHIS Europe certified pet food manufacturers assure you that ALL ingredients in their pet food are of human quality. APHIS - Phytosanitary Animal Inspection Services - is a division of the USDA. The European APHIS certification allows this pet food manufacturer to ship their food / sweets in Europe. When importing pet food from the United States, European countries require all ingredients to be of human quality and therefore require this certification.
Again, you will not see that on the label - it's not allowed. You must call the manufacturer and ask. Often, the pet food rep will not even know what you're talking about when you ask about APHIS certification - if that's the case, you can assume they are not APHIS certified in Europe. The European APHIS certification is a bonus for pet owners - it is not necessary or even suggested that any pet food manufacturer goes through the extra steps to get it. It's a special effort that some pet foods go through to tell their customers that they really care about the quality of their products. Personally,
And by the way, if you can not reach the pet food manufacturer, or they do not return your call in a short period of time, lose their number! Any company that does not give priority to answering customer questions does not deserve your business!
Secret # 6 ...
Minerals are a necessary 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 use. Science has developed several ways to introduce minerals into the body (human and pet) for better absorption, thus benefiting the individual much more. This scientific development is called chelating or proteinizing and has been around for years. Thanks to the chelating or proteinizing process, minerals are absorbed about 60% better than minerals alone.
This secret is to spot the minerals in your pet food to see if they are chelated or protein-rich. Note the minerals on the label of your pet food, at the bottom of the list of ingredients. You are looking for minerals that read "copper proteinate" or "chelated copper". If you just see the mineral listed, your pet is a bit like Charlie Brown on Halloween saying "I have a rock". If you want your pet to have the best minerals, chelate or protein are some of the best foods!
Secret # 7 ...
This secret is called "friendly bacteria". Although "friendly bacteria" seem a little scary, the reason is the intestinal system of your pets. A large part of your pet's immune system is in the intestinal system. Keeping the immune system healthy helps to keep the animal healthy. This sympathetic bacterium is similar to what is found in yogurt, but in pet food, it is introduced so that the cooking process does not destroy it. Looking at the fine print on your pet food label, this time you are looking for long scientific words like Lactobacillus Acidophilus or Bifidobacterium Thermophilum. If you do not see these words or some very similar ones, this pet food does not treat the immune system care of your pet. And again, if you want your pet to have the best, you want "friendly bacteria" in their food.
There are seven secrets to help you find the best food for your four-legged companion. Armed with these secrets - you now have the knowledge to find your pet the best food possible! A pet food that can prolong their life and prevent premature aging and disease. If you do not want to do homework, I invite you to subscribe to my monthly magazine, Petsumer Report (TM). With Petsumer Report (TM) I've done all the homework for you - every month, I see and evaluate more than 40 different pet foods, treats, toys and other pet supplies.
I want to share just a few more things ...
It is best to feed an adult dog or adult cat twice a day. The nutrition they eat with two meals is better used than with one meal a day. If you currently feed your pet one meal a day, divide the same amount into two meals and feed in the morning and evening.
You should know that all canned or wet pet foods are between 70% and 85% moisture. This means that 70% to 85% of this box or bag of food is unnecessary nutrition - its water. While our pets need water, cats tend not to drink enough water. But since all canned or wet foods are mostly water, they do not provide adequate nutrition to be fed strictly on a canned or wet diet. Use a canned or moist product to supplement your pet's diet - not just food.
The best pet foods are kept naturally (secret # 4) - but there is a problem with naturally preserved pet foods ... the freshness. Take note of the expiration date on your pet's tag - usually with naturally preserved pet dry foods (not a big concern with soft foods because of the cannery - very little need for preservatives). date on which it was manufactured. Let's say the pet food you plan to buy on July 1, 2007 has the "Best Before January 1, 2008" date. That would tell you that this pet food bag is already 6 months old. While it is still "good" a fresher food - a bag that is only 2 or 3 months old - it's better. Naturally preserved feeds lose their nutritional power over time. Always try to find a very fresh bag.
If you are considering changing your pet's food, ALWAYS consult your veterinarian first. You should always inform your veterinarian of any changes you make with your pet. Do not take risks. And if you change food, make the transition very slowly. I always recommend pet owners ¼ new foods to ¾ old food for 4 to 7 days, ½ to ½ for another 4 to 7 days, and so on. Changing food quickly can cause intestinal disorders! Its short term, but we do not want any intestinal disorder !!!
One last thing, as you already know, dogs and cats have a better sense of smell than humans. Their bowl of food can be a wealth of smells - good and bad. Sometimes an animal refuses to eat simply because it smells of previous food in its bowl. Food bowls and plastic water retain the worst odors. And surprisingly also makes stainless steel bowls. The best type of food and water bowl is the ceramic one. They retain the least odors.
"The animals are so nice friends - they do not ask questions, they do not pass critics." George Eliot.
I completely agree!
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