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Old 08-05-2009, 07:07 AM   #1
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Default Dog Food: 10 Scary Truths

From Jan Rasmusen's Blog Dog Food and Your Dog's Health: Scary Myths | Blog4Dogs Jan Rasmusen is an author and advocate of holistic health care for pets.

Dog Food: 10 Scary Truths

40% of dogs are obese. 46% of dogs and 39% of cats now die of cancer. Heart, kidney and liver disease are epidemic. Like people, dogs are what they eat. Save your dog a lot of suffering, and save yourself a fortune in vet bills, by learning the truth about your dog’s diet. Here are 10 important things you may not know about what your dog is eating:

1) Commercial dog food is “fast food.”
Heavily-processed fast foods (burgers, fries, tacos, etc.) as a big diet component can cause major health problems in people. How can fast foods be good for dogs? Only dog food manufacturers think this nonsense makes sense. Dogs and people share roughly 75% the same genetic makeup, and we have similar nutritional needs. What we’re doing to our own health with processed foods, we’re also doing to our dogs. And it’s happening faster.

2) People food is good for dogs.
Despite what you’ve heard from friends, vets and pet food manufacturers, wholesome ”people food” is good for dogs. Peo ple food is only bad for dog food makers. The same fresh, nutritious foods people eat can offer your dog the nutrition he needs and save you a mountain of vet bills. It just takes a little education to learn the small differences between human and canine nutritional needs. (Hint: no onions, grapes or raisins. Rinse off rich spices and sauces. Go easy on carbs and avoid wheat and corn.)

3) Don’t presume the food your vet sells is a superior product.
Veterinarians, like medical doctors, learn relatively little about nutrition in school. Much of what they do learn comes directly from pet food company vets, sales reps, articles, studies, and seminars. If your vet hasn’t studied and experimented on his or her own with raw or homemade diets, it’s unlikely that he or she knows bad food from good, and may be acting on outdated information or superstition. And if vets profit from selling one brand, and not another, they have a conflict of interest that may influence their opinions. (Some may even be prohibited by a manufacturer from selling more than one brand.)

4) The quality of processed commercial foods is suspect.
Dog food may legally contain “4-D” meat: meat from dead, dying, diseased and disabled animals. Add a little road kill, mill floor sweepings labeled as grain, and corn contaminated with hig h levels of pesticide (yes, really) and you have a recipe for ill health. The cheaper the food, the cheaper the ingredients, the worse the nutrition. Read the labels!

5) Kibble does not clean teeth.
Almost all dogs age three and over have dental diseases. Most of these dogs eat kibble. That should tell you something. Although a small study once suggested that kibble might clean teeth better than canned food, better doesn’t mean effectively. Hoping to avoid brushing our dog’s teeth, we too willingly grasp at kibble’s unsubstantiated health benefits. But pretending that kibble or hard treats will keep teeth clean will only lead to huge vet bills, lost teeth and much canine suffering.

6) “Complete and balanced” does not mean “optimum.”
“Complete and balanced” means that a food meets minimal theoretical health requirements for the average dog. Food boasting that it conducted Feeding Trials often just test only the lead product in a line of foods. Trials, too, are for only a small number of dogs for a short period of time. Over time, nutrient and enzyme deficiencies are inevitable. Of course, complete and balanced is better than not complete and balanced, but again, better does not mean good.

7) Feeding the same food day after day limits nutrition.
Imagine eating corn, rancid fat and chicken wings (without meat) every meal of your life, with the same mix of cheap vitamins and minerals added. Nutritionists urge people to eat a variety of foods, both for improved nutrition and also to prevent allergies. Dogs need variety, too. But variety can cause gastrointestinal upset in dogs, right? In the short run, yes. Nutritionally-deprived animals have sick guts. In fact, intestinal upset when switching foods is a sign your dog needs more variety. Once good nutrition has healed a dog’s digestive system, the dog can eat different foods every meal — just as people do. Just switch foods gradually over several weeks while your dog’s gut heals.

8) Kibble is not better than canned.
Whereas canned food is preserved by the process of canning, most kibble is preserved artificially. (Ever contemplate how much preservative must be required to retard spoilage of food left out all day?) Kibble begins as a dry cooked meal whereas canned food is canned fresh. Kibble is exposed to more heat than canned (destroying nutrients). Worse yet, kibble is linked to kidney and bladder problems in cats, and to bloat, a deadly problem especially for large, broad-chested dogs. It’s also dehydrating. Of course, canned isn’t p erfect either. Fresh is best, raw or cooked. Next best is frozen prepared food and then dehydrated and freeze dried foods, all available at better pet stores.

9) Some common foods can be hazardous to canine health.
Cooked bones and rawhide chews can cause major health problems requiring emergency surgery. Wheat-based treats can bring on allergies. Onions, grapes, raisins, chocolate, the article sweetener Xylitol and other common foods can be toxic for dogs and must be avoided.

10) Corn kills.
Most kibble is loaded with corn, a cheap filler. Unfortunately, the corn isn’t the luscious kind you and I eat. It’s feed corn (like cattle eat), or cheap feed corn remnants. Even corn meal dust counts as corn. The corn may even have been condemned for human consumption, there being no upper level of pesticide contamination for pet foods. If that weren’t bad enough, corn (which gives us both high fructose corn syrup and corn oil) is fattening. Any wonder so many dogs are obese and suffer from diabetes?
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Old 08-05-2009, 07:11 AM   #2
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I knew most of that but it was interesting reading.
Thank's for posting such an informative article.
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Old 08-05-2009, 08:12 AM   #3
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I liked the very informative article, but it is like posting the problem, but not the solution...How would one go about finding the proper diet, without having to resort to the expense of a dog nutritionalist? I'd love to do the very best for my little Apple, and would like to hear a follow-up to this article...Is there a commercially produced dog food that is good? I feed Apple Innova...Thanks for any input...
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Old 08-05-2009, 08:18 AM   #4
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I also knew most of these info but good post.
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Old 08-05-2009, 08:24 AM   #5
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I'm a big fan of Jan -- she does a LOT for advocating for the best health for our pets, including a lot of advocacy for appropriate vaccination.
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Old 08-05-2009, 08:31 AM   #6
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thank you for sharing
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Old 08-05-2009, 08:40 AM   #7
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Very interesting, I've been trying to find information about home cooking for my two. They get plenty of different types of meat, veg ect. But its confussing about the correct ratios. Cant understand why a primarily carniverious breed only gets maybe 25-30% protien in comersiel dog food. My sister has two English cockers who are fed only dry kibble, so when they picked up something in the garden last week they had really bad tummy upsets.My two are also always picking stuff up but so far so good. Many years ago if a dog was ill with tummy upsets they were pumped full of anti-biotics, not any more it's pre-biotics. When my Hope was diagnosed with arthritus she was given pain killers. a few years later Chloe was given glucosamine. Seams sciences steps forward are actually stepping back to older natural remidies.
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Old 08-05-2009, 08:44 AM   #8
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Thank you for posting this
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Old 08-05-2009, 08:52 AM   #9
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I think when it comes to a solution other than kibble we should look to what a dog would eat naturally. Wouldn't that make the most sense? In the wild a dog would eat raw meat, bones, fat, etc. from kills they would make. I personally feed my dogs raw food. They love it, they are healthier, manage their weight better, have fantastic teeth and eyes, plus many more benefits. I know if you aren't keen on doing that they make premade raw food (I can't think of the company names since I don't use them?) that you can feed in medallion form. I know there are plenty of YT members that go this route. However, I know there are plenty that go straight raw, too.

I would do a YT search for raw feeding or google it and get info that way. Inform yourself from both sides and make an informed decision that you and your dog can live with. I'm really glad I did.
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Old 08-05-2009, 08:55 AM   #10
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Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom View Post
I'm a big fan of Jan -- she does a LOT for advocating for the best health for our pets, including a lot of advocacy for appropriate vaccination.

Not to hijack this thread, but what info does she have about vaccinations? I'm not too thrilled about it, but I thought it was law to do so.
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Old 08-05-2009, 09:53 AM   #11
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Not to hijack this thread, but what info does she have about vaccinations? I'm not too thrilled about it, but I thought it was law to do so.
If you click on her site, she has a whole bunch of stuff on vaccinations. The only vaccine required by law is rabies.

Dr. Dodd is the leading vaccine researcher, and this is what should be followed for canine vaccines:

Vaccination Schedule Recommendations For Dogs
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Old 08-05-2009, 09:59 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gzarr View Post
I think when it comes to a solution other than kibble we should look to what a dog would eat naturally. Wouldn't that make the most sense? In the wild a dog would eat raw meat, bones, fat, etc. from kills they would make. I personally feed my dogs raw food. They love it, they are healthier, manage their weight better, have fantastic teeth and eyes, plus many more benefits. I know if you aren't keen on doing that they make premade raw food (I can't think of the company names since I don't use them?) that you can feed in medallion form. I know there are plenty of YT members that go this route. However, I know there are plenty that go straight raw, too.

I would do a YT search for raw feeding or google it and get info that way. Inform yourself from both sides and make an informed decision that you and your dog can live with. I'm really glad I did.
Thanks for a very good reply...Do you, actually, feed raw meat that you buy from your grocery store? How did you get your information regarding ratios of calories, etc.... I'm sure it's organic, at the very least....However, are you concerned about if it is handled correctly?...I am considering the raw medallions, when Apple is a year old, and, perhaps, when I retire and have time, completely go au'natural...And in reponse to your post re: vaccinations, that's a great concern of mine, as well...My girl has had all her DHPP shots, because distemper is way to common in this day and age...However, I'm waiting until she's almost a year old to get rabies...My gut feeling says not to get it, at all, as I believe her odds of having a reaction far outweigh the risks of her ever contracting rabies...Well, like you, I don't want to hijack the very good original post, so I'll close...Thanks, again, for any info, regarding a natural diet for my little girl....
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Old 08-05-2009, 10:04 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom View Post
If you click on her site, she has a whole bunch of stuff on vaccinations. The only vaccine required by law is rabies.

Dr. Dodd is the leading vaccine researcher, and this is what should be followed for canine vaccines:

Vaccination Schedule Recommendations For Dogs
Wow, loved the Vaccination Schedule link...My vet does live rabies, and is one of the reasons I haven't had Apple vaccinated for it...I guess I need to find a vet that does the killed vaccine...Thanks for link...
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Old 08-05-2009, 10:05 AM   #14
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Thanks for a very good reply...Do you, actually, feed raw meat that you buy from your grocery store? How did you get your information regarding ratios of calories, etc.... I'm sure it's organic, at the very least....However, are you concerned about if it is handled correctly?...I am considering the raw medallions, when Apple is a year old, and, perhaps, when I retire and have time, completely go au'natural...And in reponse to your post re: vaccinations, that's a great concern of mine, as well...My girl has had all her DHPP shots, because distemper is way to common in this day and age...However, I'm waiting until she's almost a year old to get rabies...My gut feeling says not to get it, at all, as I believe her odds of having a reaction far outweigh the risks of her ever contracting rabies...Well, like you, I don't want to hijack the very good original post, so I'll close...Thanks, again, for any info, regarding a natural diet for my little girl....
I feed raw (pre-made by Primal) and love it for my boys. I've been feeding about 2 years.

On the rabies, it is required by law, unfortunately...so you might find trouble if caught not getting it. And your dog would have to be put down if a bite ever happened.
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Old 08-05-2009, 10:14 AM   #15
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Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom View Post
I feed raw (pre-made by Primal) and love it for my boys. I've been feeding about 2 years.

On the rabies, it is required by law, unfortunately...so you might find trouble if caught not getting it. And your dog would have to be put down if a bite ever happened.
At what age did you start feeding the pre-made by Primal? Yes, because I'm aware of the law, I don't let anyone pet her, except my closest friends, who know about her enviornment, etc...I'm sure some of my neighbors think I'm strange, because I don't let their children pet her ...but, as my signature says, "it's all about Apple" .....
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