Dry Dog Food Danger
Recently a friend of mine sadly lost her puppy. The reason for the puppy’s death were ‘unknown’ but what the vet said had me thinking. They didn’t do a tox screen to see if she was poisoned due to the cost, but my guess was it was a toxin, just not one from a meddling neighbor. It was her food. Her belly was very hard and bloated suggesting to me some kind of impaction from poor digestion. My friend’s dog was put on a ‘leading brand’ dog food recommended by the vet. One that I’m totally against and will preach openly about(at my shop). In a matter of months of being on this food the puppy died. If people are being told by a vet to go on a food that will do more harm than good, who are we to trust?
I’ve worked at vet offices both in Ireland and in America and I can say there is no difference in what they are being taught about nutrition. Zilch! One book I read several years ago, Dr Pitcairn’s Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats, stated specifically that when he was attending veterinary college there was only one class on pet nutrition and the rest were about drugs and surgery. Can you see the bias towards medicines even in animals? The incentives for vets to carry certain brands of pet foods are why we’re being told to buy them. Human doctors have the same amount of education on the matter as veterinarians and given incentives to push drugs as well, so it’s no wonder people are dying of drug toxicities and malnutrition. Instead of being told “eat this apple” they hear “take this pill”. Humans and pets need the same array of vitamins, minerals, fats, fiber, and proteins. Pets portions may be different to ours but the base nutrition is exactly the same.
If you look at the digestive tract of a dog it’s almost identical to ours. Their stomach acid is 4X stronger so they can digest raw bones and egg shells for calcium. We need ours from plant sources. The bottom line is we BOTH need calcium. We don’t eat cereal for every meal so why should animals. Dry nuts (kibble) are supposed to be a complete meal for a dog? Would you want to eat a dry bland over processed cereal everyday? I can understand for ease of feeding and lack of freezer space using a dry nut, but at least put some raw meat on top to give them what they desperately need for proper digestion. Real food raw like they would get in nature. And please do your research on the brands you come across. There are so many well-known brands that have indigestible ingredients in them that only do more harm than good.
Brands I recommend:
Nature’s Menu-Raw Food
Prize Choice-Raw Food
Luath’s-Holistic Dry Food
Robbie’s-Holistic Dehydrated Food
Tags: BARF, cat food, dangerous dog food, dog, dog food, dogs, dry dog food, pet food, Pet Health, raw food, tail waggers, tail waggers galway
Feb 21, 2011
I have to say your comments on vets and nutrition are a load of rubbish. There are many reasons why that puppy could have died. I know nothing about incentives to carry certain brands of food but if there are any I am sure you get them from your suppliers too. Nutrtion is only one small part of health. Your comments are silly know facts before you comment I’m sure you would be proved wrong had the tests been done.
Feb 21, 2011
Hi Seamus. Thanks for commenting on my post. This post consists of my experiences and education on vets and nutrition and are not anything that I made up myself. I read them in books and experienced them first hand. I asked one vet I worked for why they didn’t carry healthier brands of dog food they simply replied “There was a better incentive to carry this one”, meaning money. I have absolutely no incentives whatsoever from my suppliers to carry their foods. I sought them out to make sure I carried the best, in my educated opinion, foods on the market. In fact, the prices have increased twice over the last two years from one of my suppliers but I refuse to raise my prices in order to help my customers stay on a health diet.
You stated “Nutrition is only one small part of health”- Seamus, it’s the biggest part of health. I’m sorry you feel that way. I have a Bachelors degree in Nutrition so trust me when I say you can’t live without proper nutrition, and neither can your pets.
Mar 31, 2011
I wouldn’t like to tarnish all vet practises with the same brush but I know that Vets are given huge margins on the foods they supply from the big companies. The food for sale at a vets is no gaurantee of quality, but you pay a high price for it!
Hollistic is the way to go
Apr 17, 2011
I don’t take my vet’s advice either regarding the dry food. It just doesn’t seem natural (and, crucially my dog seems to agree). I give him a can of regular dogfood and a bowl of ‘nuts’ each morning, the canned food is eaten within seconds, and the other stuff he will leave most of the day. He only picks at it when he feels like a snack. I had tried giving him the dried food only but he just wasn’t eating enough of it for a dog his size. I could tell he didn’t really like it much (and I tried several different types).
Jun 07, 2011
Sprinkle an enzyme-containing pet-odor-neutralizing powder (available at pet stores or your vet’s office) on the affected areas. Pet-odor-neutralizing powders contain live bacteria and enzymes that digest odor-causing protein and bacteria, permanently removing it from the deepest fibers in your carpet. These products also contain a mild cleanser that can help remove discoloration. Alternatively, you can use borax powder or baking soda, but they are less effective in eliminating stubborn odors.
Jun 07, 2011
‘Nutrition is only one small part of health’
Jesus Seamus I hope you don’t have pets, or children for that matter!
How uninformed you are is quite scary!!
I find it shocking, that with all the so-called training and years of study Doctors/Vets have under their belt, the vast majority still can’t see the very obvious connection between food and health.