DVM News Magazine® recently reported the results of a survey of pet owners regarding the ingredients in their pets’ foods. In the wake of many food and treat recalls, including a current FDA warning about chicken jerky treats from China, I find the results a bit disturbing, to say the least.

According to the survey, two thirds of owners said they feed their pets as if they were family members. Doesn’t that sound great? Yet only 38% said they always or often read the ingredients on the labels of their pets’ food! To further muddle the issue, 56% worried that their dog or cat food contained ingredients they would not want their pet to eat. In fact, the survey found 48% of cat owners and 44% of dog owners were unsure of the first ingredient of their pets’ food. And only 38% of the survey respondents said they understood all the ingredients listed on their dog and cat food labels.

For me, the take-home message of this survey is that pet owners care deeply about their pets, but they do not have the information and/or guidance they need to make the food choices they want to make. To further complicate matters, in my opinion, there is a great deal of misleading advertising for foods  — one that comes to mind touts the meats, vegetables, and “healthy grains” that the food is based on. The actual first ten ingredients of Beneful®, directly from their website, are: Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), rice flour, beef, soy flour, sugar, sorbitol… I ask you, does that bear any resemblance to the commercials you can see at their website?.  Two forms of corn, wheat, and soy? Give me a break, does that sound like food for a carnivore? And the reason we need sugar and sorbitol (a sugar substitute, humectant, and ingredient in amateur rocket fuel!) in dog food escapes me — perhaps I missed that lecture in veterinary college…

If you think the dogs eating Beneful® have it bad, consider the cats eating Friskies Seafood Sensations.® Again, from their website, the top ten ingredients are: Ground yellow corn, corn gluten meal, poultry by-product meal, meat and bone meal, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), soybean meal, animal liver flavor, phosphoric acid, calcium carbonate, salt. Excuse me, but where is the seafood? What kind of meat is in meat and bone meal? And what is animal liver flavor made of?

I encourage you to learn more, and share what you know with friends and family. Our pets are depending on us.

I highly recommend reading Foods Pets Die For, by Ann Martin. While some of it may seem a bit unappetizing (pun intended), this book gives you the lowdown on what’s really in pet foods, as well as insights into the pet food manufacturing business.

The Honest Kitchen’s products are unlike any others I have encountered. Made from dehydrated raw ingredients, their foods are as close to a natural diet as possible. Dehydration is done at a much lower temperature and pressure than is used in producing kibble, preserving nutrients. Their formulas include grain free and gluten free options. Grains are certified organic. Meats are hormone, antibiotic free and  fruits and vegetables are guaranteed non GMO. Quinoa is certified fair-trade. And people actually taste the food — what other company can say that? One of my favorites in their line is Preference, a foundation formula to which fresh meat is added.  This allows me to vary the meats I feed, as well as adjust quantities.

All of their formulas can be fed in conjunction with a natural diet or as a standalone meal, which provides me with the ultimate in convenience.  Some days I arrive home from a long day at the office only to realize I forgot to defrost enough meat for everyone. No problem, I can make up the difference with The Honest Kitchen.  When I travel to an event with my dogs, I no longer have to pack a huge cooler of frozen food and stress about keeping it frozen — I just pack a small one and add one of The Honest Kitchen formulas.  All I need is warm water to make a meal the dogs love.  It really is the best of both worlds — the convenience of a commercial food with the benefits of a natural diet.

See for yourself at their website: www.TheHonestKitchen.com

Two of the foremost experts in the field of veterinary vaccine research will be speaking, Dr. Jean Dodds and Dr. Ron Schultz. This is a great opportunity for you to learn more about dog vaccines and vaccination programs, adverse reactions, and how we can best protect out canine companions.

You can learn more here. Also visit the home page of the Rabies Challenge Fund for further information.

Attending this benefit could be one of the most important things you do for your dog.

EVOO and charity aside, this is not a quality food!

I really like Rachael Ray. Her dog food, however, is another story…

Corn Meal, Soybean Meal,  Animal Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), and Corn Gluten Meal are among the ingredients in this food. And don’t get me started on the treats — high fructose corn syrup, propylene glycol, and BHA? Wikipedia says “The National Institutes of Health considers BHA reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.^[1] E number of this food additive is E320.   As if our pets don’t have enough health concerns, let’s feed them something that the NIH believes causes cancer! Unbelieveable!

I guess we should be happy there’s not BHT in it — which is present in many supermarket foods. Again, from Wikipedia (how did we ever live without it?) Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), also known as Butylhydroxytoluene, is a lipophilic (fat-soluble) organic compound that is primarily used as an antioxidant food additive (E number E321) as well as in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, jet fuels, rubber, petroleum products, and embalming fluid.  Words fail me.

Want to know more about dog foods and how to choose a good one? Start by read my article and website.  If you have questions, feel free to drop me a note. Consider the possibility of a home prepared diet or natural diet. The differences I see in the health of dogs who don’t eat dog food compared to those who do is so significant. Yesterday I saw a 7 year old Beagle mix. Aside from weighing 44 pounds instead of the 30 she should have, she looked older than my 13 year old. Her diet? Pedigree.

So what’s in Pedigree? From their website:  Ground Whole Corn, Meat And Bone Meal, Ground Wheat, Corn Gluten Meal, Animal Fat (Preserved With Bha/Bht), Wheat Mill Run, Wheat Flour, Natural Flavor, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Caramel Color, Chicken By-Product Meal, Rice, Vegetable Oil (Source Of Linoleic Acid), Vitamins ….. Added FD&C And Lake Colors (Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Blue 2, Red 40).

No wonder the Beagle looked like she was living on corn chips and pasta — she practically is! And meat and bone meal (note they don’t say what meat, so it could be anything) is highly unlikely to contain muscle meat. More likely what little was clinging to the bones, and whatever fell on the floor.  And does your dog care about the color of his food?  Anyone remember Agway Big Red food, which had so much red dye in it that the dogs who ate it passed rusty red stools?

Back to the queen of nice and all things made with EVOO…. I do like Rachael Ray, use her recipes sometimes, and even own one of her knives.  And I admire that she is supporting a charity with this food. I just wish she had better advisors who took her in a healthier direction.

Are you now thinking about how much money must be involved in flea and tick protection for all these products to be out there? Millions? You bet, lots of them. Whether they are being sold by veterinarians, pet pharmacies, pet stores, or your local supermarket, it is very easy to get a serious chemical “solution” to your pet’s bug problem. People do tend to reach for the simple solution…but people don’t tend to consider the risk of applying these chemicals before they do so. Or maybe that should be before their pet has a reaction.

I have seen and heard of a few serious reactions to the Promeris product, beyond all the internet stories, which are significant even if only half true. (Note: It was supplied by another veterinarian. I neither carry nor recommend it.)  One dog was still losing hair and having skin eruptions 5 weeks after application. Two others were seen at an emergency clinic. One area hospital that was dispensing Promeris has pulled it from their shelves after dealing with the reactions. The active ingredient that seems to be causing most of the reactions is amitraz. (Let the Googling begin

So, you may be wondering what I use on my own dogs from control of fleas and ticks. The answer is nothing. No spot-ons, sprays, or medications. I believe a healthy dog is more resistant to parasites, and that is where I focus my energy. A quality, natural diet. Appropriate supplements. Enough mental and physical activity. Grooming and bathing, because clean is healthy.  (Where did that idea of not bathing dogs more than twice a year or not in winter come from? Would you want to not bathe from November to April?)

I also do a bit of management of where my dogs go. For example, we do not go trooping around the woods in Lyme, Connecticut. We stick to well mowed areas in places I do not know. And I check them over after a walk. Rarely do I find anything. And lest you think I am living in Nirvana, three of my dogs are Lyme positive, as well as many of my neighbors’. My dogs go to work with me, whether at an animal hospital, shelter, or dog show.  I have not had flea issues, except when I had a dog with severely compromised health.  Remember, parasites seek out the weak.

My advice to any of you who have read this far is this:

1. Feed your dogs as well as possible.

2. Avoid over-vaccination and over-medication, as well as other physical stressors.

3. Manage the other aspects of their lives as well as possible.

4. If you are still having problems, investigate gentler options for parasite control. Safe products do exist, but are not at the front of the shelf as the “BIg Pharma” products are.

As always, thank you for reading. Please spread the word. And please feel free to comment.

I have been accepted into the first Chinese Herbal Medicine class of the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society! I am really excited about being able to offer traditional Chinese medical options for my patients, and will soon be immersed in the course materials.

I have been outlining info for a book I am working on, and came across some pictures. Memories and interesting things and daily life…

Flit

Piper

Can you spot the problem?

American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation Announces Genetic Test for Canine Degenerative Myelopathy

Canine Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) is an adult-onset, progressive spinal cord disease causing weakness in the hind limbs and eventually paraplegia. Dog owners usually elect euthanasia within a year of diagnosis; however, when euthanasia is delayed flaccid paralysis and widespread loss of muscle mass occur. Because common acquired compressive spinal cord diseases can mimic DM, a definitive diagnosis currently can only be accomplished postmortem by histopathologic observation of the spinal cord.

Drs. Gary Johnson and Joan Coates at the Animal Molecular Genetics Laboratory of the University of Missouri and Drs. Claire Wade and Kerstin Lindblad-Toh at the Broad Institute of MIT/Harvard and their colleagues have identified a DNA mutation that is a major risk factor for development of degenerative myelopathy in dogs. The research project was funded by the AKC Canine Health Foundation, American Boxer Charitable Foundation, Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America, Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States, French Bulldog Club of America, and French Bulldog Rescue League.

A DNA test will soon be available for breeders and pet owners, along with information about what the test can and cannot tell them. The test clearly identifies dogs that are clear (have 2 normal copies of the gene), those who are carriers (have one normal copy of the gene and one mutated copy of the gene), and those who are at much higher risk for developing DM (have 2 mutated copies of the gene). However, having two mutated copies of the gene does not necessarily result in disease.

Learn more here

Please visit http://www.thewholisticvet.com/AmazingVaccines.html Can anyone explain to me any merits to this plan? Except perhaps that the toenails were trimmed?

As a veterinarian, my viewpoint is certainly among the minority. Let’s face it, most veterinarians have minimal training in pet nutrition, and a big part of what they do have comes from the folks manufacturing and selling commercial foods. Hardly a neutral source…. I am so grateful for the owners that really are the driving force behind the natural/home prepared diet movement. They are the only ones who can force many veterinarians to really look beyond the companies that name their foods with letters rather than names.

This morning, I took a chance and opened the newest issue of dvm Newsmagazine New Product Review. I lucked out — nothing that really raised my blood pressure, just inspiration for a new blog

Purina Veterinary Diets has announced that their food OM, designed for dog weight loss, now contains high protein and isoflavones. These isoflavones promote weight loss and decrease oxidative stress. Isoflavones come largely from soybeans, and are strong antioxidants (a good thing). There are reports of them lowering cholesterol, also a good thing. So, on the surface, looks like this food is improved — more protein, and a good supplement.

Yeah, right.

I looked up the ingredients of this wonder food. Here you go, from the top site on a Google search:

Ground yellow corn, soybean meal, soybean hulls, corn gluten meal, beef and bone meal, pea fiber, wheat gluten, animal digest, cellulose, dicalcium phosphate, beef tallow preserved with mixed-tocopherols (source of Vitamin E), defluorinated phosphate, salt, choline chloride, calcium carbonate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, vitamin supplements (E, A, B-12, D-3), manganese sulfate, niacin, calcium pantothenate, brewers dried yeast, riboflavin supplement, biotin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), calcium iodate.

Obviously the food is mostly soybeans, as soybean is the second and third ingredient. And corn is number one and four. Sound like a diet for a carnivore? How much protein is in meat and bone meal, or the horrific animal digest? It’s no wonder dogs lose weight on this stuff….

The site I found will sell you this product for a mere $54.99 for a 35 pound bag. That’s $1.58 a pound, not including tax or shipping. At my grocery store, I can buy beef, pork, and poultry for less than $1.58 a pound. At the moment in my freezer I have a chicken that was $0.79 a pound (Purdue, on sale), and a roast that was $1.19 a pound. And when I add vegetables and/or grains to the menu, both of which often cost less than meat, my dog’s meal costs even less per pound. With a bit more effort on my part, and a small freezer, I can further lower my costs by taking advantage of sales and buying case quantities at my local meat market. It’s more work than scooping kibble into a bowl, but how could anyone put Purina Vet Diets OM (or similar products) in their dog’s bowl, if they knew what was in it, and that they had other options?

Spread the word.

Prank, dreaming of dinner.