http://www.care2.com/greenliving/what-to-feed-your-pet.html
What to Feed Your Pet
By Michelle Edelbaum, EatingWell
Even if you don’t own a pet, you should still be concerned about pet food, says EatingWell nutrition advisor Marion Nestle, a professor at New York University and best-selling author of What to Eat. “Contaminated pet foods are early warnings of the safety hazards of globalization.”
Nestle’s Pet Food Politics (University of California Press, September 2008) details the recall of more than 100 brands of dog and cat food containing wheat gluten from China that was contaminated with the chemical melamine, which according to the FDA prompted 17,000 consumer complaints, including reports of 4,150 cat and dog deaths. These events set off another massive recall of everything from tires to toothpaste and a subsequent international crisis over the safety of imported consumer goods from China. Congress has since passed food-safety provisions pertaining to pet food. Nestle’s next book is What Pets Eat (Harcourt, 2009).
Q: What is the scariest thing you learned while researching Pet Food Politics?
A: How inextricably linked human, animal and pet-food supplies are. Farmers routinely feed salvaged pet food to pigs and other farm animals. There is no question that during the recall people ate meat from farm animals that had eaten pet food that contained melamine. It didn’t do any harm because it was so diluted by the time it got to us. But that was a big wakeup call for the Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Q: How can I know if my pet’s food is safe?
A: The melamine incident was a fluke, and as long as a company is making efforts to be sure something like that doesn’t happen again and is transparent about their ingredients sources, pet food is fine. If you’re using commercial pet food, you should read labels and talk to the pet store to make sure that they’re paying attention to these issues. Some stores and brands are very clear if they’re taking responsibility. They’re changing suppliers, examining and improving the quality of ingredients, testing ingredients and building laboratories. On some companies’ websites they tell you what they did. And if they don’t tell you, you can be as suspicious as you want.
I think pet owners should insist on a better regulatory system, national standards, labels that say where ingredients come from and nutrition information.
Q: What do you recommend I feed my pet?
A: You have three choices. It’s great to cook for your pets or feed them a raw diet. Make sure you feed them a balanced diet. Cats are more finicky than dogs, so feed them mostly meat and a vitamin supplement. Check with a veterinarian to make sure you cover your pets’ nutrient requirements.
As for pet food: I think wet food is better; dry foods have more calories, which can contribute to obesity problems, and carbohydrate, which can be problematic for cats. The advantage to pet food is that if you follow the directions you probably won’t overfeed your pet and the nutrient requirements are taken care of.
Note: EatingWell recommends you check with a veterinarian before making changes to your pet’s diet.
Visit EatingWell.com for free quick and easy healthy recipe collections!
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54 comments
add your comment »Belle, I emailed you some files pertaining to your cats. Be sure to check your spam and bulk if you don't see it. If you didn't get it at all then add me to your addressbook and email me and I'll resend. These problems for the most part are reversible.
Sharon detoxexpert@gmail.com
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I have 20 cats - all strays - ranging from age 1 to 21yrs old. All are spayed/neutered and are indoor/outdoor kitties. They are my "children" and have first priority in my budget of money and time. I feed them Purina One (Hairball management) and Friskies canned Pate only (no grain). I am dealing with (past & present) Renal failure, Diabetes, Thyroid, Cancer, Liver failure, skin problems, mouth tumors. I tell the Vet that I think their problems all stem from the diet (due to the inferior ingredients)and he says no - that it is due to their longevity! In the past I have used (long term) the expensive foods and still had the problems. The Vet advises against homemade food (meat and people food)and doesn't advocate vitimins or supplements. I buy per week: 1 beef roast and have it ground; 1 - 10# bag of chix legs (theighs & drums); boneless pork country ribs. I cook all of it except for some of the beef - some like it raw. Some of the cats like a little milk occassionally. They also get Natron's Feline Probiotics. Any further suggestions that I can do -like Brand name of vitimins/suppliments for Cats? Help! bbaker25@cox.net Belle B.
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thanksss...
Kabin
Konteyner
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And, I'm gonna have to disagree (wholeheartedly) with anyone that says a vegan diet is healthy for cats or dogs. Look at those canine teeth. They have them for a reason. Especially cats. Did you know a cats diet needs AT LEAST 80% MEAT protein. Not soy. MEAT.
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Laura... cooked food would actually be CHEAPER than ProPlan. I used to feed ProPlan back in the day. I can't remember exactly how much I spent... but it was quite a bit. On homecooked, to feed my dog, Sandy and the family dog, Chance (Sandy weighing 14 lbs, Chance weighing 90) I only spend about 30-50 dollars A MONTH. Whereas that's what I used to spend on them A WEEK. Price isn't really an excuse because once you do you're studying, raw and homecooked are cheaper. ;]
I REFUSE to feed my dogs commercial brands these days. No Purina. No Pedigree. No Iams. The junk they put in that junk makes my stomache tie in knots.
I feed brands like Blue Buffalo. And a homecooked diet. In the near future, I plan on switching my two big dogs to a raw diet. I just need to speak to a nutritionist first.
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According to the CDC, www.cdc.gov, pet owners still need to exercise caution regarding pet food. I learned about this on www.catinfo.org, by vet Lisa A. Pierson, an excellent resource for cat owners & vets. It taught me a lot & made me curious to learn more. Millions of cats are still at risk because of uninformed veterinarians and cat owners. Unfortunately, many vets still believe myths about cats, like the one about dry cat food helping to clean a cat’s teeth (the majority don’t), & continue to sell harmful, low-quality and dry formula prescription cat food. Even Oprah’s site recommends feeding cats a species-appropriate, meat-based diet. If cat owners want to avoid the burden of preventable feline diseases & problems, they need to learn from unbiased sources, not the large pet food manufacturers. We need to do a better job of sharing this info!
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Vet's are like doctors, they just don't study or understand nutrition, they rely on sales companies to tell them what is good or bad.
Feeding your dog nutritious food isn't rocket science. All you need to do is read material from good sources!
It's the same as with our own nutrition. It's all confusing, but through reading books written by the most current researchers you can begin to make your own conclusions. Not through journalists and magazines...
Does anyone in this country read anymore?
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I feed my dogs (Labradors) with dry pet food (Happy Dog) and I'm very happy about it. I wouldnt mind trying some cooked food but I dont know what to cook for them. Can someone send me some recipes?
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I feed my dogs soup. LOL I use organic non soy fed Burger, Organic noodles, only organic potatoes, sometimes I add organic vegies, broccoli and other vegies. It may not be a raw diet? But I was feeding them Newmans Organic dog food and their hair was falling out and they had rashes from the soy they put in it. As far as I am concerned all Soy is GMO. No organic soy in this country or any other. Other countries are doing testing. TO their horror they discovered that the "Organic" soy beans they bought for seed were ALL GENETICALLY MODIFIED. No Soy for me or my pets thank you. Now my dogs coat is healthy and shiny and is not falling out.
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For those who are looking for more information, a great book is "Natural Pet Cures: Dog & Cat Care the Natural Way" by John Heinerman, PhD, with a foreword by Robert Goldstein, V.M.D. , published by Prentice Hall.
It has an easy-to-reference list of contents from Abscess to Wounds through Diet Tips as well as appendices. The approaches to treating various conditions include herbs, diet and nutritional supplementation.
I also feed a raw diet to my cat from a local producer who uses organically-grown products. He's doing great and while the food is more expensive, he needs less of it. The brand that I use (local to the Vancouver, BC, area) is 3PNaturals. I rotate him on 6-7 different meat sources during a month to avoid developing allergies and fixation on a particular food. "Blue Dog, Red Cat" and "Amore" are other brands available here -- although I find Amore has too much vegetable matter for cats which are true carnivores.
For those concerned about their pets' teeth, get them RAW bones to chew on: big bones for dogs, and chicken necks for cats. Tartar, what's that?
Fortunately, naturally-oriented pet food stores are becoming more prevalent. They tend to be independents. I have yet to see frozen, raw foods and the better brands such as Innova, Origen, etc. in the big chain stores like PetSmart or Petcetera. Bosley's does carry these brands and Blue Dog, Red Cat. An extensive (and how!) selection is available at Natural-Plus Pet Supplies in North Vancouver.
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