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Your dog's well-being is dependent on
the nutrition it receives. Most dogs will eat any food that is
presented to them, so please choose carefully what you are feeding
your companion. Her health and well-being are dependent on the choices
you make. I hope that these pages will guide you to the appropriate
choice for your lifestyle.
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In her article, "What¹s
Really for Dinner? The Truth About Commercial Pet Food"
in The Animals’ Agenda, Nov/Dec 1996 Tina
Perry points out that more than 95 percent of US companion
animals derive their nutritional needs from a single source:
processed pet food. Pet food manufacturers have learned to make a
mixture of inedible scraps, fortify it with artificial vitamins and
minerals, and preserve it so that it can sit on the shelf for more
than a year. The meats are often chicken heads, feet, and intestines,
cow brains, tongues, esophagi, and other products unsuitable for human
consumption. She goes on to elaborate on other ingredients commonly
found in commercial dog food.
James Morris and Quinton Rogers, professors with Department of Molecular Biosciences at the 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.
In February 1990, San Francisco Chronicle staff writer John
Eckhouse wrote an exposé entitled"How Dogs and Cats
Get Recycled into Pet Food" in which he reported that
euthanized companion animals were found in pet foods. Although pet
food company executives and the National Renderers Association
vehemently denied the report, the American Veterinary Medical
Association and the FDA confirmed the story. The pets serve a viable
purpose by providing foodstuff for the animal feed chain, said Lea
McGovern, chief of the FDA¹s animal feed safety branch.
Although manufacturers claim that millions of companion animals can thrive on a diet consisting of nothing by commercial pet food, research and an increasing number of veterinarians implicate processed pet food as a source of disease or as an exacerbating agent for a number of degenerative diseases.
After extensive research, the Animal Protection
Institute (API) published a
Pet
Food Investigative Reportto educate companion
animal care givers about pet food ingredients, ingredient
definitions, labeling, and dietary ailments resulting from
processed commercial pet food, including the most commonly
known brands.
Has Dogfood Really Gone to
the Dogs?
by Sharon Henley. Another good
article on what really goes into many commercial dog and cat foods.
A Look Inside a Rendering
Plant
Earth Island Journal offers another look at rendering plants,
and the
dangers to our canine companions.
Food not Fit for a Pet
by Wendell O. Belfield DVM.
Dr. Belfield
discusses the “negative effects that commercial pet food has on
animals.” From Earth Island Journal.
Mary Ellen R. Lunde
provides a listing of
the top five ingredients of a number of dog foods, very good
descriptions and explanations about the ingredients and information about how to contact the
manufacturers. If the product uses
ethoxyquin, BHA or BHT as a preservative it is also shown. The
list includes:
- Adult dry dog food
- Premium and Super-premium brands; no supermarket kibbles
- Address, phone #, e-mail and web site info, where available
The main ingredients are defined, and Ms. Lunde outlines what
she feeds her dogs, and why.
An analysis of about 29
different brands of kibble,
including the recommended
daily feeding amount and the cost per day based on this amount, and
ingredients has been compiled by the people who make TLC dog
food.
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Hot Pursuit’s Approach to Canine Nutrition
Give your Dog a Bone
can be purchased by calling 1-800-241-9111 x505.
Dr. Tom Lonsdale B.Vet.Med. MRCVS,
Veterinary Surgeon is a spokesman for Bones of Contention.
Andrea Madley's article on the safety and benefits of feeding
raw bones.
Their
Raw Meaty Bones Pages
include
information on feeding raw chicken wings, diets, the
pet food industry, and more.