Getting dog and cat food smart
I have recently come across a few cases of people who started feeding a raw diet to their dogs, went to the vet, the vet discouraged them from choosing a raw diet and convinced them to go for what is commonly known as a prescription diet which is kibble formulated by one of the biggest manufacturers of pet food. So I thought, it is time to again recommend watching the documentary Pet Fooled which was released in 2016. I understand it has been available through Netflix and you can certainly find it online.
Why should somebody bother searching for this documentary?
Besides being an in-depth exposé of the inner workings of the commercial pet food industry, the majority of which is owned by only a few multi-conglomerate companies, it contains essential information which every dog and cat guardian should be aware of, when the time comes to choose how to feed the furry members of the family.
With the help of Dr. Barbara Royal and Dr. Karen Becker the filmmaker Kohl Harrington brings light on the history of pet food manufacturing and the reasons behind the high popularity of dry food formulas. During World War II the metal used for making cans was needed for making munitions (meat was also rationed). For these reasons the dog food market suffered a big transformation from cans to dry food which could be stored in bags. Cereals started playing a much more important part in the diet of dogs and cats. Clearly these changes had nothing to do with dog evolution or nutritional concerns but with economy and human convenience.
Up until World War II the Pet Food Industry was mainly focused on canned food production.
One of the reasons which people offer for not considering the primordial diet as a valid option, which is what the wild canine or feline ancestor would eat, is that dogs have evolved and now have other requirements. Dr. Karen Becker explains that in 1993 the International Society of Zoological Nomenclature redefined lupus canis familiaris as simply canis lupus. This organization defines in which category animals fit into and why. They concluded that dogs are genetically identical to wolves. They share 99,9% of their DNA. Scientists agreed that genotype, the DNA, is still the same.
Wolves and dogs share 99,9% of their DNA
So why they look so different?
What has changed over the last centuries is the phenotype, the jacket to explain metaphorically.
Just as we have people with different skin color, eye color, hair color, curls etc. And yet we are still all human beings and our nutritional requirements are still the same.
Packaging and labeling is a whole chapter well addressed in the film and worth learning about.
The jargon utilized to describe what is in those bags attractively designed for animal lovers is a code in itself, sometimes a bit cryptic. To give you a small example, any package which says 'WITH' chicken for instance, only has to contain 3% chicken even though the bag usually will show the picture of a whole fresh chicken.
The film also tells the origin of what we know as prescription formulas, created in 1948 by the veterinarian Mark Morris partnering with Burton Hills, and their history throughout the years.
It is an eye-opening journey which takes us through the process of sourcing of the ingredients in rendering plants and manufacturing of kibble.
MYTH
An international, well known and expensive brand means that it must be good quality food.
There have been marketing campaigns that have suggested unproven doubts about the safety of a raw food diet.
But perhaps just as important a topic is
how are we and our animals protected as consumers?
The documentary uncovers the significant issues that the “Pet Food Industry” has. Perhaps it would be more fair to say the problems that we have as consumers, as the Pet Food Industry is a multi-billion dollar industry and very well protected legally.
The case of melamine poisoning which occurred in 2007 is revisited and explained. Melamine is utilized as a fertilizer and has commercial and industrial uses and should have never been used in food for anyone at any level. This was the biggest recall in history and thousands of dogs and cats died in the United States and Canada as a consequence. The case went to court, the responsibility of Menu Foods Company was proved. What do the regulations say? What were the consequences for the company?
But the case of poisoning by the presence of melamine in dog and cat food has not been the only one that caused many deaths. The Jerky chicken treats were another food with very devastating consequences and it took much longer to resolve. Several of the families affected are interviewed, also a lawyer, and Susan Thixton, founding partner of the organization 'Truth about Pet Food' offer their testimonies and knowledge. Susan Thixton sheds light on the use of preservatives and the ones you should avoid especially such as the carcinogenic ethoxiquin which caused the death of her dog and set her on the journey of educating people and bringing light on this matter.
Dr. Karen Becker and Dr. Barbara Royal offer some clues of how to meet the nutritional requirements of dogs and cats safely, and how they came to these conclusions different than what they were taught at university when they were students in the veterinary medicine program.
Summarizing
If you believe that the government agencies are regulating in your dog and cat's best interest and looking after the quality of their food available in the market, I have bad news, it is important that you understand that this is not the case so then you can take the necessary precautions.
Huge Thanks to Tail Blazers Gateway for its commitment to dogs and cats' health care and for supporting this blog!
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