1.There are more than 8 million tons of pet food made every year and
more than 15,000 brands of pet foods.
2.Nutritional standards for pet foods are set by the Association of
American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) and the health claims on the
labels are regulated by the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM). The
CVM is part of the Food and Drug Administration. The CVM measured and
found euthanasia solution and animal excreta in many commercial pet
foods.
3.Dry pet foods contain only 50% meat because more than that gums up
the manufacturer's machinery.
4.Too much iodine in commercial pet food has been linked to
hyperthyroidism in pets.
5.Corn can have Vitamin E levels that vary by 100% depending upon the
soil, fertilizer, pesticide, storage, and handling.
6.Plants lose 30-60% of their Vitamin E content during drying.
7.Dogs and cats-unlike humans, other omnivores and herbivores-are
not able to synthesize vitamin D3 in their skin. Thus, dogs and cats
require vitamin D3 in their diets as an essential vitamin. Vitamin D
can be found in cod and halibut liver oil, and in mackerel, salmon,
tuna, and herring.
8.Some animals reject food because the food doesn't have enough amino
acids. Pets have nutrient sensors in their brains that tell them when
food is deficient in amino acids. The pet's brain (anterior piriform
cortex) sends signals to the nerves controlling food intake, and if
there is insufficient protein then the pet isn't stimulated to eat.
Thus, pets have evolved with a natural preference for foods with
nutritious levels of protein.
9.The intestines are where grains are digested. Humans have
proportionately longer intestines than dogs or cats, which makes humans
better digesters of grain than dogs or cats are. Sheep, cattle, and
horses have enormous intestines and are anatomically and biochemically
designed to digest grains efficiently.
10.Cats can't taste "sweetness" because their taste receptors
don't have the proteins that make sweet receptors on the tongue. Dogs
have sweet taste receptors on their tongues, but far fewer than humans
have. For dogs to appreciate a sweet flavor, the concentration of sugar
must be higher than it is for humans. Some dog food and treat companies
overload their products with sugar to stimulate the sweet taste buds in
dogs; this is not healthy. Moist packaged foods often contain the most
sugar. All the following provide sugar: sucrose, glucose, fructose, and
molasses.
11.Cats eating food from cans with pop-top lids develop hyperthyroid
disease more often than cats eating other diets. It appears that a
material in the lining of the cans over-stimulates the cat's thyroid
gland. When the can contains food with a high fat content, the
incidence of hyperthyroid disease is most marked. In fact, hyperthyroid
disease is the single most common endocrine disease of cats, and the
incidence is increasing. Female cats eating food from pop-top cans had
a greater problem with hyperthyroid disease than do male cats. It is
treatable.
12.Dr. Paul Talalay, from the Linus Pauling Institute-famous for
research on vitamins, micronutrients, and phytochemicals (compounds in
plants)-has proven that broccoli and other vegetables contain
sulforaphane, an anti-cancer agent. Your pet can benefit from
sulforaphane if you feed it a small amount of broccoli that has been
chopped by a food processor or blender so that it is easily absorbed.
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