Because You Care.
Raw Dog
THEY SAY:
Commercial dog food products are Nutritionally Balanced for every dog's needs.
We say:
Dogs can EAT commercial dog food... the question is: AT WHAT PRICE?
Research 3: Renal Failure from Commercial Dog Food
The research shows " these results indicate that the pet food-associated renal failure outbreaks in 2004 and 2007 share identical clinical, histologic, and toxicologic findings, providing compelling evidence that they share the same causation."
This research 3.1 identified and characterized the contaminats in the pet food outbreak last 2007. Affected products were formulated with wheat gluten in China. This company sells their products to large pet food companies.
Research 2: Food Hypersensitivity
The research shows that the certain dogs had food allergy when eating a particular substance from a commercially produced dog food. When they stopped feeding their dogs the commercial dog food and switched to home-cooked food (not raw feeding), the dogs' health improved.
RESEARCH 1: Veterniary Dermatology
They fed a commercial canned lamb and rice food to 20 dogs who were diagnosed with dermatological problems. In the end, 60% of the dog owners abandoned the diet because their dogs experienced gastrointestinal signs during the trial.
Research 4: Food Hypersensitivity in dogs
On the basis of these results, the commercial diet, skin testing, and anti-IgE ELISA cannot replace an owner-prepared food elimination diet for food hypersensitivity testing in dogs.
CONCLUSION
The "perfect and nutritionally-balanced" food that companies paint isn't true. These researches show the negative effects of dog food products to dogs. These aren't the only researches that prove it. Try looking online or in public libraries. There have been many researches about the harmful effects of commercial dog food. The sad part is, even after all thsoe researches, dog food companeis can continue to produce food claiming that "these are only small cases". If your dog was part of those "small cases", would you still consider it small? If it was human, not dogs, who were affected, would they still consider it as small cases?
CHAPTER 6: The Safety
Most companies claim that their food is nutritionally good for our dogs. They claim that dogs can adjust to the grain fed diet or the chemically produced "food". Is it true?
THEY SAY:
Commercial dog food has been specially formulated to provide all the necessary nutrients a dog needs..
We say:
If that was true, then why are there so many sick and unhealthy dogs that are on the commercial dog food diet??
There is no such thing as a perfect medicine or food. I know this because my mom works as a researcher for a well-known pharmaceutical company. From what I've seen, even the "perfect" medicines or food is still an imperfect science.
Scientists define a good and nutritious diet based on current studies. If a new study shows that everything they believed in was wrong, then it's wrong. My point is, we are all experiments of science.They study on the "best" stuff, give it for us to intake, and check if it really works like their studies tell them.
Here's a research to help describe my point.
THE ISSUE
Atopy is the second most common type of allergy for dogs. It's when the immune system becomes overreactive to an airborne or inhaled allergen.
THEIR SOLUTION
Pet companies researched that omega 3 or 6 fatty acids could help cure an atopic dog.
This research says that an atopic dog's response to essential fatty acids varies per dog. It may also take up to 8 weeks before the full benefit comes to effect.
Another research states:
"No correlation was identified between total fatty acid intake or omega-6:3 ratio and clinical scores"
In short: there is no definite link between omega3/6 fatty acids and helping atopic dogs.
On A Side Note:
Did you know that there is a study proving that childhood allergies are linked to omega-3 and omega-6?
Adding omega 3 and 6 at a young age actually dampens the maturity of a child's immune system.
In layman's term, if you spoil the body, it will have a hard time taking care of itself.
CONCLUSION
Our scientists have given us this illusion that we can create the perfect food model for our dogs. The thing is, each dog is different. What one dog will need is not what another needs. Don't believe companies who say they have the perfect diet for your dogs. Every dog is special. Every dog has special needs.
THEY SAY:
Raw feeding is bad because it has bacteria. It's better to feed commercial dog food because it has been doused with so and so chemicals to kill harmful bacteria.
We say:
Um, really now?
Everything, and I mean everything, has bacteria. Raw meat or processed dog food - you name it.
Not all bacteria is bad. In fact, there are "good" bacteria who help our bodies.
On the other hand, there are harmful bacteria. Society painted this picture where raw meat contains harmful bacteria while processed dog food doesn't. The reason is processed dog food goes through certain scientific processes that kills or reduces the harmful substances or organisms in food.
But it's not true. FDA and AAFCO (as well as numerous food agencies over the world), do not have enough manpower to monitor every single company . Result? Certain companies can get away with unethical pet food processe through lax policies or politics (but that's another story which you should research by yourself).
There is salmonella and other hazardous chemicals in kibble!
Dog Food Recalls as per FDA (Melamine)
2013 FDA's List of Pet Food Recalls
P&G (Eukanuba and Iams) Food Recalls
Nestle (Purina) Recall for Salmonella
Spoiled feed in dog food: Aflatoxicosis
This arises from toxin ingestion of spoiled feed contaminated with Aspergillus spp fungus. Aflatoxins are often associated with corn. Large outbreaks can occur on farms where corn-meal are fed to dogs, or where they gain access to stores. Aflatoxicosis has also occurred from contaminated commercial dog food. Source
The list goes on and on. There have been numerous salmonella pet food recalls from big and small companies.
Here's the thing: These huge companies claim that they can create the safest food because of their so and so processes. The thing is, they have a huge production line. Imagine producing thousands or millions of dog food in one go. The chance of having contamination is big. Result? Your dogs suffer for it.
Side Note: Dry dog food has also been a medium to spread salmonella... even to kids. (LiveScience.com)
Leading Dog Treat Causes Kidney Failure in Dogs
Hundreds of complaints to Waggin' Tails dog treats from Nestle Purina have already been made. Despite this, no tests or precautionary measures have been made. Instead, Nestle Purina keeps insisting that they have a strict quality control in China. There is no way their product is the cause of death. There's no way they'll refund all those millions of dollars.
Put it this way, if there was a HUMAN food poisoning, a simple ten or twenty is enough to stop a company. Since it's DOG fod poisoning... despite HUNDREDS of compaints, they're saying there's not enough scientifical evidence...And they're calling the 600 dead dogs and 3000 ill dogs a "mysterious outbreak". Such bias.
CONCLUSION
People can say: "At least they had the decency to recall" or something of that nature. That's not the point. Pet food companies PAINT pictures of safe dog food because of their so and so processes. They claim that other types of feeding (like raw feeding) is bad because of the bacteria contamination. But in reality, their processes have holes in it. In the end, bacteria gets in. In the end, cooking, rendering or chemical washing doesn't ensure safe dog food.
I'm not saying all kibble is bad. The thing is, bacteria or chemicals come from how a company or organization processes the dog food. The thing is, you can't even see how those companies process food.
This is one of the reasons why raw feeders prefer to prepare their food. At least we know where our dog's food comes from.
FUN FACT
Salmonella lives in the intestinal tracts of humans and other animals. Salmonella bacteria are usually transmitted to humans by eating foods contaminated with animal feces or foods that have been handled by infected food service workers who have practiced poor personal hygiene.
If big dog food companies say that their products have a salmonella risk (no matter how small).... what does that say about their processes?