Pet Health

If you're like me (and my husband, whether he admits it or not), you consider your pet a beloved member of your family, not just an accessory. See my attached picture to brighten up your day (Molson, age 1.5). It's no surprise that I want to give him every opportunity to live a long, healthy, and active life. Most of us may not realize that most commercial pet foods are actually harming our pets rather than nourishing them... mostly because we are too trusting of the dog food (and all food, for that matter) industries and don't have the time or resources to know any better. The main problem with today's store-bought pet foods is that they are processed. Our dogs and cats did not evolve eating processed pet foods, nor did they evolve eating the same foods every day.

In December 1995, the British Journal of Small Animal Practice published a paper contending that processed pet food suppresses animals’ immune systems, and causes:

• Liver disease
• Kidney disease
• Heart disease
• Other disease, including cancer and metabolic diseases

Many owners have actually switched to a primarily raw-food diet for their pets in an attempt to mimic the eating patterns of their pets' ancestors to provide optimal health. Another case in point: In one animal study, performed by Dr. Kollath of the Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm, young animals that were fed cooked and processed foods initially appeared to be healthy. But once they reached adulthood, they began aging quicker than normal and developed degenerative disease symptoms. A control group raised on raw foods aged less quickly and did not develop any degenerative diseases!

There are the two major problems with an entirely dry food diet:

1. Protein quality
2. Moisture content

Protein quality -- For years, protein got a really bad rap. More recently, proactive veterinarians have tried to re-educate pet owners about protein, protein quality, and protein requirements. Contrary to popular belief, protein requirements actually increase as pets age to combat catabolic processes, which can lead to muscle wasting. They have also learned that the biological availability of certain protein sources actually determines how easy or difficult they are to metabolize. For example, snouts and feathers, although 100 percent protein, are not nearly as digestible as lean muscle meat.
The quality of protein your pet eats is critical to reduce organ stress over time. The scary truth is that the majority of commercial pet foods on the market today are using rendered meats that are not approved for human consumption. Because kibbled foods made with these poor quality meats are so difficult to digest and assimilate, they can actually cause organ disease.
Moisture content -- Moisture content is another problem inherent in a mainly dry food diet. Our carnivorous companions were designed to consume non-dehydrated foods. Species appropriate diets -- foods free of corn, wheat, rice and soy -- formulated in their biologically correct form, meaning raw or minimally processed, with non-denatured proteins, contain all of the moisture needed to process the food with minimum metabolic stress.
Did you know that the natural diet of dogs and cats is up to 70 percent water?
That’s right: rabbits and mice, like our bodies, are primarily composed of water. Our pet’s bodies have evolved to consume a diet that is rich with water, not dehydrated, and not cooked.
When food is cooked and dehydrated (which is how kibble is produced), several things happen, the most detrimental of which is that the food becomes dry. Far too dry to be healthy.
This requires your pet’s body to provide sufficient moisture to reconstitute the food in their digestive tract. Although some animals may make a noble effort to consume enough water, many animals, and most cats, don’t.

The Association of Feline Practitioners recommends owners feed cats a diet of primarily canned foods (vs. dry foods) for this very reason.
What are the most notable physiologic changes when our companion animals consume a dehydrated, poor quality protein diet? Kidney, liver, and metabolic stress. And ultimately a shorter lifespan :(

A lifetime of minor dehydration is stressful to multiple organ systems, but most notably the kidneys. It’s important to realize that this can easily be remedied by feeding canned or living food diets, and can easily be avoided by feeding foods that have not been dehydrated (dry food).
While I haven't exactly succumbed to this notion just yet, I do understand the concepts. Switching to a raw-food diet can mean a huge jump in expenses and a bit more of an inconvenience for pet owners who will have to keep fresh, raw meat in the house for all pet meals. For now, I'd encourage all pet owners to put a couple more pennies in the jar and consider buying quality pet food which is free from the ingredients which have been linked to shorter life span and avoidable illnesses in dogs (and cats). Here are some general tips for choosing healthier dog foods for your pets, which I've comprised from my own research in this area during my own switch from grocery store brands to quality food.
Look for these ingredients when shopping for your dog food:
1. Proteins: Choose only high-quality, organic proteins. The pet food industry is the primary outlet for human (yes human) and animal byproducts -- some of which would probably make you vomit. Studies have shown that many dogs who are euthanized are sold to dog and cattle food industries and re-used to make food. Think about that... your dead childhood dog, filled with the chemicals that put him to sleep in a matter of seconds, is ground up to make your new puppy's kibble. And you are buying it because it's on sale. Gross. The definition of by-products in chickens, for example, as defined by the AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) Publication 2009 reads, “Poultry [Chicken] By-Product Meal consists of the ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered poultry, such as necks, feet undeveloped eggs and intestines, exclusive of feathers, except in such amounts as might occur unavoidably in good processing practices. Choose whole sources of protein for your pet, as protein was their primary food source for thousands of years and their bodies absolutely need it to function normally. The more active your dog is, the higher percentage of protein you should feed it. Look for ingredients like "deboned" chicken, lamb, beef, salmon, or venison as the first ingredient in the list. Be careful with the salmon though, many animals can't tolerate digesting it if you switch too rapidly and will become really gassy (unfortunately I know this from experience) -- but if you wait it out its an excellent choice of protein and fatty acids.
2. Fats: Not all fats are bad! The most concentrated form of food energy, fats provide more than twice the energy of proteins or carbohydrates. They are also required for absorption and utilization of fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A, D, and E. Fats supply fatty acids, which among other things, help to provide a healthy skin and coat and help reduce inflammation. Have you ever pet someone's dog and their coat leaves a film on your hand? Usually this is a combination of a food allergy and a deficiency in essential fatty acids from their bland unvaried diets. I promise you if you chose a food with whole, quality, organic fats such as vegetable oils like sunflower and flax seed, quality fish oils from herring and salmon, and pure (organic) chicken fats (beef is too saturated) you will love how your pets coat looks and feels.
3. Carbohydrates: Fans of the raw-food diet will debate whether or not dogs need carbohydrates, and lets face it -- animals probably shouldn't be eating the wheat gluten that we as Americans consume wayyyy too much of -- but if you choose to stick with a dry dog food you most likely will not be able to avoid carbohydrates as an ingredient. Carbohydrates can be a key source of energy for dogs and cats -- as long as they burn it off (ie get off your ass and play with your dog!). Whole grains, like whole ground brown rice, whole ground barley and oats, are excellent low-fat sources of highly-digestible complex carbohydrates. Stay away from ingredients such as corn, wheat, and soy -- which are less quality and often used as fillers in dog foods to save $ on quality ingredients. Most dogs are actually sub-clinically allergic to these ingredients, as they were not evolved eating them. Some quality dog foods will have some of these ingredients in very small qualities, but definitely stay away from any of the foods that contain them as the #1 ingredient, which is the case for all store-bought brands.
4. Fruits and Veggies: Veggies and fruits provide essential phytonutrients, antioxidants and enzymes, plus natural vitamins, minerals and fibers that have been shown to promote health and wellness. A higher-quality dog food or cat food contains nutritious fruit and vegetables that provide many key vitamins. For example, peas, potatoes and carrots are great sources of Vitamin A, while blueberries are an excellent source of Vitamin C.
5. Vitamins and Minerals: Vitamins and minerals work together, in conjunction with your pet’s natural enzymes, to help with digestion, reproduction and muscle and bone growth. They are also essential for healthy skin and coat and support immune system health, too. Because minerals can be hard for dogs and cats to absorb, it’s important their food be supplemented with “chelated” minerals. A chelated mineral is one that is “attached” to easily absorbable amino acids, which means they will get into your pet’s bloodstream more readily.

Bottom line, choose organic pet foods which label the above ingredients as the primary ingredients, and I guarantee your pet will be better behaved, have less scratching and shedding, and have more energy than you can handle. I have witnessed it first-hand and can't believe the difference in a simple switch of foods. We feed our lab Prairie, which is a quality food which can be easily switched between different sources of protein without causing gastro-intestinal distress. When switching your pets food, its a good idea to mix the old food and the new food at 1:1 concentrations for at least a week so that your pet gets used to the new food before making a total switch. You may have to go even slower if you see your dog getting gassy or having loose stools for over 4 days. To give you a rough idea on price, we spend about $45/month for our 95lb lab's food. Most local pet stores will offer you a deal on food - like buy 9 bags, get the 10th free, which can make a huge difference. Some other quality brands are Inova, Blue Buffalo, Evo, Karma, and California Natural. Another plus is once you eliminate the fillers and byproducts, their "lawn logs" become much smaller. For some people this is reason enough to make the switch!