Organic pet foods - better than commercial pet foods?

Grains, cereals and meats – unfit for human consumption.

Unlike organic pet foods, mass-produced , non-organic pet foods have been bulked out with cereals, grains and meats that have been rejected as unfit for human consumption.

This first started in the USA in the 1930s as the United States Department for Agriculture (USDA) began cracking down on inferior foodstuffs destined for the consumer. Because of this, farmers sought an outlet for their rotting crops and diseased meat. The outlet that they invented is called ‘pet food’.

In the UK the same thing was happening at the same time – no surprise there! The production of canned pet food proved to be a winner and a new industry was born. By 1985, the market in the UK was worth £745 million, and ten years later, £1.5 billion.

This is of course mainly from the cat and dog food sector, with birds and other animals accounting for a fraction of the market.

These cereals were not only infected with mould but are also indigestible. Dogs, for example, have a short and straight digestive tract that is designed for meat and protein. This is totally inadequate for carbohydrates such as grains and cereals.

Eating these so called ‘pet foods’ causes damage to the digestive system and associated organs such as the kidney. Please click Health-e-wise for an article by Grant Segall that explains the above issues.

Another problem is the allergen aspect of Corn. Corn is regularly used as part of the pet food mix. The trouble is, Corn triggers allergies. Have you noticed how dogs (and less frequently cats) often scratch and lick themselves for long periods of time – sometimes frantically?

Change their diet, loving owner!

In recent years legislation has been introduced to stop materials that have been rejected for human consumption being used in animal feeds and pet foods. Even assuming that all manufacturers adhere to this all of the time, we still have the problems of digestive damage, allergies and chemical poisoning.

By-products

These can be lethal. So lethal that in the UK in the 1980s, pet food manufacturers stopped (gradually and with some reluctance) using one of its main ingredients - bovine (cow) meat and bone meal and other materials. This followed the emergence of BSE or Mad Cows Disease and variant CJD disease. Please click on BSE inquiry to read the full government inquiry into BSE and how it relates to pet foods.

For a spine-tingling list of what by-products in pet food consist of, read on;

Chicken by-products include head, feet, entrails, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, liver, stomach, bones, blood, intestines, and any other part of the carcass not fit for human consumption… Meat meal can contain the boiled down flesh of animals we would find unacceptable for consumption. This can include zoo animals, road kill, and 4-D (dead, diseased, disabled, dying) livestock. Most shockingly, this also can include dogs and cats. Click on the true horrors of pet food revealed for a full report on the so called ‘meat’ by-products that go into pet food.

Chemical preservatives

Chemical preservatives are used to save manufacturers’ money, by extending shelf-life for anything up to 2 years. The worst of these are BHT, BHA and Ethoxyquin. The first two are carcinogens (cancer causing) and the third has been used as a rubber stabiliser! Liver and kidney damage are often the result.

There are many other toxic chemicals used in the manufacture of pet foods, as well as artificial colourings and sweeteners. Please read this marvellous article - Junk pet food and the damage done - by a qualified veterinary surgeon. He covers fully the damage done to pets by chemicals added to pet food, and swears by natural and organic pet foods.

Our pets may be dying prematurely. It is believed by some biologists that our beloved pets are genetically designed to live twice as long as they are living. How horrible to think that we are feeding them the stuff that robs them of half their possible lifespan.

If you are unwilling to switch to organic pet food, then at least make sure you are buying the better quality, natural foods that the more ethical manufacturers are producing. Keep away from the cheap and nasty brands.

Make no mistake though - unless your pet goes organic, she or he is at risk.

Click here to find out why certified organic pet foods are risk free

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