no chicken bones............................. they are dangerous.. if you want to add natural calcium.. you grind up egg shells and add it to the meal............. but no chicken bones.....................
Big dogs: food, heath and exercise...
- Thread starter ermgravy
- Start date
no chicken bones............................. they are dangerous.. if you want to add natural calcium.. you grind up egg shells and add it to the meal............. but no chicken bones.....................
Hmm, never put any thought into DIY foods as you guys listed. Ill be doing some doggy food research now
Is it fair to say these diets listed are for all size dogs?
yes definitly for all dogs.
I'm going to have to agree. I used to take egg shells from when I was making breakfast and give them a whirl in the Spice Grinder and sprinkle it over the dogs food.
Introduction - this is the extreme raw diet...
Ok, make sure you read this, it sets the ground rules and understandings.
This FAQ is NOT a bible!
The raw diet, like life, has many different successful routes. I have tried to detail some of the basic questions that you may have which will hopefully get you onto the raw diet track.
People have different ideas about the raw diet and my suggestion if you become confused, is NOT to go back to commercial foods, but start thinking about what is best for your dog (or cat).
Start with the basics - a range of different raw meaty bones, or preferably whole items, such as chicken, quail, fish, eggs. For the majority of raw feeders - chicken is the base of the majority of their dogs meals. However, if chicken is not available readily, use what is available locally - raw meaty - lamb, beef, venison, duck, rabbit, kangaroo, pig, raw whole fish. You get the picture.
Where possible you want to avoid using items that have been raised inappropriately. For example, avoid beef that was raised in feedlots. Preferably the food should be as organic and natural as possible.
Please note: Dogs do not have the digestive system to cope with grains. Grains are one of the biggest sources of allergies in dogs. Grains make up the majority of dog food company food sources. Many people find when they switch to an all natural diet, the allergies their dogs had disappear. This is common.
Not only is feeding raw cheaper to feed than commercial dog foods, but there are enormous savings to be made by not having all those vet visits to fix your dogs' allergies. Are you asking yourself yet, "why hasn't my vet recommended this?" Yes, I would ask that of them too. Unfortunately most vets receive NO education at university on dog diet other than what the commercial dog food company reps tell them! (yes, this is the education they PAY to get - unbelievable. Luckily, some universities are realizing this mistake and are making amends).
What is Feeding Raw all about? Feeding Raw - it refers to a type of diet fed to dogs (and cats) which totally excludes all commercial dog foods.
Why should I feed a raw diet? A raw diet provides a range of benefits that commercial dog diets can never hope to even closely match.
These benefits include:
no doggy odour
naturally cleans teeth - no need for toothbrushes, de-scaling jobs, or gum disease
the time it takes for a dog to chew a raw meaty bones give their stomach adequate time to get the acids moving
much less stools produced - and they are firm, and turn chalky after a couple of days
decreased or non-existant vet bills (your dogs are healthier!)
less cost for dog food - commercial dog foods are ludicriously expensive
mirrors what a dog would be getting in the wild - and certainly even the modern day dog has a digestive tract exactly the same as a wolf
puppies develop at a more appropriate rate - and quick growth spurts are avoided. A GOOD breeder will want to stop fast growth in any pup.
the ripping and chewing involved in eating raw meaty bones develops the jaw, neck, and shoulder muscles of the dog. Commercial dog foods will never assist in this important muscle development.
What have people have reported? People who have switched their dogs to a raw diet from commercial dog foods have found the following:
dogs who were previously un-energetic, and sluggish become completely new dogs once the raw diet feeding begins
allergies their dogs previously had on commercial foods, disappear once they start with the raw diet
arthritis has significantly reduced or disappeared in some dogs switched to raw
better weight control
no more doggy odour!
their dogs are living longer on a raw diet than what their other dogs previously had survived on commercial dog foods
that their *****es managed their pregnancies better
better weight and survival figures in puppies
Click here to read some more detailed true stories.
Why is commercial dog food not good for my dog? There are a range of problems with commercial dog foods. I will provide some links below, but in summary:
a dog's food should never be cooked. It should be fed in a raw natural state like nature intended. Cooking a dog's food ruins most of the nutritional value.
dogs should have access to raw meaty bones. These clean their teeth, work and develop their neck and jaw muscles, and the chewing action prepares their stomach for the incoming food mass. Chewing bones also slows down the eating process considerably, making it far harder for a dog to over eat.
dog foods have as their main ingredient cereals - the main ingredient your dog should be eating is raw meaty bones. And it is these very cereals that cause a range of problems such as allergies.
commercial dog foods are laden with preservatives, colors (dyes), and salt. They have additives to make the food taste better so that the dogs will overeat.
the vast majority of commercial dog foods have far too much carbohydrates in them. High levels of carbohydrates are linked to over-eating, diabetes, weight gain, and numerous other problems. Dogs should eat a diet with only a small amount of carbs.
there is no substitute for a raw diet.
and most scarey of all:
your vet is most probably recommending a commercial diet because of financial inducements and a lack of independent learning.
Well then, why do so many people still feed their dogs commercial dog foods? Yes, it confuses me too! However, commercial dog food companies have got the advertising part down amazingly well. They have entered the market at every point. With some companies, breeders and vets get major discounts and kick-backs for selling their product. They sponsor dog shows, they advertise in dog magazines, they get high profile people (including vets) to talk about their product.
There are also considerable kickbacks vets, vet schools, and breeders can receive from recommending a commercial diet.
And most importantly, their advertising campaigns are slick, and tend to make people feel guilty if they feed any other way.
And people are suckers for good advertising.
Let me make this very clear to you, I make no money from recommending a raw diet, so you can be assured, by making such recommendations, I get no financial kickbacks, nor will ever seek any. As a breeder of dogs I could make a small fortune by letting my dogs be in dog food commercials, and by selling on commercial dog foods.
I only recommend feeding raw because I want your dogs to be getting the diet that will make them the healthiest that they can possibly be.
But how will I know how much to feed my dog? You feed your dog based on their energy requirements. It will differ for how much work your dog does, and what their metabolism is like.
As a rough guide, my adult male boxer (neutered) will eat a chicken quarter a day as the base of his meal, and then some other bits and pieces. The same goes for my Portuguese Water Dogs. My borzoi requires about twice as much.
My toy poodle will have three chicken necks a day (or more if he's been a bit active) as the base for his meal.
My cats will eat about the same amount as the toy poodle, but they do prefer fish over all other food!
Look at your dogs and cats regularly - if they are looking a bit porky, then remove all carbs in their diet. If they look a bit thin, then, an extra chicken quarter in the diet for a few days may be the solution.
It's not hard to do, and when you get into a routine, it's darn easy. Trust me!
But aren't chicken bones dangerous?!!! This is one of the biggest myths of all time! Raw chicken bones are fantastic for your dog. They are soft enough so that they bend easily, and break well for the dog to digest.
On the other hand, cooked chicken bones can be a problem, and I recommend that you DON'T feed COOKED chicken bones.
Some people are worried about their dog choking on bones. While such incidents are very rare (far more incidents occur with dogs choking on kibble), I encourage the feeding of bigger portions of meaty bones, or if available, whole carcasses, such as whole chickens or rabbits.
So could a raw chicken bone kill a dog? Well I guess that anything is possible. Certainly scientifically you can't prove a negative argument. However what we do know is that dogs have died from inhaling kibble the wrong way and choking and suffocating to death.
Feeding your dog is about management of risk. No matter which path you decide to take there is always risk. There is always someone who will criticise your decision. However you, and only you can decide what is best for your dogs. Weigh up all the benefits and risks. Do your own analysis. Do your research. Do what will have the greatest overall benefit for your dog.
My dog tends to inhale food!??? -
There is a real need to manage this.
This is common with some dogs who have been raised on commercial food who don't actually ever learn to chew.
You need to be careful with all dogs regardless of what they eat during their meal times. I've heard of dogs choking and dying on kibble, and dogs choking on raw meaty bones. - Just like I have heard of humans who have choked and died on a small piece of sausage or cheese.
You should supervise all meal times.
If a dog is scarfing down their food, I feed them by hand, in an isolated environment, until they learn how to chew. Chewing is critical for a dog. And literally some dogs need to figure it out as adults how to do it. Sometimes I will hold one end of the chicken quarter and not let them swallow it until they have chewed it a bit. Puppies that I have brought up feeding raw meaty bones from an early age never seem to have these sort of issues. But you never can tell.
Some dogs will try and inhale even large meaty bones, so you really need to work with these guys carefully. They should eventually work it out. As stated early, feed really large portions, that forces the dogs to chew.
There is an increasing understanding that best nutrition is achieved when feeding the whole carcass, rather than just bits of it. So to help a "scarfer" perhaps a whole carcass might slow them down. Be also careful of the greedy guts who thinks s/he will be starving unless food is consumed in great quantities immediately. Most dogs will learn eventually, but others, well, it may take a long time.
So in summary, monitor meal times, and be sure to watch out for the greedy guts - and manage them carefully.
How about pre-packaged raw foods? Pre-packed raw foods are entering the market in a big way. However, for the most part, they are inappropriate food stuffs. Here's just some of the problems with them:
Different standards for packaging dog food than for packaging human foods
You don't know how much of different foods are in your pack (unless you are sent an entire carcass)
5-10 times more expensive than buying directly from your butcher
Usually, they are ground food - which is not species appropriate - both dogs and cats need whole raw meaty bones and/or carcasses
Contain unnecessary supplements
Contain fruit and vegetables - which are just not appropriate for dogs or cats.
Should I grind the bones? In a small number of cases, invariably where the dog/cat has a rare medical condition, ground bones are necessary.
However, in over 99% of cases, dogs and cats should be fed whole meaty bones/carcasses. Ground bones are a poor substitute to whole bones. In addition, consuming such does not give the dogs the important muscle work out they need.
There has also been a very small number of cases caused by impaction of ground bones.
Frankly, feeding ground bones tends to help nervous owners get over the whole "can't possibly feed my dogs whole bones" mentality, but is not the best thing for your dog. If you insist on feeding ground bones, please understand the negatives of such.
What supplements should I feed? Ah... to supplement or not to supplement! Well there are some people out there and pharmaceutical companies making a load of money off gullible people! In almost every single case, the feeding of supplements is a complete waste of time and money.
If you really do have spare money, donate it to me!
Don't fall into the trap of feeding supplements "just in case". If you feed your dog/cat a variety of raw meaty bones/carcasses, then you're dog has the best platform upon which to base their health.
Just remember - NEVER EVER FEED KIBBLE!
But what about bacteria on raw chicken? So many good questions!
Ok, there is bacteria everywhere. Dogs have an amazing immunity system specifically designed to eat all manner of bacteria. And a healthy raw fed fed dog manages those bacteria without a problem.
E-coli, salmonella, etc are found on raw chicken, but those nasties are also found in your fridge, in your sink, on your floor, in your backyard, in your car, on the footpath, down at the park, and perhaps in your bed! Interestingly, the only cases I have heard of dogs dying from e-coli or salmonella, were dogs fed commercial dog foods.
The most important thing is to wash your hands thoroughly after feeding your dogs, and even after cutting up meat for your own meals. Our digestive systems are not quite as robust as our dogs, so we must protect ourselves.
I use a spray bottle containg white vinegar which I spray about when I need some disinfecting.
I have been feeding my animals a raw for several years, and have yet to have a problem with bacterial infections with my dogs. They are so darn healthy, they are never at the vets! Well, except for when I got them micro-chipped.
Additionally I have raised a number of litters all successfully on a raw diet.
But my vet doesn't think that feeding raw is any good Then your vet needs some serious re-educating!
Keep in mind that vets are told very little about dog diet at university. In fact, in some universities, reps from the dog food companies, come and do presentations on dog diet, as part of the curriculum. Many vets get their education on dog diet by dog food reps.
And many vets make a lot of money by retailing dog foods.
If you have a vet that doesn't want to be re-educated, or will not discuss options, then that is a very sad state of affairs. Here's hoping you can find a better vet.
Given this age of the internet, there is absolutely no excuse for vets not to be educated on all feeding options. And there are plenty of vets on the internet who would gladly converse with other vets about feeding raw. You found this page, why can't they?!!
That being said, there are plenty of vets out there now who realise that there are significantly better alternatives to commercial dog food. Many vets who have changed their ways are very sorry that they did not "see the light" much earlier.
What do you feed your dogs, Jane? Great question! These are the things my dogs eat:
raw meaty bones and/or whole carcasses - chicken, lamb, pork, whole raw fish (at least once a week), beef, rabbit
whole raw eggs in their shells (I let the dogs crack the shells)
organ meat
My dogs will also get fish heads, eel, prawns, squid, and any other raw meaty carcass I can get. Sometimes this means kangaroo!
Please note: dogs are carnivores - they do not need either fruit or vegetables.
- do you get the picture yet - be relaxed about how you feed!
Grains PLEASE NOTE: I NEVER EVER FEED MY DOGS GRAINS - THIS MEANS, NO OATS, RICE, WHEAT, BREAD, CORN, ETC.
Dogs do not have the digestive system to cope with grains. Most commercial dog foods contain more than 50% grains (yes, this includes all those fancy expensive ones too! ) Grains are one of the biggest sources of allergies in dogs.
My dogs have a diet that is high in protein, and low in carbohydrates - like nature intended.
Where can I buy this stuff? Talk to your local butcher, abbotoir, or chicken processor. Many of the leftovers that these guys consider waste, us raw feeders people consider fantastic for our dogs. Things like chicken carcasses, chicken necks, chicken feet, and chicken heads are considered rubbish, and are sold for next to nothing. You should be able to get these fairly easily.
You can also try things like pigs' trotters (that's pig's feet), ox tail, lamb's necks. Some people also have access to ostrich carcasses, and deers. Be creative. And don't forget raw whole fish!
Can I feed my pregnant ***** on raw food? Yes! Yes! Yes!
This is the best thing you can do for your *****.
I have actually changed the diet of a ***** I obtained, who was pregnant, to raw food when she was pregnant. I was certainly not worried about any cross over issues. For her, the potential damage of commercial foods to her and her puppies was my main concern. I couldn't get her onto a raw food diet quickly enough!
Mind you, she did eat one heck of a lot! So for pregnant and nursing *****es you will find that they need more food to cope with the demands of the little guys! And sometimes, a pregnant ***** will not want to eat a lot. You let your ***** be the judge. She knows her needs.
Can I feed puppies on raw food? You most certainly can. And the good news is that unlike the commercial dog foods who recommend a confusing range of foods for different age groups, raw food fed dogs are fed the same regardless of age.
Of course, you won't want to feed that little puppy huge marrow bones! So, use common sense in your feeding.
How do I learn more? There are a number of books on raw that have been written. None of them are perfect. Some recommend grains, or veggies, or fruit, or cooked food (including table scraps) of some sort. Despite our animals being "domestic", this has simply changed their behaviour, and has certainly not changed their digestive tract (despite what your well meaning vet might try and tell you.) By all means, look at the books on the market, but invariably, you will disappointed to some degree by each of them. In the end, the raw feeding email list is probably going to be the best source of information for you. Click here for more information.
I've got a range of books I recommend which you can browse by clicking here. The most fabulous book you will find is the book by Weston Price. Now this book was written before the time of even the introduction of commercial dog food. In fact, the book doesn't even discuss dogs or cats. It talks about human nutrition. It is an extraordinary read with fantastic photos, and you'll really start to understand how the wrong food can cause immense problems in humans within a short period of time. With this knowledge, you can easily apply it to our companion animals. And there's always that great movie about the guy who ate McDonalds for a month.
Jane, you spend a lot of time talking to people about dog diet. Why do you do it? Life is about learning. Part of my core instinct is to help people out. As part of this, I feela great desire to ensure that we look after our fellow furry friends.
With my show dogs, I call the raw diet, "my secret advantage". On one level I would much prefer that my competitors don't feed the raw diet, as I know their dogs will not be in the same condition as my guys. But on the other hand, what I want most, is for dogs to be healthy, regardless of who owns them.
Interestingly now days, the raw diet speaks volumes in the ring, and we often get asked the question, "what do you feed?".
We often win dog food at dog shows. The first thing we do with that is put it in the closest trash bin. There's no room for that sort of rubbish in our dogs' diet. The health of my dogs is far too important for me to compromise it by feeding a vastly inferior standard of food that commercial food represents.
Pet shelters take heed - if you approach the right suppliers, you will probably find you can get ALL of the food needs of the dogs for free, or for a very low price. Email me for more information on how this can easily be achieved.
Ok, make sure you read this, it sets the ground rules and understandings.
This FAQ is NOT a bible!
The raw diet, like life, has many different successful routes. I have tried to detail some of the basic questions that you may have which will hopefully get you onto the raw diet track.
People have different ideas about the raw diet and my suggestion if you become confused, is NOT to go back to commercial foods, but start thinking about what is best for your dog (or cat).
Start with the basics - a range of different raw meaty bones, or preferably whole items, such as chicken, quail, fish, eggs. For the majority of raw feeders - chicken is the base of the majority of their dogs meals. However, if chicken is not available readily, use what is available locally - raw meaty - lamb, beef, venison, duck, rabbit, kangaroo, pig, raw whole fish. You get the picture.
Where possible you want to avoid using items that have been raised inappropriately. For example, avoid beef that was raised in feedlots. Preferably the food should be as organic and natural as possible.
Please note: Dogs do not have the digestive system to cope with grains. Grains are one of the biggest sources of allergies in dogs. Grains make up the majority of dog food company food sources. Many people find when they switch to an all natural diet, the allergies their dogs had disappear. This is common.
Not only is feeding raw cheaper to feed than commercial dog foods, but there are enormous savings to be made by not having all those vet visits to fix your dogs' allergies. Are you asking yourself yet, "why hasn't my vet recommended this?" Yes, I would ask that of them too. Unfortunately most vets receive NO education at university on dog diet other than what the commercial dog food company reps tell them! (yes, this is the education they PAY to get - unbelievable. Luckily, some universities are realizing this mistake and are making amends).
What is Feeding Raw all about? Feeding Raw - it refers to a type of diet fed to dogs (and cats) which totally excludes all commercial dog foods.
Why should I feed a raw diet? A raw diet provides a range of benefits that commercial dog diets can never hope to even closely match.
These benefits include:
no doggy odour
naturally cleans teeth - no need for toothbrushes, de-scaling jobs, or gum disease
the time it takes for a dog to chew a raw meaty bones give their stomach adequate time to get the acids moving
much less stools produced - and they are firm, and turn chalky after a couple of days
decreased or non-existant vet bills (your dogs are healthier!)
less cost for dog food - commercial dog foods are ludicriously expensive
mirrors what a dog would be getting in the wild - and certainly even the modern day dog has a digestive tract exactly the same as a wolf
puppies develop at a more appropriate rate - and quick growth spurts are avoided. A GOOD breeder will want to stop fast growth in any pup.
the ripping and chewing involved in eating raw meaty bones develops the jaw, neck, and shoulder muscles of the dog. Commercial dog foods will never assist in this important muscle development.
What have people have reported? People who have switched their dogs to a raw diet from commercial dog foods have found the following:
dogs who were previously un-energetic, and sluggish become completely new dogs once the raw diet feeding begins
allergies their dogs previously had on commercial foods, disappear once they start with the raw diet
arthritis has significantly reduced or disappeared in some dogs switched to raw
better weight control
no more doggy odour!
their dogs are living longer on a raw diet than what their other dogs previously had survived on commercial dog foods
that their *****es managed their pregnancies better
better weight and survival figures in puppies
Click here to read some more detailed true stories.
Why is commercial dog food not good for my dog? There are a range of problems with commercial dog foods. I will provide some links below, but in summary:
a dog's food should never be cooked. It should be fed in a raw natural state like nature intended. Cooking a dog's food ruins most of the nutritional value.
dogs should have access to raw meaty bones. These clean their teeth, work and develop their neck and jaw muscles, and the chewing action prepares their stomach for the incoming food mass. Chewing bones also slows down the eating process considerably, making it far harder for a dog to over eat.
dog foods have as their main ingredient cereals - the main ingredient your dog should be eating is raw meaty bones. And it is these very cereals that cause a range of problems such as allergies.
commercial dog foods are laden with preservatives, colors (dyes), and salt. They have additives to make the food taste better so that the dogs will overeat.
the vast majority of commercial dog foods have far too much carbohydrates in them. High levels of carbohydrates are linked to over-eating, diabetes, weight gain, and numerous other problems. Dogs should eat a diet with only a small amount of carbs.
there is no substitute for a raw diet.
and most scarey of all:
your vet is most probably recommending a commercial diet because of financial inducements and a lack of independent learning.
Well then, why do so many people still feed their dogs commercial dog foods? Yes, it confuses me too! However, commercial dog food companies have got the advertising part down amazingly well. They have entered the market at every point. With some companies, breeders and vets get major discounts and kick-backs for selling their product. They sponsor dog shows, they advertise in dog magazines, they get high profile people (including vets) to talk about their product.
There are also considerable kickbacks vets, vet schools, and breeders can receive from recommending a commercial diet.
And most importantly, their advertising campaigns are slick, and tend to make people feel guilty if they feed any other way.
And people are suckers for good advertising.
Let me make this very clear to you, I make no money from recommending a raw diet, so you can be assured, by making such recommendations, I get no financial kickbacks, nor will ever seek any. As a breeder of dogs I could make a small fortune by letting my dogs be in dog food commercials, and by selling on commercial dog foods.
I only recommend feeding raw because I want your dogs to be getting the diet that will make them the healthiest that they can possibly be.
But how will I know how much to feed my dog? You feed your dog based on their energy requirements. It will differ for how much work your dog does, and what their metabolism is like.
As a rough guide, my adult male boxer (neutered) will eat a chicken quarter a day as the base of his meal, and then some other bits and pieces. The same goes for my Portuguese Water Dogs. My borzoi requires about twice as much.
My toy poodle will have three chicken necks a day (or more if he's been a bit active) as the base for his meal.
My cats will eat about the same amount as the toy poodle, but they do prefer fish over all other food!
Look at your dogs and cats regularly - if they are looking a bit porky, then remove all carbs in their diet. If they look a bit thin, then, an extra chicken quarter in the diet for a few days may be the solution.
It's not hard to do, and when you get into a routine, it's darn easy. Trust me!
But aren't chicken bones dangerous?!!! This is one of the biggest myths of all time! Raw chicken bones are fantastic for your dog. They are soft enough so that they bend easily, and break well for the dog to digest.
On the other hand, cooked chicken bones can be a problem, and I recommend that you DON'T feed COOKED chicken bones.
Some people are worried about their dog choking on bones. While such incidents are very rare (far more incidents occur with dogs choking on kibble), I encourage the feeding of bigger portions of meaty bones, or if available, whole carcasses, such as whole chickens or rabbits.
So could a raw chicken bone kill a dog? Well I guess that anything is possible. Certainly scientifically you can't prove a negative argument. However what we do know is that dogs have died from inhaling kibble the wrong way and choking and suffocating to death.
Feeding your dog is about management of risk. No matter which path you decide to take there is always risk. There is always someone who will criticise your decision. However you, and only you can decide what is best for your dogs. Weigh up all the benefits and risks. Do your own analysis. Do your research. Do what will have the greatest overall benefit for your dog.
My dog tends to inhale food!??? -
There is a real need to manage this.
This is common with some dogs who have been raised on commercial food who don't actually ever learn to chew.
You need to be careful with all dogs regardless of what they eat during their meal times. I've heard of dogs choking and dying on kibble, and dogs choking on raw meaty bones. - Just like I have heard of humans who have choked and died on a small piece of sausage or cheese.
You should supervise all meal times.
If a dog is scarfing down their food, I feed them by hand, in an isolated environment, until they learn how to chew. Chewing is critical for a dog. And literally some dogs need to figure it out as adults how to do it. Sometimes I will hold one end of the chicken quarter and not let them swallow it until they have chewed it a bit. Puppies that I have brought up feeding raw meaty bones from an early age never seem to have these sort of issues. But you never can tell.
Some dogs will try and inhale even large meaty bones, so you really need to work with these guys carefully. They should eventually work it out. As stated early, feed really large portions, that forces the dogs to chew.
There is an increasing understanding that best nutrition is achieved when feeding the whole carcass, rather than just bits of it. So to help a "scarfer" perhaps a whole carcass might slow them down. Be also careful of the greedy guts who thinks s/he will be starving unless food is consumed in great quantities immediately. Most dogs will learn eventually, but others, well, it may take a long time.
So in summary, monitor meal times, and be sure to watch out for the greedy guts - and manage them carefully.
How about pre-packaged raw foods? Pre-packed raw foods are entering the market in a big way. However, for the most part, they are inappropriate food stuffs. Here's just some of the problems with them:
Different standards for packaging dog food than for packaging human foods
You don't know how much of different foods are in your pack (unless you are sent an entire carcass)
5-10 times more expensive than buying directly from your butcher
Usually, they are ground food - which is not species appropriate - both dogs and cats need whole raw meaty bones and/or carcasses
Contain unnecessary supplements
Contain fruit and vegetables - which are just not appropriate for dogs or cats.
Should I grind the bones? In a small number of cases, invariably where the dog/cat has a rare medical condition, ground bones are necessary.
However, in over 99% of cases, dogs and cats should be fed whole meaty bones/carcasses. Ground bones are a poor substitute to whole bones. In addition, consuming such does not give the dogs the important muscle work out they need.
There has also been a very small number of cases caused by impaction of ground bones.
Frankly, feeding ground bones tends to help nervous owners get over the whole "can't possibly feed my dogs whole bones" mentality, but is not the best thing for your dog. If you insist on feeding ground bones, please understand the negatives of such.
What supplements should I feed? Ah... to supplement or not to supplement! Well there are some people out there and pharmaceutical companies making a load of money off gullible people! In almost every single case, the feeding of supplements is a complete waste of time and money.
If you really do have spare money, donate it to me!
Don't fall into the trap of feeding supplements "just in case". If you feed your dog/cat a variety of raw meaty bones/carcasses, then you're dog has the best platform upon which to base their health.
Just remember - NEVER EVER FEED KIBBLE!
But what about bacteria on raw chicken? So many good questions!
Ok, there is bacteria everywhere. Dogs have an amazing immunity system specifically designed to eat all manner of bacteria. And a healthy raw fed fed dog manages those bacteria without a problem.
E-coli, salmonella, etc are found on raw chicken, but those nasties are also found in your fridge, in your sink, on your floor, in your backyard, in your car, on the footpath, down at the park, and perhaps in your bed! Interestingly, the only cases I have heard of dogs dying from e-coli or salmonella, were dogs fed commercial dog foods.
The most important thing is to wash your hands thoroughly after feeding your dogs, and even after cutting up meat for your own meals. Our digestive systems are not quite as robust as our dogs, so we must protect ourselves.
I use a spray bottle containg white vinegar which I spray about when I need some disinfecting.
I have been feeding my animals a raw for several years, and have yet to have a problem with bacterial infections with my dogs. They are so darn healthy, they are never at the vets! Well, except for when I got them micro-chipped.
Additionally I have raised a number of litters all successfully on a raw diet.
But my vet doesn't think that feeding raw is any good Then your vet needs some serious re-educating!
Keep in mind that vets are told very little about dog diet at university. In fact, in some universities, reps from the dog food companies, come and do presentations on dog diet, as part of the curriculum. Many vets get their education on dog diet by dog food reps.
And many vets make a lot of money by retailing dog foods.
If you have a vet that doesn't want to be re-educated, or will not discuss options, then that is a very sad state of affairs. Here's hoping you can find a better vet.
Given this age of the internet, there is absolutely no excuse for vets not to be educated on all feeding options. And there are plenty of vets on the internet who would gladly converse with other vets about feeding raw. You found this page, why can't they?!!
That being said, there are plenty of vets out there now who realise that there are significantly better alternatives to commercial dog food. Many vets who have changed their ways are very sorry that they did not "see the light" much earlier.
What do you feed your dogs, Jane? Great question! These are the things my dogs eat:
raw meaty bones and/or whole carcasses - chicken, lamb, pork, whole raw fish (at least once a week), beef, rabbit
whole raw eggs in their shells (I let the dogs crack the shells)
organ meat
My dogs will also get fish heads, eel, prawns, squid, and any other raw meaty carcass I can get. Sometimes this means kangaroo!
Please note: dogs are carnivores - they do not need either fruit or vegetables.
- do you get the picture yet - be relaxed about how you feed!
Grains PLEASE NOTE: I NEVER EVER FEED MY DOGS GRAINS - THIS MEANS, NO OATS, RICE, WHEAT, BREAD, CORN, ETC.
Dogs do not have the digestive system to cope with grains. Most commercial dog foods contain more than 50% grains (yes, this includes all those fancy expensive ones too! ) Grains are one of the biggest sources of allergies in dogs.
My dogs have a diet that is high in protein, and low in carbohydrates - like nature intended.
Where can I buy this stuff? Talk to your local butcher, abbotoir, or chicken processor. Many of the leftovers that these guys consider waste, us raw feeders people consider fantastic for our dogs. Things like chicken carcasses, chicken necks, chicken feet, and chicken heads are considered rubbish, and are sold for next to nothing. You should be able to get these fairly easily.
You can also try things like pigs' trotters (that's pig's feet), ox tail, lamb's necks. Some people also have access to ostrich carcasses, and deers. Be creative. And don't forget raw whole fish!
Can I feed my pregnant ***** on raw food? Yes! Yes! Yes!
This is the best thing you can do for your *****.
I have actually changed the diet of a ***** I obtained, who was pregnant, to raw food when she was pregnant. I was certainly not worried about any cross over issues. For her, the potential damage of commercial foods to her and her puppies was my main concern. I couldn't get her onto a raw food diet quickly enough!
Mind you, she did eat one heck of a lot! So for pregnant and nursing *****es you will find that they need more food to cope with the demands of the little guys! And sometimes, a pregnant ***** will not want to eat a lot. You let your ***** be the judge. She knows her needs.
Can I feed puppies on raw food? You most certainly can. And the good news is that unlike the commercial dog foods who recommend a confusing range of foods for different age groups, raw food fed dogs are fed the same regardless of age.
Of course, you won't want to feed that little puppy huge marrow bones! So, use common sense in your feeding.
How do I learn more? There are a number of books on raw that have been written. None of them are perfect. Some recommend grains, or veggies, or fruit, or cooked food (including table scraps) of some sort. Despite our animals being "domestic", this has simply changed their behaviour, and has certainly not changed their digestive tract (despite what your well meaning vet might try and tell you.) By all means, look at the books on the market, but invariably, you will disappointed to some degree by each of them. In the end, the raw feeding email list is probably going to be the best source of information for you. Click here for more information.
I've got a range of books I recommend which you can browse by clicking here. The most fabulous book you will find is the book by Weston Price. Now this book was written before the time of even the introduction of commercial dog food. In fact, the book doesn't even discuss dogs or cats. It talks about human nutrition. It is an extraordinary read with fantastic photos, and you'll really start to understand how the wrong food can cause immense problems in humans within a short period of time. With this knowledge, you can easily apply it to our companion animals. And there's always that great movie about the guy who ate McDonalds for a month.
Jane, you spend a lot of time talking to people about dog diet. Why do you do it? Life is about learning. Part of my core instinct is to help people out. As part of this, I feela great desire to ensure that we look after our fellow furry friends.
With my show dogs, I call the raw diet, "my secret advantage". On one level I would much prefer that my competitors don't feed the raw diet, as I know their dogs will not be in the same condition as my guys. But on the other hand, what I want most, is for dogs to be healthy, regardless of who owns them.
Interestingly now days, the raw diet speaks volumes in the ring, and we often get asked the question, "what do you feed?".
We often win dog food at dog shows. The first thing we do with that is put it in the closest trash bin. There's no room for that sort of rubbish in our dogs' diet. The health of my dogs is far too important for me to compromise it by feeding a vastly inferior standard of food that commercial food represents.
Pet shelters take heed - if you approach the right suppliers, you will probably find you can get ALL of the food needs of the dogs for free, or for a very low price. Email me for more information on how this can easily be achieved.
Dogs: This is the cooked diet... i do this one..somewhere inbetween...but no commercial food...
Although your dog can survive on an all-meat diet if certain ingredients are added, dogs have evolved with humans long enough to do better on diets more similar to ours. What they are now designed to eat is what we are designed to eat. During the last 30,000 years that dogs have lived with humans, our diets were only 10-50% meat. (ref) The rest of what stone age people ate was grain, mixed with seeds, fruit and vegetables.
The wild dogs in our past, lived and thrived on whatever we threw away. That means they evolved to thrive on a diet that is 20-45% animal protein, not the 70-90% found in an all-meat diet.
Unlike humans, dogs and cats have evolved so as not to suffer from the ill effects of moderate amounts of animal fats (7-15%) - traditionally, 11.7%. Animal fat and cholesterol do not cause clogged heart and brain arteries in dogs and cats the way they do in humans. Even on a very high-fat diet, dogs and cats are very resistant to coronary artery disease. Only pets with unusually high caloric needs and a very energetic lifestyles - such as sled dogs - need 15% fat diets. In most pets, a 15% fat diet is a fast track to an overly plump pet who is at risk for many health problems.
You can make a diet for your pet that furnishes about 20-45% protein, 5-10% fat and 20-35% carbohydrate if the food you serve your pet is made up of about 2-3 parts meat and 2-3 parts plant carbohydrates. To that diet, you need to add all the bone minerals that you pet needs. If you stay with that formula, the individual ingredients you supply in each group are up to you and your pet's taste. Varying the ingredients from day to day lessens boredom and exposes your pet to a healthier range of nutrient sources.
There are a few food ingredients that dogs and cats should not have. They include chocolate, grapes, raisins, garlic, onions, macadamia nuts, tomatoes and avocado. You will find them listed on the ASPCA website. (ref) Pets like variety and surprise in ingredients and presentation of their diets just like we do. There are endless combinations you can prepare by varying the meat and carbohydrate ingredient from day to day.
Although your dog can survive on an all-meat diet if certain ingredients are added, dogs have evolved with humans long enough to do better on diets more similar to ours. What they are now designed to eat is what we are designed to eat. During the last 30,000 years that dogs have lived with humans, our diets were only 10-50% meat. (ref) The rest of what stone age people ate was grain, mixed with seeds, fruit and vegetables.
The wild dogs in our past, lived and thrived on whatever we threw away. That means they evolved to thrive on a diet that is 20-45% animal protein, not the 70-90% found in an all-meat diet.
Unlike humans, dogs and cats have evolved so as not to suffer from the ill effects of moderate amounts of animal fats (7-15%) - traditionally, 11.7%. Animal fat and cholesterol do not cause clogged heart and brain arteries in dogs and cats the way they do in humans. Even on a very high-fat diet, dogs and cats are very resistant to coronary artery disease. Only pets with unusually high caloric needs and a very energetic lifestyles - such as sled dogs - need 15% fat diets. In most pets, a 15% fat diet is a fast track to an overly plump pet who is at risk for many health problems.
You can make a diet for your pet that furnishes about 20-45% protein, 5-10% fat and 20-35% carbohydrate if the food you serve your pet is made up of about 2-3 parts meat and 2-3 parts plant carbohydrates. To that diet, you need to add all the bone minerals that you pet needs. If you stay with that formula, the individual ingredients you supply in each group are up to you and your pet's taste. Varying the ingredients from day to day lessens boredom and exposes your pet to a healthier range of nutrient sources.
There are a few food ingredients that dogs and cats should not have. They include chocolate, grapes, raisins, garlic, onions, macadamia nuts, tomatoes and avocado. You will find them listed on the ASPCA website. (ref) Pets like variety and surprise in ingredients and presentation of their diets just like we do. There are endless combinations you can prepare by varying the meat and carbohydrate ingredient from day to day.
What's Really in Pet Food
- Source: Animal Protection Institute http://www.api4animals.com
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
- Source: Animal Protection Institute http://www.api4animals.com
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
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Nice write up! Can't have nice fish that eat better than the House Protector
Ill be converting my guy starting today... How long is the process to convert, 1 week (guessing its not cold turkey cause it could give them "the runs")?
I would boil the chicken... you cannot be sure about parasite and bacteria etc.. and then he won't have the runs.. boil all the meat.. just better. then you can slowly introduce the raw if you want..
Liz i hate to disagree but find me one account anywhere of a raw bone splintering on a dog... choking hazard maybe but splintering not heard of... I believe there is an excetion but its actually pork bones that can splinter raw? but i have no intention of feeding pig so its a mute point for me... but lots of comercial kennels in us, uk and certainly majority is europe feed raw bone chicken as first solids... ie necks, quarter legs and wings...
of corse im not tell you its right to feed your dog boned chicken thats your choice im just saying i did the research and it seems to lack any fact to the rumours. i did find several professional accounts to back up my findings to.... Leerburg kennels basically give same advice for one...
of corse im not tell you its right to feed your dog boned chicken thats your choice im just saying i did the research and it seems to lack any fact to the rumours. i did find several professional accounts to back up my findings to.... Leerburg kennels basically give same advice for one...
and on teh subject of wining dogs, yes u either slowly introduce the food as Liz says or you cold turkey it, either way ur probably guna get some runny motions from your dog just which ever you again feel happiest with, but its not tech bad for them particularly ether way...
and the spice grinder for egg shells? my dogs jaws will top out sumwhere near 600-750psi egg grinding shells...
Most people slowly introduce foods tho there have been items ive just dumped into Bears diet right away and seen no adverse effects...
and the spice grinder for egg shells? my dogs jaws will top out sumwhere near 600-750psi egg grinding shells...
Most people slowly introduce foods tho there have been items ive just dumped into Bears diet right away and seen no adverse effects...
