I can not emphasize how bad manufactured pet food is for your pet.
Don't be a victim of marketing.
Here is a crop from a website detailing the poison that is processed pet food.
"Harmful chemicals and preservatives (even when they state preserve free) they are added to both wet and dry food.( Eg Iams, Eukanumbas, Hills ) The added sodium nitrite, a colouring agent and preservative and potential carcinogen, is a common additive.
Other preservatives include ethoxyquin(an insecticide that has been linked to liver cancer) and BHA and BHT, chemicals also suspected of causing cancer. The added salt and sugar in dry and tin food causes a fast build up of tooth plaque. The average dog can consume as much as 26 pounds of preservatives every year from eating commercial dog foods.
Recent independent studies have shown processed foods to be a factor in increasing numbers of pets suffering from cancer, arthritis, obesity, dental disease and heart disease. Dull or unhealthy coats are a common problem with cats and dogs and poor diet is usually the cause, according to many veterinarians and breeders.
The AAFCO nutrient profiles may play a role here, in the "balanced" nutritional levels they recommend may be inadequate for an individual animal.
The list of ingredients on that bag of dry pet food or can of "meat" can mask the toxic horrors behind innocuous-sounding phrases such as "meat meal," "bone meal," and "meat by-products." It's the substances you don't know about in that can of pet food that may sicken or even kill your pet.
It is estimated that up to two million companion animals suffer from food allergies.
USA Vet Dr Plechner, believes that the commercial pet foods are a primary cause and can contribute to a host of health problems. "Among pets, there is a widespread intolerance of commercial foods," he states. "This rejection can show up either as violent sickness or chronic health problems.
It often triggers a hypersensitivity and overreaction to flea and insect bites, pollens, soaps, sprays and environmental contaminants."Feline urological syndrome, a chronic condition similar to cystitis in humans (characterized by frequent urination with blood in the urine), is an increasingly common and potentially fatal illness in cats.
It has been linked to elevated levels of ash and phosphorus(causing kidney dysfunction), two substances commonly found in commercial pet foods.
High iodine levels are seen as a contributing factor for thyroid tumors in cats. "New diseases are being discovered that are linked to '100% complete' diets," states Dr Wysong.
These include "polymyopathy (a muscle disorder) from low potassium levels, dilated cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disorder) from low taurine levels, arthritic and skin diseases from acid/base and zinc malnutrition, and chronic eczema from essential fatty acid malnutrition," he reports.
Given the high possibility that your favourite pet foods may be slowly poisoning your cat or dog, it's crucial that you think about this and take a positive action in providing the best diet for your pets.
Australian Veterinarian.
Dr.Tom Lonsdale believes that processed diets are known to be responsible for periodontal or gum disease which affects more than 86% of domestic cats and dogs before the age of 2. Foul breath odours is an early sign suggesting that more severe heart, liver and kidney disease may follow. Basically it is a diet induced AIDs of pets is just as nasty as HIV AIDS in humans.
Dr Lonsdale and other concerned veterinarians continue their campaign for the banning of what they consider to be misleading pet food industry advertising, "Pet owners should be informed that feeding processed pet foods is likely to lead to ill health, suffering and unnecessary vetbills.
Dr. Lonsdale DVM - Riverstone Veterinary Hospital. NSW.
Homemade pet food is not only free of such harmful additives, but has the added benefit of containing natural remedies for common ailments. Garlic for example, contains sulfur which acts as a natural flea repellent. The acidity of raw meat creates an environment in which mucous in which worms thrive disappear. Since the worms cannot survive in a healthy body, homemade pet food has the added advantage of increasing the animal's vitality and subsequently reducing veterinarian bills for the owner. "
Last edited by james t kirk; 06-10-2005 at 03:56 PM..
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