So as an Animal Acupressure Practitioner; I normally don’t delve into nutrition, but in Traditional Chinese Medicine diet is one of the five pillars of health; so I refer out to holistic vets and nutritionists . I also do a lot of research for my clients and encourage them to really look carefully at their pets diet as food is medicine, and can create a healthy environment in the body or dis-ease.
There have been some solid discoveries on how what you eat can help you fight everything from colds to cancer. The saying you are what you eat is not so far from the truth. As with every human every animal is different and it is up to us to find out what is the optimal formula for each pet to have a happy, healthy life
Nutritional guidelines and advice has changed pretty radically over the past 10 years for humans and pets. The whole low fat craze has caused disastrous results for humans. Grain free has become the latest craze for dogs , but that is actually a good thing 🙂 . …
Studies are sometimes difficult to follow and you really need to figure out who is funding the studies as the information can be skewed…
Due to all the recalls and deaths pet parents are really starting to look at where their pets food and treats are coming from. China has been black listed and rightfully so. The fact the pet food manufactures and retailers are still willing to sell these products in their stores is very disconcerting.. If this was baby food it would have been pulled years ago.
Pet parents have to be far more vigilant than human parents; as for some reason guidelines are still pretty lax when it comes to our furry children. So below are some really useful links to help sort out and answer questions you may have on recalls , diet, nutrition and more…
Here is an interesting tid bit …Did you know that the AAFCO is not a government run organization…
AAFCO is a private corporation, not a government regulatory agency
AAFCO is a voluntary organization, which is comprised largely of regulatory officials who have responsibility for enforcing their state’s laws and regulations concerning the safety of animal feeds. This should fall under the auspices of the FDA but according to the FDA “AAFCO is vital to the continued regulation of pet food products because FDA has limited enforcement resources that are focused on human food safety issues.”
Here is the really disturbing aspect of this organization which may explain why poisonous pet treats from china are still on shelves.
AAFCO advisors and committee members include representatives from major feed manufacturers and ingredient suppliers such as Nestle Purina, Hills Pet Nutrition, Nutro Products and Cargill Animal Nutrition. Despite this, AAFCO claims that its function is to protect the consumer. Despite its regulations, AAFCO has no means of enforcement, nor do they perform any analytical testing of foods. Regardless, AAFCO’s regulations are adopted by most states and are the standard to which pet and livestock feed manufacturers must adhere…
Click on this link to read the full article well worth it…. http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/what-is-aafco/
Recalls are still an issue and usually by the time they are enacted something has happened so…..
Here are two great site that alert immediately if there is a recall, and direct you to where you can find additional information as well as the latest on what is in your pet food, laws and regulations ..
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Truth-About-Pet-Food/184024450508
So now that we have touched on food quality, lets look at diet. So pet parents asking questions and demanding answers as well as some good holistic and integrated vets have helped to create awareness for no more bi-products, grain free foods, less kibble ( especially for cats) and have redefined the nutritional needs for cats and dogs.. Even the big boys (in theory) have stopped using corn as their main ingredient and hopefully have really pulled it out of food all together… especially for cats as they do not digest grain at all and it can cause huge issues.
One of my favorite sources for all things animal is Dr Karen Becker’s site. She has great videos and addresses all types of pet issues especially nutrition: everything from raw food diets to kibble for cats and dogs.. She has archives back to 2009 an is a solid resource for all things vet
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/dr-karen-becker.aspx
If you want to know what is in the food you are currently feeding your pet this site has it all and tells it like it is Amazing Resource!!
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/brand/
There are several other sites that can be great sources of information so stay diligent, research as much as you can , it isn’t easy but your pets life depends on it
Last but not least, wouldn’t it be interesting to see if the execs of Purina, Mars, and Hills would try this challenge… bet they would change their ingredients pretty fast 🙂
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2014/07/02/3048177/tri-city-woman-eating-pet-food.html