Penny's Aunt
05-16-2000, 12:45 PM
At another dog BB, there has been a lot of discussion about hyperactivity, aggression, & allergy-type problems versus diet. Most of the people who participate over there own one or more Belgian dogs, who have the tendency to be kind of hyper. Quite a few of them have shown more aggression than the owner likes, & they are looking for a solution.
In other words, some of the same problems that have shown up on this board. Totally different dogs, very similar problems.
What has impressed some of the people there (& me), is when an owner has changed their dog's diet, & produced a considerable change for the better. (Improvement, NOT miracles!)
It has long been suspected that certain foods & preservatives cause skin problems, but it's been kind of a fight to get people to consider behavioral problems in the same light. But when an actual person with a dog that can't even keep a toe on the ground, has zero attention span for training, & acts like an idiot with other animals & children, does a considerable about-face when his diet is changed to all-natural (fresh, uncooked meat, veg & grains) or high-grade commercial food, you've got to wonder if they haven't got something there.
The Feb2000 issue of the Whole Dog Journal had an article on what the label really means, & lists the Top Ten Dry Dog Foods. You will notice many well-known (aka highly advertised) foods are conspicuous by their absence.
If a dog food label says it contains lamb, beef or chicken, then, by law, it really must contain the clean fresh muscle meat from that animal, or that which is found in the tongue, diaphram, heart or esophagus.
LAMB MEAL, BEEF MEAL OR CHICKEN MEAL is the 'rendered product' of the those meats. Though the meat has been cooked, dried, & ground, it's still meat & has not had any 'added blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach & rumen contents except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices'.
MEAT & BONE MEAL is the same as above, but with the addition of bone.
When you get to BY-PRODUCTS, you've really departed from any product of quality. These are things OTHER THAN the meaty tissue, "including, but not limited to, lungs, spleen, kidneys, livers, blood, bone, partially defatted low temperature fatty tissue, & stomachs & intestines". And a DIGEST is even worse: a by-product which has been treated with heat & water to form a slurry.
Most aware people know that anything LESS than meal is not fit for our dogs.
"Selection Criteria: Foods SHOULD contain:
SUPERIOR SOURCES OF PROTEIN - either whole, fresh meats or single-source meat meal.
A WHOLE-MEAT SHOURCE AS ONE OF THE FIRST TWO INGREDIENTS (chicken or chicken meal, for instance). A meat source in two of the top three ingredients also helps indicate the food is high in meat.
WHOLE, UNPROCESSED GRAINS, VEGETABLES, & OTHER FOODS. an unprocessd food has a great chance of having its nutrients & enzymes intact.
Foods should NOT contain:
MEAT BY-PRODUCTS - these 'second-class' products are not handled as carefully as whole meat.
FATS OR PROTEINS NAMED GENERICALLY. For example, 'animal fat', 'poultry fat' or 'meat meal' (as opposed to the better quality 'beef fat', 'chicken fat' or 'lamb meal'. The generic term indicates that the ingredient is actually a mixed bag of ingredients from a number of sources.
FOOD FRAGMENTS (brewer's rice, corn gluten, etc). This item is the least odious on this list. Most foods contain at least one fragment, as maker's economize where it least hurts the food.
ARTIFICIAL PRESERVATIVES like BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin.
ARTIFICIAL COLORS
SWEETENERS, including corn syrup, sucrose, & ammoniated glycyrrhizin, added to attract dogs to unappealing food.
PROPYLENE GLYCOL. Toxic when consumed in large amounts, is added to some 'chewy' foods to keep them moist. (I believe this is a form of auto radiator antifreeze/coolant /sue)
Now for the list of best dry foods (not necessarily in the order listed):
BEST IN SHOW: "SOLUTIONS", made by Best in Show, Inc.
CALIFORNIA NATURAL: CHICKEN & RICE, made by Natura Pet Products
CANIDAE, made by Canidae Pet Products
FLINT RIVER RANCH: DRY WATER, made by Flint River Ranch
INNOVATIVE VETERINARY DIETS, DUCK & POTATO. Available only from vets, not for puppies. Made by Nature's Recipe
PETGUARD LIFESPAN (wheat-free), made by Pet Guard, Inc.
WELLNESS SUPER5MIX, HORMONE-FREE LAMB, made by Old Mother Hubbard
INNOVA, made by natura Pet Foods
NATURAL BALANCE, made by Natural Balance Pet Foods
PINNACLE, made by Breeder's Choice Foods
[This message has been edited by Penny's Aunt (edited May 16, 2000).]
In other words, some of the same problems that have shown up on this board. Totally different dogs, very similar problems.
What has impressed some of the people there (& me), is when an owner has changed their dog's diet, & produced a considerable change for the better. (Improvement, NOT miracles!)
It has long been suspected that certain foods & preservatives cause skin problems, but it's been kind of a fight to get people to consider behavioral problems in the same light. But when an actual person with a dog that can't even keep a toe on the ground, has zero attention span for training, & acts like an idiot with other animals & children, does a considerable about-face when his diet is changed to all-natural (fresh, uncooked meat, veg & grains) or high-grade commercial food, you've got to wonder if they haven't got something there.
The Feb2000 issue of the Whole Dog Journal had an article on what the label really means, & lists the Top Ten Dry Dog Foods. You will notice many well-known (aka highly advertised) foods are conspicuous by their absence.
If a dog food label says it contains lamb, beef or chicken, then, by law, it really must contain the clean fresh muscle meat from that animal, or that which is found in the tongue, diaphram, heart or esophagus.
LAMB MEAL, BEEF MEAL OR CHICKEN MEAL is the 'rendered product' of the those meats. Though the meat has been cooked, dried, & ground, it's still meat & has not had any 'added blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach & rumen contents except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices'.
MEAT & BONE MEAL is the same as above, but with the addition of bone.
When you get to BY-PRODUCTS, you've really departed from any product of quality. These are things OTHER THAN the meaty tissue, "including, but not limited to, lungs, spleen, kidneys, livers, blood, bone, partially defatted low temperature fatty tissue, & stomachs & intestines". And a DIGEST is even worse: a by-product which has been treated with heat & water to form a slurry.
Most aware people know that anything LESS than meal is not fit for our dogs.
"Selection Criteria: Foods SHOULD contain:
SUPERIOR SOURCES OF PROTEIN - either whole, fresh meats or single-source meat meal.
A WHOLE-MEAT SHOURCE AS ONE OF THE FIRST TWO INGREDIENTS (chicken or chicken meal, for instance). A meat source in two of the top three ingredients also helps indicate the food is high in meat.
WHOLE, UNPROCESSED GRAINS, VEGETABLES, & OTHER FOODS. an unprocessd food has a great chance of having its nutrients & enzymes intact.
Foods should NOT contain:
MEAT BY-PRODUCTS - these 'second-class' products are not handled as carefully as whole meat.
FATS OR PROTEINS NAMED GENERICALLY. For example, 'animal fat', 'poultry fat' or 'meat meal' (as opposed to the better quality 'beef fat', 'chicken fat' or 'lamb meal'. The generic term indicates that the ingredient is actually a mixed bag of ingredients from a number of sources.
FOOD FRAGMENTS (brewer's rice, corn gluten, etc). This item is the least odious on this list. Most foods contain at least one fragment, as maker's economize where it least hurts the food.
ARTIFICIAL PRESERVATIVES like BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin.
ARTIFICIAL COLORS
SWEETENERS, including corn syrup, sucrose, & ammoniated glycyrrhizin, added to attract dogs to unappealing food.
PROPYLENE GLYCOL. Toxic when consumed in large amounts, is added to some 'chewy' foods to keep them moist. (I believe this is a form of auto radiator antifreeze/coolant /sue)
Now for the list of best dry foods (not necessarily in the order listed):
BEST IN SHOW: "SOLUTIONS", made by Best in Show, Inc.
CALIFORNIA NATURAL: CHICKEN & RICE, made by Natura Pet Products
CANIDAE, made by Canidae Pet Products
FLINT RIVER RANCH: DRY WATER, made by Flint River Ranch
INNOVATIVE VETERINARY DIETS, DUCK & POTATO. Available only from vets, not for puppies. Made by Nature's Recipe
PETGUARD LIFESPAN (wheat-free), made by Pet Guard, Inc.
WELLNESS SUPER5MIX, HORMONE-FREE LAMB, made by Old Mother Hubbard
INNOVA, made by natura Pet Foods
NATURAL BALANCE, made by Natural Balance Pet Foods
PINNACLE, made by Breeder's Choice Foods
[This message has been edited by Penny's Aunt (edited May 16, 2000).]