Editors
Note
Hello
everyone. Can you believe we are in
the year 2003? It seemed like 2002 just
flew by. I know it did for all of us
here at Creature Comforts.
This issue will start the nutritional symposium we
promised you. Because there is so much
valuable information, we have decided to divide it into four issues. In this issue, we will explain how
commercial pet food is made and how to read ingredient labels, so you have a
better idea of what is in the bag of pet food you are buying.
In future issues, we will discuss dry kibbles,
canned pet food, home-cooked diets, and finally we will discuss raw diets.
Dr.
Miller’s Corner
Hopefully we all have survived the
holiday season none the worse for wear.
The holidays can be just as stressful on our pets as it can be for
us. But feeding a nutritionally
complete diet helps the body handle stressful situations better. Hopefully you will learn a lot and enjoy the
nutritional symposium that Melanie has prepared for you. She has been working very hard to gather all
this information over the last six months.
There is so much to know, so this is
the condensed version. If you desire
more details in this area, call the office and we’ll mail you the extended
version. It is truly amazing the lack of restrictions on pet food
manufacturing. It
may say nutritionally complete on the bag but it is not even close to being nutritional, let alone nutritionally complete.
There are only a few announcements
this month. The next Chiropractic Session is January 15th - 19th,
the office will be closed. Please mark
you calendar.
You might also want to make a note that the office
will also be closed on the following days, February 6th - 8th, as I
will be attending the Minnesota State Veterinary Meeting. I will also be attending a Winter Retreat
Veterinary Convention in Wisconsin Dells and will be gone from February 21st
– 23rd. The winter months are slower
months for me so I’m trying to catch up on my continuing education classes
while I can.
Nutritional Symposium
“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 spread 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.
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 everything “NOT fit for human consumption,”
to be turned into profit.
Some of this waste includes
intestines, udders, esophagus, diseased and cancerous animal parts, euthanized
dogs, cats, cows and horses including collars, spoiled meats from grocery
stores (including the plastic and styrofoam), road kills and restaurant grease.
Three of the five major pet food companies in the
United States are subsidiaries of major multi-national companies: Nestle
(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, and Walthams).
From a
business standpoint, multi-national companies owning pet-food-manufacturing
companies is an ideal relationship. The
multi-nationals have increased bulk-purchasing power. Those that make human
food products have a way to capitalize on their waste products. There are hundreds of different pet foods
available in this country. 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.
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 40lb 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
nutritional components of a well balanced diet include Protein, Carbohydrate
(grains), Fats, Vitamins, Minerals and Water. We will now discuss each of these
ingredients:
Protein: 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, like bones,
blood, intestines, lungs, hooves, ligaments, chicken heads and feet and almost
all the other parts not generally consumed by humans, are used in pet food. These other parts are known as
by-products, meat-and-bone-meal, digest or similar names on pet food labels. Many of these remnants provide a
questionable source of nourishment for our animals. The nutritional quality of meat and poultry by-products, meals, and digest can vary from batch to batch.
The term
meal means that these materials are
not used fresh, but have been rendered.
What is rendering? Rendering is the boiling down and dehydrating
process to make “usable” products out of slaughterhouse
and restaurant scraps, dead farm animals, road kills and as distasteful as it
may seem euthanized animals, including cats and dogs. Rendering persists because it provides an essential service:
disposing of millions of pounds of dead animals every day. In 1997, it was estimated that renderer’s in
the United States picked up over 100 million pounds of feet, heads, stomachs, intestines, hooves, spinal cords,
tails, grease, feathers, and bones. One
can only imagine what those statistics are today, 6 years later.
Carbohydrates/Grains/Cereal products: are referred to as fillers. The amount of grain products used in pet food has risen over the
last decade. Cereal and grain products
now replace a considerable proportion of the meat that was used in the first
commercial pet foods. Why? Because
it’s cheaper.
Corn is
a very popular filler among pet food manufacturers because it is so
economical. Next time you go to the
grocery store, take a walk down the pet food isle and check labels. Count how many brands have corn listed as
their first ingredient. Count how many
times it’s listed period, i.e. ground yellow corn, corn meal, corn digest, etc.
Ingredients
are always listed in descending order of weight, the ingredient responsible for
the greatest amount of weight in the bag is listed first. Knowing this you have to ask yourself, how can a corn-based
food be nutritional for your pet that is a true carnivore? The answer is simple, it can’t.
Fats: All
commercial pet food has to be preserved so they stay fresh and appealing to our
animal companions. This is where additives and preservatives come in. Because manufacturers need to ensure that
dry foods have a long shelf life to remain edible after shipping and prolonged
storage, fats used are preserved
with either synthetic or natural preservatives. Synthetic preservatives include butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated
hydroxytoluene (BHT) and ethoxyquin.
These potentially cancer-causing agents 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 to our pets. There has been enough concern by consumers
to make some manufacturers change to a natural preservative, like vitamin C
(ascorbate), or Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols) to preserve the fats in their products.
As for additives, here is a
brief list of some common ones found processed pet food: anti-caking agents,
anti-microbial agents, coloring agents, curing agents, drying agents,
emulsifiers, firming agents, flavor enhancers, flavoring agents, formulation
aids, humectants, lubricants, non-nutritive sweeteners, nutritive sweeteners
and the list goes on, but you get the idea.
Vitamins and Minerals: These ingredients would normally be
found within quality ingredients, however, the sources of protein and carbohydrates
are so poor these days that these nutrients need to be added in. These are the long chemical names that are
listed at the end of the ingredients list.
Water: This is the last ingredient listed on our nutrients
list. However, it is actually the most
important. You can live without food
for quite a long time, but only three days without water. It is imperative that you give fresh water
to your pets daily. In winter months,
it is important to check pets kept outside frequently each day, to be sure
their water hasn’t frozen. There are
also heated water dishes available to help keep the water from freezing during
the cold months. Another fact to
consider is that most tap water is no longer fit for drinking these days. It is not uncommon to see water filters of
some sort in each home I visit, yet many people still give their pets water
from the tap. They understand the water
isn’t fit for drinking, yet fail to use filtered water for their pets.
Unfiltered water has been shown to cause cats to develop crystals in their
urine, as well as other diseases in dogs. If you have a water filter system,
please use this filtered water for your pets as well.
Did you know?
The natural prey diet of the cat contains between
65%-76% water.
Summary:
Many people select one pet food
and feed it to their pets for a prolonged period of time. Because most commercial pet foods use cereal
grains as there primary ingredient most companion dogs and cats are eating a primarily
carbohydrate diet with little variety.
Add the harmful preservatives and additives, and you can imagine what
poisons are accumulating in your pet’s body.
These diets are a far cry from
the primarily protein diets with a lot of variety that their ancestors
ate. The problems associated with a
commercial diet are seen every day at veterinary establishments. Chronic digestive problems, such as chronic
vomiting, diarrhea and inflammatory bowel disease are among the most frequent
illnesses treated. Urinary tract
disease is directly related to diet in both cats and dogs. An often fatal heart disease and blindness
in cats is now known to be caused by a deficiency of the amino acid, taurine. Taurine
is now added to all commercial cat food. Excess calories and calcium in some
manufactured puppy foods promoted rapid growth, which has now been shown to
contribute to hip dysplasia. There are
now special puppy foods for large breed dogs.
There is also evidence that hyperthyroidism in cats may be related to
excess iodine in commercial pet food diets.
So…….what
can you do?
Learn to read the ingredient
labels on your pet’s food.
Always remember, ingredients are listed in descending order of
weight. Pay close attention to the
first 3-4 ingredients. You always
want to choose a whole meat like beef, chicken, lamb etc, for your first
ingredient, two meats in the first three or four ingredients is great. There
are a few manufacturers that are now stating they are using “human grade” in
their pet food. Check to see what grains used, look for rice or wheat. Always look for natural preservatives like vitamin
C and E (mixed tocopherols). If there are a lot of words that you don’t
know what they mean (chemical names), avoid that food. You will be surprised how many foods fit
into this category.
AVOID, AVOID, did I
say AVOID brands with these
words listed under ingredients: By-Products,
Digest, Corn, Artificial Coloring, Artificial Preservatives, (BHA, BHT,
Ethoxyquin), Sugars, Sweeteners (corn syrup, sucrose), Propylene Glycol,
Flavoring and Dyes.
Most of all, remember that very
first point that we made. You cannot get quality ingredients (or safe
ingredients) in a bag of food that costs $9.99 for forty pounds of so-called food. So why would you want to spend more on dog
or cat food? Here are some reasons why:
1. Quality
ingredients are more digestible so there is fewer stools produced – this means
less stool to clean up out of the yard or litterbox!!!!
2. Your
animal’s health will improve – less episodes of vomiting/diarrhea, better
appetite, less hairballs in cats, a better skin and coat which means fewer hot
spots, ear infections, flaky skin and shedding, are just some of the examples
of the health benefits of a quality diet.
3. Some
animal behavior problems have been linked to poor quality ingredients in their
diet (this is true of children as well).
4. A
healthier animal means fewer visits by the veterinarian and a cost savings
there that helps to make up for the higher cost spent on the pet food.
Here is the bottom line: there is no one perfect food for every pet but
choosing one with quality ingredients is the first step in keeping your pet
healthy and happy for a long time.
Little Know Fact
One year of a dog’s life is equivalent
to 7 years of a human’s life. This means when your pet receives a yearly
check-up, it’s actually been 7 human years since their last check-up!
We
cannot express how important yearly exams are.
Early detection is the key.
Dictionary from Dog’s View:
LEASH: A strap, which attaches to your collar enabling you to lead your
person where you want him/her to go.
DOG BED: Any soft, clean surface, such as the white bedspread in the guest
room or the newly upholstered couch in the living room.
DROOL: Is what you do when your persons have food and you don’t. To do this properly you must sit as close as
you can and look sad and let the drool fall to the floor or better yet, on
their laps.
GARBAGE CAN: A container which your neighbors put out once a week to test your
ingenuity. You must stand on your hind
legs and try to push the lid off with your nose. If you do it right you are rewarded with beef bones.
BICYCLES: Two-wheeled exercise machines, invented for dogs to control body
fat. To get maximum aerobic benefit,
you must hide behind a bush and dash out, bark loudly and run alongside for a
few yards; the person then swerves and falls into the bushes and you prance
away.
DEAFNESS: This is a malady, which affects dogs when their person wants them
in and they want to stay out. Symptoms
include staring blankly at the person, then running in the opposite direction
or lying down.
THUNDER: This is a signal that the world is coming to an end. Humans remain amazingly calm during
thunderstorms, so it is necessary to warn them of the danger by trembling
uncontrollably, panting, rolling your eyes wildly and following at their heels.
WASTEBASKET: This is a dog toy filled with paper, envelopes and old candy
wrappers. When you get bored, turn over
the basket and strew the papers all over the house until your person comes
home.
LOVE: Is a feeling of intense affection, given freely and without
restriction. The best way you can show
your love is to wag your tail. If you’re
lucky, a human will love you in return.
Pet/s of the Month
Our latest website feature, created by our
website guru Belinda is the Pet/s of the
Month section. Now you can send us a picture of your
precious pet and Belinda will put it up on the website for all to see.
Each picture will be displayed for a full
month, if not longer.
You can send your pictures via email to creaturecomforts@mia.net or snail
mail them to us at 755 Foxtrail Circle, Burlington, WI. 53105. If you snail mail them, please include a
self-addressed stamped envelope to ensure that you get your picture back,
otherwise we will put them in your file.
I personally enjoy opening a client’s file and seeing pictures of our
furry friends.
Words of Wisdom
“There is little that separates humans from
other sentient beings-we all feel pain, we all feel joy, we all deeply crave to
be alive and live freely and we all share this planet together.”
………..Gandhi
Perk’s for Pets Program
Calling all Businesses…….here is your opportunity
to give your employees more benefits without any cost to you. All you have to do is enroll in our Perk’s for Pets Program and we do the rest.
All your employees that make a house call appointment will receive 5% off their entire house call
bill. That’s right 5% off the entire bill for as long as they stay your
employee. Call the office for more details……….…
Contest
Be entered in a drawing to win a $5.00 gift
certificate by answering the following question correctly.
Would you consider this a good quality commercial pet
food? Corn, soybean meal, beef and bone meal, wheat flour, animal fat,
water, wheat middlings, corn syrup, animal digest (source of chicken and beef
flavors), propylene glycol.
a.) Yes b.) No
Although there where many
correct answers to last newsletters contest, the winner of the drawing was (drum roll please) …..Sardius Salukis.
Bingo was the name of Sailor Jack’s
dog.
Congratulation Sardius, your $5.00 gift certificate is on its way…………
“Care Enough to Share”
Referral Contest Winner:
**Rhonda Zimmerman**
Congratulations Rhonda!
Charge it!
Creature Comforts will now
be accepting credit cards. That’s
right, now you can use your Debit, Visa
or Master Card and charge your next house call visit.
Doggie
Breakfast
Bars
Courtesy of Martha Taylor-Young
Mix
all in a very large bowl:
6
cups oatmeal
2
cups whole wheat flour
½
cup oil
1/3 cup honey
¼
cup molasses
1
cup milk
If desired, you can add 1 large can of packed
pumpkin or 3-4 mashed bananas.
Pat on to greased cookie sheet and bake at 325 for 1 hour. After l hour turn oven off, crack oven door
and allow cookies to cool in oven.
Break into whatever size you want.
These freeze really well.
