How harmful is your pet’s kibble?
If you've ever wondered about the food you're feeding your cat or dog and whether or not it's actually good for them, wonder no more. The sad fact and the simple truth is that almost all kibble comes from a factory and is heavily processed. Even the stuff that's marketed as healthy or carnivore or high protein is so ultra-processed that your cat or dog cannot easily absorb the nutrients in it. And the bioavailability of protein is extremely low.
Most pet foods in a bag or can are marketed as healthy, whether it's for a senior dog or cat, urinary tract control, diabetic, hairball control or etc. The pet food marketers do a bang-up job of tricking you into believing that what you're feeding your animal will help or cure many ailments. But the bottom line is this stuff is harming them! This ‘food” is so full of toxins and garbage, and things that your pet cannot digest or use, that it's only a matter of time until your pet becomes toxic, and you start to see outward signs of illness and disease. Have you ever seen a diabetic or overweight animal in the wild? No you haven't. Then why
do we need pet food to “control” these issues? What if the pet food is the cause?
The reality is that commercial kibble is full of toxins and contains very little, if any, of the things they need to thrive. Your cat and your dog do not need grains. They do not need fruits. They do not need vegetables – not kale, not corn, not oats or barley or sweet potatoes or chick peas. They do not need soy or ash or vegetable oil or powdered cellulose {sawdust} . They don’t need tapioca or tomato or probiotics and flavourings, or rice or wheat or chicory root or potatoes, lentils or beet pulp! Or millet or brewers’ yeast or flax seed or blueberries or pomegranate or orange peel. And just what exactly is “chicken byproduct meal” or “fish meal”? Do they need this? Is it harmful? We will find out!
Your pets certainly don't need substances such as propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, MSG, Ethoxyquin, red dyes, yellow dyes, sugars, and added vitamins and minerals. They DO need protein and a little bit of fat. Pretty simple!
Food sensitivity and intolerance are serious problems that can result in irritated skin, coat, eye and ear conditions or even arthritis and gastrointestinal upset. Cats and dogs that have a food sensitivity or adverse reactions to food, typically experience an abnormal response to the ultra processed contents of kibble. If your pet suffers from adverse reactions to food, it is even more important to eliminate kibble.
If your pet is suffering from diabetes, obesity, skin issues, ear issues, leaky eyes, snoring, joint pain, bad breath, bad gums and teeth problems, it's very likely that the food you are feeding them is the problem. This is not your fault, again, you've been lied to. Big food and big Pharma also control your veterinarians and the pet food industry. And they get paid very well to sell you a story that isn't true and is harming your pet’s health. Yes, even the ones made from the “highest quality ingredients”.
Let’s break down some of the common ingredients in cat and dog food and learn how they are causing both short and long term health damage to your pets.
Mycotoxins - Mycotoxins are natural substances produced by moulds. Under favourable environmental conditions, when temperature and moisture are conducive, these fungi proliferate and may produce mycotoxins. Over 500 mycotoxins have been identified and this number is steadily increasing. Mycotoxins contaminate cereal grains worldwide, and their presence in pet food has been a health threat to your furry friends. Aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, and Fusarium mycotoxins have been found in both raw ingredients and final products of pet food around the globe. Aflatoxin, a hepatotoxin and carcinogen, has caused several food poisoning outbreaks in dogs. Ochratoxin A and Fusarium mycotoxins including trichothecenes, zearalenone, and fumonisins may have chronic effects on your pet’s health.
Some typical symptoms of mycotoxin contamination in dogs include:
Vomiting and loss of appetite
Weight loss
Lethargy
Diarrhea
A weakened immune system
Respiratory illnesses
Tremors
Heart palpitations
Jaundice
Meat By-Products or beef and chicken by-product meal- Besides not knowing what species of animal the meat comes from, byproducts, as a rule, are considered an inferior form of protein. The meat meal rendering process alters or destroys natural enzymes and proteins. Meat & Bone Meal could contain anything, from euthanized pets to zoo animals to roadkill, to expired meat, and even the wrappers it comes in.
According to AAFCO, meat by-products are “non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. Includes, but is not limited to lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, partially defatted low-temperature fatty tissue, and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents. It does not include hair, horns, teeth, and hoofs.”
Mixed tocopherols are synthetic and come from unnatural food sources and are usually derived from petroleum products.
Gums, lecithin, glycerine and modified starch are used to prevent separation of ingredients and to create the gravy or gel in canned or moist pet foods. Food gums include seaweed extracts such as alginate and carrageenan. and seed gums such as guar gum. Side effects include inflammation, digestive problems, such as bloating and irritable bowel disease (IBD), and even colon cancer. However, when side effects occur, they typically include mild digestive symptoms like gas, diarrhea, bloating, and cramps. High amounts of guar gum can cause problems like intestinal obstruction and death.
Corn Syrup and Artificial Food Coloring -Your pets don’t need their food to taste sweet! The addictive corn syrup can cause dogs to eat too much causing weight gain, potentially leading to diabetes and or obesity and some artificial food colorings can cause allergic reactions.
BHA, BHT {Butylated Hydroxytoluene} or Ethoxyquin - BHA was found to cause squamous-cell carcinomas in stomachs of rats and hamsters. Cancers of this type are among the most lethal and fastest acting and enhance stomach and urinary bladder carcinogenesis. BHT was found to promote urinary bladder carcinogenesis; and thyroid carcinogenesis. Ethoxyquin can pronounce kidney carcinogenesis; significantly increase the incidence of stomach tumors; enhance bladder carcinogenesis; and significantly increase number of colon tumors. The Department of Agriculture lists ethoxyquin as a pesticide.
Rendered Fat -is a mystery ingredient that enhances flavor. Since its sources are unknown, rendered fat can contain toxins and host mold and harmful microorganisms.
Propylene Glycol -While propylene glycol is FDA-approved it has a significant toxic risk if ingested by pets. Initial signs of toxicity include depression, weakness, involuntary muscle movements, increased urination, and increased thirst. Low blood pressure, cardiovascular collapse, and seizures can also occur. There is a risk of lactic acidosis and Heinz body anemia (in cats) developing later.
Sodium benzoate- combined with vitamins C and E, results in the formation of benzene—a dangerous carcinogen.
Studies done on both man and animals have revealed that the chemical causes changes in the chromosomal makeup of bone marrow cells and triggers leukemia and other blood cell cancers.
Melamine – for obvs reasons, this is a plastic that should not be consumed and is carcinogenic. In 2007, pet food that was manufactured in China and distributed in North America was contaminated with this chemical. This contamination caused the deaths of over 1000 household pets. Melamine, in combination with cyanuric acid, also found in pet foods, can cause kidney stones and kidney failure, according to the World Health Organization
Caramel -There is no reason for cat food to be colored, except to make it appeal to cat parents. Many coloring options, including caramel, are potential carcinogens or otherwise potentially harmful to your cat.
Cellulose -Too much insoluble fiber can interfere with digestion and inhibit protein and nutrient uptake. The worst part is that it’s typically wood pulp (sawdust) from pine trees.
Glucose / Dextrose - sugar is not appropriate for pets. Glucose can cause obesity and potentially even diabetes. Dextrose is a crystallized form of glucose. It is typically used in pet food as a sweetener and as an agent to help develop browning.
Garlic - One of the main ingredients to avoid in cat food is garlic which can be highly toxic to cats. Ingestion of raw or concentrated forms of onions and garlic can result in Heinz body hemolytic anemia in cats, dogs, and food-producing animals.
Glyceryl Monostearate - An emulsifier used in lower-grade pet foods. Glyceryl monostearate may contain BHA (covered above) and BHT among other glycerols and chemicals. Because its makeup typically contains unknown chemicals, glyceryl monostearate should be avoided.
Iron Oxide - This ingredient can even be cultivated from rust! Toxic in high amounts and affects are cumulative. Iron poisoning in dogs can range in severity of signs from vomiting, bloody diarrhea, lethargy, and abdominal pain to more severe signs of shock, tremors, and potential cardiac and liver effects.
Red, Yellow, and Blue Food Coloring – There is usually a number after the color, like Red 40, for example. Red 3 causes cancer in animals. Three dyes (Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6) have been found to be contaminated with benzidine or other carcinogens. At least four dyes (Blue 1, Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6) cause hypersensitivity reactions.
Sodium Nitrite - is a colour and maybe flavor enhancer for meat which, upon entering a dog or cat’s body, may become a carcinogen. Sodium nitrate is also claimed to be a botulinum controller, but many countries do not use this as an ingredient in their cat food for this purpose.
Sodium Tripolyphosphate- The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (a division of the CDC), says sodium tripolyphosphate may be a neurotoxin. And the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognizes sodium tripolyphosphate as “an insecticide, fungicide, and rodenticide.”
Titanium Dioxide A carcinogenic artificial color used as a white pigment. Nanoparticles from titanium dioxide have been found to cause a breakdown in chromosomes when ingested. This can cause DNA damage, inflammation, cancer, and genetic disorders in animals.
Wheat Gluten- added to boost the crude protein numbers, without adding more meat. In fact, when you see chunks of “meat” in a low-quality food, it is often just chunks of wheat gluten. Can cause digestive upset in your pet, just like in humans.
Big Pharma Connection:
Unfortunately, there is an agenda here that seems to be dead set, pun intended, on keeping your pets unhealthy while simultaneously keeping your wallet empty. The large pharmaceutical companies have a profound influence on your pet, but also on your vet. Massive profits lead to drug companies yielding more and more influence on veterinarians, veterinary students, pet owners, and consumer choices {or lack thereof}.
These days it is quite unusual to leave a vet appt without a a prescription of some sort. Often, more than one. It could be a vaccine , drugs to keep away fleas, ticks and heartworm. It might be the new pharmaceutical for motion sickness. It may be the newest drug to treat separation anxiety in dogs. It could be one of the many antibiotics which are now even prescribed for a viral infection. The overuse and in some cases abuse of conventional medication is harming our pets.
This table shows the top 6 pharmaceutical companies that sell drugs to veterinarians:
Animal health sales will represent 7% of total sales in 2015 for the top six Big Pharma firms with animal health segments, up from 5% in 2010.”
Veterinary medicine has a monopoly on the pet health Industry. Pet medical care is not centralized so it is much easier to avoid generic competition. The drug companies can market directly to pet owners who may be unaware of generic alternatives, or they may be willing to pay a premium for a brand they trust.
Now, can you imagine if you could treat or cure your pet with diet alone. If their diet is making them sick and sicker and sicker, shouldn’t eliminating the toxic foods either cure or make them healthy? Big Pharma doesn’t want you to know this, do they! They own a lot of the pet food companies that are making your furries sick and, coincidentally, they also sell the cures. Pharma also has the largest marketing campaign of all when it comes to your pet’s food and medicine. In 2022, year-end sales of pet food worldwide were projected to reach 123.6 billion U.S. dollars.
Today, the veterinary pharmaceutical market is is expected to grow from $31bn in 2020 to $64bn in 2025 and $126bn in 2030
Veterinary medicine firms often used to be divisions of large pharmaceutical companies, since many animal medicines are just repurposed human drugs that have been tested on target animals to check safety and identify the correct dose.
However, in recent years many of these animal health divisions have been spun-off as separate listed companies or restructured or swapped. Pfizer spun-off its animal health activities into a new company called Zoetis in 2012. Zoetis – which is the largest animal health company in the world, with turnover of $7.8bn in 2021 – now has a market cap of $89bn compared with Pfizer’s $270bn.
Pharmaceutical companies are earning about $5bn (£3.77bn) a year from producing antibiotics for farm animals, according to calculations by Animal Pharm, the agricultural business analysts.
So what can you do if your pet is unhealthy, has some sort of an auto immune disease or skin issue, overweight, or diabetic? Simply make the pet food yourself. That might sound difficult or expensive but the reality is anything but. Pets fed a carnivore, homemade diet eat significantly less than pets that are fed a diet full of additives, preservatives grains, plants and toxins.
The nutrient density of a carnivore pet food made at home is such that your pet will eat quite a bit less while absorbing nutrients optimally, so will be a lot more economical. The choice between raw or cooked animal products is completely up to you and some people swear by raw and others don't. You want to do some research and trial and error to see what your animal prefers. The most important thing is that you start feeding your pet food that is good for them and food they can digest and nutrients that are bioavailable and not ultra processed.
Fish is full of healthy fats that will keep your pet energized and nourished throughout the day. Remember that too much fish can cause mercury concerns, but dogs have a much higher threshold than humans do.
Pressured cooked chicken or beef is also worth trying, but make sure you don’t put too much salt. There’s enough sodium in chicken and beef naturally, so adding more is not necessary.
Egg yolks are known for being healthy for a pet’s coat. It makes their fur shiny, lively, and less fragile. You can give your dog an egg yolk once a week or so, but remember that not all dogs are fond of the taste.
Milk is another debated food for dogs on a carnivore diet, trial and error will tell you if your pet is intolerant.
Recent studies have shown countless examples of why dogs can and should consume carnivore diet. Not only is most kibble processed so much that it removes nutrients, but meat is also loaded with everything a dog needs to thrive.
Both dogs and cats have teeth and digestive systems that are designed to consume meat. Their teeth are sharp to rip through meat, not vegetables, bread, or kibble. Also, their digestive tracts are not ready to handle carbohydrates, which could cause all sorts of problems. A carnivore diet promotes healthy digestion.
The protein found in meat is more than enough to provide strong muscle growth. Unfortunately, almost all brands of kibble don’t have enough protein to give a dog what they need, nor do plants.
Dogs and cats alike can gain pretty much everything they need from meat, eggs, and milk. Cats are obligate carnivores, which means that they rely on nutrients found only in animal products. Cats evolved as hunters that consume prey that contains high amounts of protein, moderate amounts of fat and their diet still requires these general proportions today. Dry food diets can also present health challenges because they are typically high in fat, carbohydrates, and calories. In fact, a high-carb diet can lead to obesity and diabetes.
As you can see, there are plenty of reasons that you should consider switching your dog or cat over to a carnivore or meat only diet.
Whether you want them to live longer and you’re starting them out as a puppy or you simply want them to look and feel more energized, every dog and cat can benefit from the change.
Raw feed info