Posts Tagged ‘Pet Food Manufacturers’

Dog Health and Supplements

The nutritional guideline standards for dog health, as set forth by the NRC (National Research Council), state that pet food manufacturers must have the minimum amount of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals.

They include meat, meat by-products, corn, wheat middlings, barley, oats, rice, brewer’s yeast, vegetable and/or animal fats, fish meal, poultry, bone meal, cereals, soybean meal – all of which are rich in the required nutrients for optimal dog health.

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To meet the palatability requirement so that dogs would enjoy eating this food, manufacturers can add tomato puree, bacon, salt, onion powder, garlic and other ingredients to make the food smell and taste good.

The required ease in consumer handling is accomplished by packing the product in bags with graduated poundage from one to fifty pounds, in twelve to sixteen ounce cans, and in see-through cellophane packs or cans for individual serving.

After the manufacturers have packed their product in a can, bag or box, they have the added the burden of getting the dog owner’s attention to the pet food shelves. They know the family dog isn’t standing there looking over the product – a human is.

To get the human to reach out and select one of the many different brands available, the product must please the eye of the consumer, while dog health is a secondary concern. The dog doesn’t give one care in the world what the product looks like. The animal is only interested in how it tastes and smells.

Manufacturers today will exhibit their product to look like fresh ground hamburger, choice steaks, chunks of lean beef, even breakfast cereals. Although dog food comes in a variety of styles, it really comes in only three types:

1) The complete/balanced food (everything the dog needs in one container). This pet food type will list the product as containing all of the proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals that a canine should have for good health.

2) The supplementary food (to be added to the complete food to increase palatability). Such food items for pets are made to get the dog’s appetite stimulated enough to eat all of his main/complete food.

3) Treats and snacks (for training rewards or just plain pampering) which can range from beef jerky for dogs to small cereal biscuits.

If a dog’s diet consisted solely of a supplementary food, he would be deprived of the vitamins and nutrients he needs. The supplementary food and treats and snacks were not intended to be the sole diet of the dog. Most manufacturers concerned with dog health will indicate this point on the label.

Proper dog health can be confusing with shelves full of big cans, little cans, heavy bags and cute packs, soft foods, dry food, semi-moist, candies, biscuits, chewies, people-like crackers and gourmet bon-bons…

Today’s dog owner is confronted with a bewildering array of food for his pet.

Years ago, when such a variety wasn’t available, dogs were fed foods that were most plentiful in the region. In the arctic, dogs were fed mostly fish and whale blubber; in the southern United States, a dog’s diet consisted mainly of cornbread; in Europe, potatoes were the main fare. These diets led to diseases such as black tongue (pelegra in humans), rickets, and other less commonly known ailments, many of them fatal.

In the wild, the canine did not just restrict himself to eating just the meat of his prey. He ate the entire animal, including the contents of the stomach. Wild dogs were known to kill each other while fighting over the stomach contents of their prey. Thus, nature provided the wild animal with a diet considered nutritionally complete.

Domesticated dogs were not allowed that luxury, and usually were fed table scraps. These poor diets resulted in serious nutritional imbalances and severe nutritional deficiencies.

After years of study, it was determined that even though the canine is considered a carnivorous animal, he requires certain carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals to satisfy nutritional requirements just as humans do.

In 1953, the National Research Council compiled and published nutritional requirements for dogs. The NRC is a federally established scientific body whose basic function is gathering research data.

After World War II, the pet food industry in the United States began an enormous expansion. Already a highly competitive business, pet food manufacturers quickly found themselves in neck to neck competition for a piece of this multi-million dollar a year business.

In order to survive and successfully compete in the market, pet food manufacturers knew that they must provide a dog food which was:

A) Nutritionally complete; containing all 26 nutrients that the National Research Council said that does need.

B) Palatable so that the dog would enjoy eating the food.

C) Easy and convenient for the customer to handle.

D) Economically competitive in the market.

To ensure good dog health, pet food manufacturers have established laboratories and hired nutritionists and food technicians to select those ingredients, which, when combined, will provide the sufficient nutrition to meet NRC standards.

We all want the best for our beloved dogs, especially when it comes to the foods they eat. We want to give them only the healthiest food available to make sure that they will live a long and healthy life. But what if the so-called “healthy pet foods” that are being sold in the market today are not reliable anymore?

What do we do when we can no longer trust the food manufacturers who is supposed to provide us with safe and healthy foods for our animals?

When The Food Is Killing Your Pets, Something Has To Change

The widespread recall of pet food has created a scare to all dog and cat owners who rely on commercial brands to feed their pets. All over the country, contaminated pet food has caused many dogs to become severely sick, while a large number of them have died.

In March alone of this year, Menu foods, an Ontario based manufacturing company, recalled more than 90 brands of “cuts and gravy” moist foods (both dog food and cat food) after more than 14 animals died from eating them. A few weeks later, the same company added 20 more varieties of their brand to be taken off store shelves.

It was later discovered that wheat gluten, an ingredient found in the said pet foods, was contaminated with rat poison. The risk of Salmonella contamination has also been the cause of a recall for two brands of pig ear dog treats.

Cases of toxic pet foods go back to December of 2005, when several dogs died and dozens fell ill after eating kibble manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods. It was later found out that the food was contaminated with aflatoxin; a naturally occurring chemical produced from fungus and can be found on crops such as wheat, corn, rice, and beans. This chemical is also toxic to domestic animals, livestock, and even humans. Other pet food recalls during this past decade also involve the risk for Salmonella contamination.

Are These Pet Food Companies Breaking The Law?

FDA regulations state that pet foods should be manufactured similar to the way human foods are manufactured. They should be processed under a sanitary environment, do not contain any harmful ingredients, accurately labeled, and safe to eat.

All pet food manufacturers are expected to comply with these regulations to ensure that the food is safe and healthy. However, due to limited resources, the FDA can only inspect pet food issues after consumer complaints are made or if the FDA has a reason to believe that there is a threat to animal health. A recall is then announced by the FDA or the manufacturer if a defective product is found.