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Degenerative disease incidence in dogs and cats is no mystery. What causes disease in people causes disease in animals, too. Below is an excellent discussion on this topic, taken from Music City Pug Rescue.
Alpo, Beneful, Bil-Jac,
Cycle, Dads, Diamond, Eukanuba, Excel, Gravy Train, Iams, Kibbles' n Bits, Nutro
Max,
Natural Choice, Nature's Recipe, Nutro, Nutra, Pedigree,
Purina, Purina One, Science Diet & Science Diet
Natural, Ol'
Roy... anything at Walmart and Pet Smart, and Kroger, Pro Plan, Purina, Purina
One...
IF IN DOUBT......CHECK THE INGREDIENTS.
Why?
Many contain low cost
ingredients, rendered animals including dogs and cats, soybeans, corn, wheat
by-
products, brewers rice/yeast, digest, by-products, animal fat,
sugar, artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives.
Vet
Disclaimer
Many of you may say that your
vet recommended a certain food. Most veterinarians
acquire their only
knowledge on pet nutrition in elective classes in veterinary school. These
classes may only
last a few weeks and are often taught by representatives
from pet food companies. Hill's, lams, and Purina
are the largest
contributors for these courses. In addition, pet food companies even
donate food to the vet students for their own companion
animals.
Rendering... how low grade protein dog
foods are made. Note: not for the weak
stomach.
t the rendering plant a machine
slowly grinds animal parts, skin, road kill, dogs & cats in huge
vats.
Then this product is cooked at temperatures between 220 degrees
Fahrenheit and 270 degrees Fahrenheit
for 20 minutes to one hour. The mixture
is centrifuged (spun at a high speed) and the grease (or tallow) rises
to the
top and it is removed from the mixture. The grease becomes the source of animal
fat in most commercial
pet foods (foods found at grocery stores,
Petsmart, Wal-mart, Petco, gas stations, feed stores, and some of
American's most trusted brands). After the grease is removed in the
rendering process, the remaining material
is dried and meat and bone
meal are the end of this process.
The
chemicals used to euthanize animals, dogs and cats can survive the cooking
process, which means
these chemicals end up in pet food. For example, The
city of Los Angeles alone, sends some two hundred tons
of euthanized cats and
dogs to a rendering plant every month. Added to the blend are the euthanized
catch
of animal control agencies, and road kill. When this mix is ground and
steam-cooked, the lighter, fatty
material floating to the top gets refined
for use in such products as cosmetics, lubricants, soaps, candles,
and waxes.
The heavier protein material is dried and pulverized into a brown powder—about a
quarter of
which consists of fecal material. The powder is used as an
additive to almost all low cost pet food as well
as to livestock
feed.
Definitions:
Artificial
colors
Many of the artificial colorings
used in dog foods have been associated with potential
problems. FD&C red
No. 40 is a possible carcinogen but is widely used to keep meat looking
fresh
Blue No. 2 is thought to increase dogs' sensitivity to viruses.
Food color used in today's manufacture of
foods is not for the dogs.
It is to satisfy the dog's owner.
Sugar: Sugar
adds palatability and moisture, and aids in bacterial contamination prevention.
Dogs do not
need this amount of sugar, which can stress the pancreas and
adrenal glands, causing diabetes…not to
mention hyperactivity, aggression and
anxiety.
Salt is added to many foods as a meat preservative. Too much salt
can irritate the digestive system
and can cause a mineral imbalance because
the salt itself can upset the calcium / potassium balance in
your dog's
system. Too much salt can be life threatening for a dog. Salt can also
lead to urination problems
by causing excess
thirst.
Corn-gluten
meal
The by-product after the
manufacturer of corn syrup or starch which is the dried residue
after
the removal of the bran, germ, and starch. SUGAR &
BINDER
Ground Corn-(also called Corn Meal)
the entire corn kernel ground or
chopped. It can contain up to
4% foreign
material.
Brewer's Rice - The
small fragments of rice kernels that have been separated from larger kernels of
milled
rice. A processed rice product that is missing many of the
nutrients contained in whole ground rice and brown
rice. Contrary to
what many pet food companies want to make you believe, this is not a high
quality ingredient,
just much cheaper than whole grain rice.
SUGAR AND FILLER.
Soybean
Meal
By-product of the production of
soybean oil.
Beet Pulp - This is
a controversial filler made from by-products of the sugar beet industry.
The fact that it is a
by-product is enough for us. It is
hard on the digestive system, can lead to hyperactivity ,
allergies and
diabetes. Just say
no.
Meat Meal -
Rendered meal made from animal tissue. It cannot contain hair, hoof, blood,
horn,
hide trimmings, stomach or rumen (the first stomach) contents, or
manure except for amounts that may
not be avoided during processing.
Meat meal can be from road kill, euthanized dogs and cats, and
diseased
animal.
Meat
By-Product
- Clean parts of slaughtered
animals, not including meat. These parts include lungs,
kidneys, brain,
spleen, liver, bone, blood, partially defatted low-temperature fatty tissue,
stomach, and
intestines. Again, Meat is non-specific and can be
from road kill, euthanized dogs and cats, and diseased
animals.
Rendered.
Beef Tallow - This is
the Very Hard white fatty substance which is rock hard and looks like a bone.
Most
dogs have great difficulty in digesting this
substance.
Wheat Gluten- An
inexpensive by-product of human food processing with almost no nutritional value
left,
serves mostly as a binder.
Animal
Fat
Animal source is not specified and
is not required to originate from "slaughtered" animals.
The rendered animals
can be obtained from any source, so there is no control over quality or
contamination.
Any kind of animal can be included: dead, diseased, disabled,
or dying prior to slaughter, goats, pigs, horses,
rats, misc. road kill,
animals euthanized at shelters, restaurant oil and supermarket refuse.
This is made
from rendered animals.
Poultry
Fat
This product the source is not
defined as "slaughtered poultry". The rendered fowl can be
obtained from any
source, so there is no control over quality or contamination. Any kind of animal
can be
included: dead, diseased, disabled, or dying prior to slaughter,
turkey, chicken, geese, buzzard, seagulls,
misc. road kill, and birds
euthanized at shelters.
Cellulose- Dried
wood is the most common source for cellulose. It is cleaned, processed into a
fine powder
and used to add bulk and consistency to cheap pet
foods.
Animal Digest- A
cooked-down broth made from unspecified parts of unspecified animals. The
animals used
can be obtained from any source, so there is no control over
quality or contamination. Any kind of animal
can be included: dead, diseased,
disabled, or dying prior to slaughter, goats, pigs, horses, rats, misc.
road
kill, animals euthanized at shelters, restaurant oil and supermarket refuse.
Rendered.
BHA/BHT-
Butylated Hydroxysanisole/Hydroxytoulen - a white, waxy phenolic antioxidant
used to preserve
fats and oils. Banned from human use in many countries but
still permitted in the US. The oxidative
characteristics and/or
metabolites of BHA and BHT may contribute to carcinogenicity or
tumorigenicity.
Ethoxyquin- A
preservative and insecticide that has been linked to liver cancer as well
as to problems of the
thyroid, kidney, reproductive and immune
related illnesses. Found in most fish meal but not labeled. The
average
dog can consume as much as 26 pounds of preservatives every year from eating
commercial dog
foods
Beef & Bone
Meal
A by-product made from beef parts
which are not suitable for human consumption.
It can incorporate the entire
cow, including the bones, but the quality cuts of meat are always
removed.
This is an inexpensive, low quality ingredient used to boost the
protein percentage. Rendered.
Chicken
by-product meal
Chicken by-products are much less
expensive and less digestible than the chicken
muscle meat. The
ingredients of each batch can vary drastically in ingredients (heads, feet,
bones etc.) as
well as quality, thus the nutritional value is also not
consistent. Don't forget that by-products consist of any
parts of the
animal OTHER than meat. Rendered.
Fish
Meal
(Limited Quantities are
recommended)
Like with all other animal sources, if a type isn't specified,
you never know what type or
quality of fish is used.According to US Coast
Guard regulations, all fish meal not destined for human
consumption must be
conserved with Ethoxyquin. This preservative is banned from use in foods for
human
consumption except for the use of very small quantities as a
color preservative for spices. So unless the
manufacturer either
presents a permit or states "human grade" fish or fish meal is used, you can be
pretty sure
Ethoxyquin is present in the food even if it is not
listed.
Dl-Alpha Tocopherol
Acetate
Synthetic vitamin E, also listed as
Dl-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate. Only about
half as effective as natural vitamin
E and not as readily available to the body.
Menadione
Sodium Bisulfate-
nnecessary ingredient in dog food.
This synthetic version of vitamin K has not
been specifically approved
for long term use, such as in pet food. It has been linked to many serious
health issues.
Dog Food Comparison- Bolding denotes
poor ingredients/artificial ingredients
SCIENCE
DIET
Ground
Whole Grain Corn, Chicken By-Product Meal, Soybean Meal, Animal Fat
(preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Soybean Oil, Chicken
Liver Flavor,
Dried Egg
Product, Flaxseed,
Iodized Salt, vitamins
(L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E
Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium
Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12
Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride,
Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Dried Chicken
Cartilage,
Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Taurine, Potassium Chloride, preserved
with Mixed
Tocopherols and Citric Acid, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc
Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide,
Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite),
L-Carnitine, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract.
SCIENCE DIET
NATURAL..ANYTHING BUT.
Brewers Rice, Ground Whole Grain
Wheat,
Chicken Meal, Corn
Gluten Meal, Soybean Meal, Animal Fat
(preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Beef, Peas, Carrots,
Soybean Oil, Chicken Liver
Flavor
Dried Beet
Pulp, Iron Oxide
Flaxseed, Dried Egg Product,
Iodized Salt,
L-Lysine, Potassium Chloride,
Choline Chloride, vitamins
(L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin,
Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate,
Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement,
Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic
Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Vitamin E Supplement, Dicalcium
Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper
Sulfate, Manganous Oxide,
Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), preserved with
Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid, L-Tryptophan, Beta-
Carotene,
Rosemary Extract.
IAMS- Chicken,
Corn Meal,
Chicken By-Product
Meal,
Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Chicken
Fat (preserved
with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Natural
Chicken Flavor, Dried Beet Pulp (sugar
removed),
ish Meal, Potassium Chloride, Dried
Egg Product, Brewers Dried Yeast,
Salt
Flax Meal, Sodium
Hexametaphosphate, Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of
Vitamin E), Choline Chloride,
Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide,
Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide,
Cobalt Carbonate), Calcium Carbonate, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement,
Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate,
Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin,
Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin,
Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine
Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Vitamin
D3 Supplement, Folic
Acid), DL-Methionine, Rosemary Extract
KIBBLES-N-BITS:
Corn, soybean meal, ground wheat
flour, beef & bone meal, animal fat (BHA used as
preservatives),
corn syrup, wheat middling, water sufficient for processing, animal digest
(source of
chicken flavor), propylene glycol, salt, hydrochloric acid,
potassium chloride, caramel color, sorbic
acid (used as a
preservative)
sodium carbonate, choline chloride,
minerals (ferrous sulfate, zinc oxide,
manganous oxide, copper sulfate,
calcium iodate, sodium selenite), vitamins (vitamin E supplement, niacin
supplement, vitamin A supplement, d-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin
supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride,
thiamine mononitrate, vitamin D3
supplement, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement), calcium sulfate,
titanium dioxide, yellow 5, red 40,
yellow 6, BHA (used as a preservative), dl-methionin
BENEFUL- Ground
yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal , whole
wheat flour, beef tallow
preserved with
mixed-tocopherols (source of Vitamin E), rice flour, beef,
soy flour, sugar, sorbitol,
tricalcium phosphate,
water, animal
digest, salt,
hosphoric acid, potassium chloride,
dicalcium phosphate,
sorbic acid (a preservative), L-Lysine
monohydrochloride, dried peas, dried carrots, calcium carbonate,
calcium
propionate (a preservative), choline chloride, vitamin supplements (E, A, B-12,
D-3), added color
(Yellow 5, Red 40,
Yellow 6, Blue 2), DL-Methionine, zinc
sulfate, glyceryl
monostearate,
ferrous sulfate,
niacin,
manganese sulfate, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, biotin, thiamine
mononitrate,
garlic oil, copper sulfate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic
acid, menadione sodium bisulfite complex
(source of Vitamin K activity),
calcium iodate, sodium selenite.
PROPLAN
SELECT
Lamb, brewers
rice, corn gluten meal,
chicken meal (natural source of
glucosamine),
pearled barley, oat meal, animal fat
preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of
Vitamin E), fish meal
(natural source of glucosamine), dried egg product,
fish oil, pea fiber, dried beet pulp,
atural flavor,
potassium
chloride, calcium phosphate, salt, dried
sweet potatoes, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, blueberry
pomace, dried
tomatoes, calcium carbonate, Vitamin E supplement, zinc proteinate, manganese
proteinate,
choline chloride, ferrous sulfate,
L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), niacin, copper proteinate,
Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate,
riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12
supplement, pyridoxine
hydrochloride, garlic oil, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate,
biotin,
menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K
activity), sodium selenite.
NUTRO
MAX-
Chicken Meal, Wheat
Flour
Ground Whole
Wheat, Rice Bran, Poultry
Fat (preserved with
mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E),
Corn Gluten Meal, Ground
Rice
Lamb Meal,
Natural Flavors,
Yeast Culture, Calcium Carbonate, Monosodium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride,
Choline
Chloride, Dried Buttermilk, Dried Kelp, Dried Egg Product, Lecithin,
Zinc Sulfate, Iron Sulfate, Vitamin E
Supplement, Iron Oxide, Garlic,
Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin,
Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement.
NUTRO
NATURAL CHOICE
Lamb Meal, Ground
Rice, Rice Flour, Rice Bran, Soybean
Oil
Sunflower Oil
(preserved
with mixed Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Poultry Fat (preserved
with mixed
Tocopherols, a source of natural Vitamin E), Natural
Flavors, Rice Gluten, Dried Egg
Product,
Dried Beet
Pulp,
Potassium Chloride, L-Lysine, Dried
Kelp (source of Iodine), Salt, Choline
Chloride,
Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Taurine, Ferrous Sulfate,
Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Biotin,
Copper Proteinate, Niacin,
Manganous Oxide, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin
Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Vitamin A Supplement, Glucosamine
Hydrochloride, Chondroitin Sulfate,
Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of
Vitamin B6), Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Vitamin D3
Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K
activity), Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid.
NUTRO
ULTRA-
Chicken meal, Brown Rice, Ground
Rice, Lamb Meal, Rice Bran, Sunflower Oil, Poultry Fat,
Salmon Meal,
Flax seed, Natural Flavors, Oatmeal, Alfalfa Meal, Dried
Beet Pulp
Tomato Pomace, Cranberry
Powder, Fish Oil, Dried Egg Product, L-Lysine, Dried Kelp Meal, and
vitamins. This food is ok but their protein
sources are of lower
quality than the foods below. Beet pulp can lead to agitation and
hyperactivity.
WHAT GOOD FOOD LOOKS
LIKE:
CANIDAE-Chicken
Meal, Turkey Meal, Brown Rice, White Rice, Lamb Meal, Chicken Fat (preserved
with
Mixed Tocopherols), Herring Meal, Flax Seed, Sun Cured Alfalfa Meal,
Sunflower Oil, Chicken, Lecithin,
Monocalcium Phosphate, Potassium
Chloride, Choline Chloride, Linoleic Acid, Rosemary Extract, Sage Extract,
Dried Enterococcus Faecium, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation
Product, Dried Aspergillus
Oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dried Bacillus
Subtilis Fermentation Extract, Inulin (from Chicory root),
Saccharomyces
Cerevisiae Fermentation Solubles, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Mixed Tocopherols
.
AZMIRA-Beef Meal,
Whole Ground Barley, Oatmeal, Whole Ground Grain Sorghum, Flax Seed, Canola Oil,
Alfalfa Meal, Menhaden Fish Meal, Natural Flavors, Dehydrated Carrots,
Apple Pomace, Potassium Chloride,
Garlic Powder, Dried Kelp, Choline
Chloride, DI-methionine, Mixed Tocopherols (natural antioxidant), Yucca
Schidigera Extract, Vitamin Supplements (E,A,B2,B12,D3), Niacin, Calcium
Ascorbate, Calcium Pantothenate,
Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine
Hydrochloride, Inositol, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of
Vitamin K activity), Folic Acid, Biotin, Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Oxide,
Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Copper
Proteinate, Copper Sulfate,
Manganous Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Cobalt Proteinate, Potassium Iodide,
Sodium Selenite
FROMM- Duck,
Duck Meal, Pearled Barley, Sweet Potato, Brown Rice, Oatmeal, White Rice, Whole
Dried Egg,
Millet, Dried Tomato Pomace, Canola Oil (preserved with
mixed tocopherols), Cheese, Flaxseed, Carrots,
Broccoli, Cauliflower,
Apples, Green Beans, Lecithin, Chicken Cartilage, Potassium Chloride,
Cranberries,
Blueberries, Salt, Chicory Root Extract, Alfalfa Sprouts,
Yucca Schidigera Extract, Folic Acid, Parsley,
Lactobacillus
Acidophilus, Bifidobacterium Longum, Enterococcous Faecium, Vitamin A, D3, E,
B12 Supplements,
Choline Bitartrate, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Ascorbic
Acid, Riboflavin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine
Hydrochloride,
Biotin, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganous Sulfate,
Copper.
SOLID
GOLD-HUND-N-FLOCKEN-
amb, Lamb Meal, Millet, Brown Rice,
Cracked Pearled Barley, Oatmeal,
Rice Bran, Menhaden Fish Meal, Canola
Oil, Flax Meal, Amaranth, Blueberries, Dried Chicory Root, Carotene,
Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate,
Yucca Schidigera Extract, Copper
Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate,
Potassium Iodide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A
Supplement, Biotin.
NATURAL
BALANCE
Potatoes, Duck Meal, Duck, Canola
Oil (preserved with natural mixed tocopherols), Potato
Fiber, Natural
Flavor, Salmon Oil, Flaxseed, Lecithin, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride,
Inulin, Taurine,
Lysine, L-Carnitine, Yucca, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron
Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Ferrous
Sulfate, Zinc
Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1),
Manganese
Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A
Supplement, Biotin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Manganese
Sulfate, Sodium
Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Vitamin B-12 Supplement,
Riboflavin (Vitamin
B-2), Vitamin D Supplement, Folic Acid (Vitamin
B).
A Note:
Treats
If you feed your dog good
food don't feed them yucky treats. Check the ingredients!
Rawhides-only American Made. Rawhides, Hooves, and Ears
are bad for puggies.
Where Can I Find These
Foods?
Dizzy's Dog Wash
Nashville-everything a healthy dog will ever
need.
Petco-Bellevue
& Hermitage
Carries Natural Balance, Buddy
Biscuits, Solid Gold, Organix Brands
The
Produce Place-Nashville
-Solid
Gold
Wild Oats
Market
Nashville, Franklin
Solid
Gold.
Super Petz-
Anticoh/Madison-Dick Van
Patton's Natural Balance
The Dog Store-Nashville-A
mixed variety
Custom Kare
Kennels-Murfreesboro
They carry
Canidae.
Sunshine Nutrition
Center
In the square in
Murfreesboro-Solid
Gold
Ma & Paws Pet Supply Co-
Hendersonville 615.824.0094 - The
Internet.
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Natural Dog Nutrition
