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Is the pet food you are serving up killing your four-legged friend?(and making your vet rich)



 
 
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Old January 20th 10, 12:48 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.health
Char
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Default Is the pet food you are serving up killing your four-legged friend?(and making your vet rich)

Like millions of pet owners, Fiona MacMillan was anxious to do the very
best for her cat. 'When I got my first kitten, Jaggers, I asked the vet
for some advice on feeding, and when she directed me to a well-known
brand of dried food, I was happy to take her professional advice,' she says.

'My vet said she gave it to her own cats and had never had any problems.
I was delighted. It never smelled, I could tip some in Jaggers' bowl
before I went out to work in the morning and leave it out all day
without any fear that it would go off. And he loved it.'

Today, Fiona, 59, a former university librarian, bitterly regrets her
decision to feed Jaggers on the convenience food. For when he was just
seven, Jaggers was diagnosed with kidney disease. The same vet
prescribed some more dried food, especially designed for cats with
urinary problems.

Yet, despite Fiona religiously following her vet's advice, Jaggers
collapsed three months later. And by the time Fiona got him to the
animal hospital for treatment, it was too late. Her beloved cat was so
unwell he had to be put to sleep.

'I was devastated, but at the time I thought there was nothing I could
have done to prevent Jaggers' kidney disease,' she says. But then she
decided to do some research.

'Was it genetics? Do a lot of cats suffer from it? I just wanted to
know,' she recalls.

'And then I came across a website created by Lisa Pierson, a pet
nutritionist, that completely shocked me. It explained that processed
dried food - the exact kind I'd been feeding Jaggers for years - is
linked to urinary and kidney problems.

'I was horrified. This had never even been raised as a possibility by my
vet. But after I'd read about this, I spoke to another vet, who agreed
with Lisa Pierson.

He knew about the problems caused by processed foods, and said that if
I'd fed Jaggers a more natural diet - such as raw meat or cooked chicken
- he might never have fallen ill.'

Her story is sure to concern anyone with a pet, particularly because few
people are aware of the little-publicised concerns about processed pet
foods - and that includes 'wet' (i.e. tinned and packet) foods as well.

And part of the problem, as a Mail investigation can reveal, is that
much of the veterinary industry is inextricably linked to the pet-food
manufacturers.

Research into pet food is carried out by the pet-food companies but,
more surprisingly, the training of vets at some universities is also
funded by pet-food manufacturers.

Crucially, lectures on nutrition at a number of vet schools, and for
veterinary nurses at individual practices, are also often paid for - and
even taught - by these huge corporations, giving them the ideal platform
to promote their products.

One could argue that given this information, it's hardly in vets'
interests to promote a more natural diet for pets.

That suspicion has certainly occurred to Catherine O'Driscoll, 52, who
like Fiona MacMillan saw a pet die. In her case, it was all three of her
golden retrievers, two from cancer and the third from a disease that
paralysed his hind legs - all at a relatively young age.

'I'm a dog trainer and have had pets for years. I know how to care for
them,' says Catherine, from Kinross, Perthshire. 'But none of my three
dogs lived past the age of eight, and I began to think I was the world's
worse owner.

'I had two other dogs, and was determined to see them live longer. And
it was after I read an article in a magazine by an Australian vet, which
explained that feeding animals processed food could be bad for their
health, that I switched away from commercial processed food.

'Afterwards, I saw a huge difference in their vitality. They both lived
to 17, and I now believe that changing their diets saved their lives.

'A decade ago, I took the advice of my vet that feeding tinned and dried
food was best for my dogs. I had no reason to question the professionals
and many dog owners don't now.'

Catherine and Fiona are not alone in thinking they were misled. In
internet chatrooms dedicated to pets, increasing numbers of people have
been sharing concerns about processed pet food.

They believe that, just as junk food is responsible for myriad health
problems and obesity in humans, our love of convenience pet food - be it
processed meat in cans or pouches, or dried biscuits - is doing the same
to pets.

A generation ago, people mostly fed their pets on butchers' scraps such
as heart, liver and bones. Convenience pet foods were an expensive
luxury. But now the pet food industry is valued at £2 billion and growing.

The pet-food manufacturers appear to be promoting their brands with the
help of veterinary practices, sponsoring food displays in surgeries
which help to generate business for vets (via commission and the fact
that some specialist food can only be bought at veterinary surgeries).

Hills Science Plan, a pet-food brand owned by Colgate-Palmolive, boasts
that: 'More vets feed Hills than any other pet food.' Last year, Hills
sponsored the British Veterinary Association's 2009 Congress (the
biggest meeting on the veterinary calendar).

It also signed a partnership with the British Veterinary Dental
Association to sponsor tooth care in animals.

Royal Canin Foods (owned by Mars/Masterfoods) boasts on its website of
'its partnerships with leading veterinary schools and universities'.

It runs Pet Health Counsellor Courses, training veterinary nurses in
diet, and says stocking its food in veterinary practices can 'increase
practice turnover'.

The message from the company is clear: sell our pet food, and your
business will profit.

Many pet websites are in fact affiliated in some way with pet-food
corporations. The Pet Health Council, an independent website advising on
pet welfare, is sponsored by the Petfood Manufacturers Association. The
Pet Health website claims that processed food is best, warning: 'It
would not be possible to feed your pet an adequate home-prepared diet.'

Critics claim that with all this bombardment from pet-food companies,
many vets and consumers are brainwashed into believing processed food is
the only diet their pet should be on.

And, it must be said, there are also many vets who genuinely believe
that an animal can be perfectly healthy on a processed diet alone.

But a growing number of vets claim this advice is misleading at best,
and deadly at worst. TV vet Joe Inglis says: 'Over the past few years,
many additives have been banned from human food, but pet food is still
pumped full of similar chemicals.

'It's time manufacturers were more honest about what is really in their
foods, and were forced to outlaw some of these artificial chemicals.

Some of them are linked with poor behaviour in dogs, and even with
cancer - for example, the food colourings BTA/BHA (Butylated
hydroxytoluene, Butylated hydroxyanisole) which are known carconigenics.

'Many other additives used in pet food, such as tartrazine, carmoisine
and sunset yellow, are thought to cause hyperactivity in humans - and
there is no reason to believe that this would be any different for animals.'

Research has also linked dry cat food with urinary problems. Vet and Pet
Nutritionist Lisa Pierson says: 'Chronic kidney disease is one of the
main causes of death in cats and is often caused because they are
chronically dehydrated by just eating dried food. Even if they drink
water, often it is not enough to ensure optimum urinary health.'

Not convinced? Then consider the fact that while cat and dog food sales
have soared by 85 per cent over the past decade, research by the Pet
Food Manufacturers Association shows that one in three household pets is
now overweight - and chronic conditions in our pets, such as diabeties,
kidney and liver disease, heart disease and dental problems (all related
to diet) are on the increase.

However healthy the petfood manufacters might claim their foods are,
it's difficult not to see those factors as linked, says Richard Allport,
a vet of 36 years from Hertfordshire.

'I don't believe today's vets get enough independent information,' he
says. 'Pet-food companies have far too much influence, because much of
the information on feeding cats and dogs is paid for, promoted and
supplied to vets by the pet-food industry.

'Since owners see bags of processed food on display every time they go
to the vet's - which is blatant advertising - they think it's ok. But
many independent pet nutritionists - and sadly there is little research
that's not funded by the pet-food industry - beg to differ.

'I see so many pets with dental disease, allergies and digestive
problems. Often their owners have tried various medicines without success.
'The message is clear: sell our pet food, and your business will profit'

They have even tried different processed diets as recommended by their
vet - after all, a whole industry has been created with different foods
for different dietary problems. My advice to them is always this: switch
your pet's diet to fresh food and often it's so successful that altering
the diet is all that's needed to "cure" a pet's health problem.'

This view is angrily refuted by vet Nicky Paull. The former president of
the British Veterinary Association for 2008/9, she doesn't believe
pet-food companies are too involved with the veterinary industry.

'Vets aren't only taught by representatives from pet-food companies.
They go to a range of lectures in nutrition and so gain a balanced view.
There is no evidence at all that processed food is bad for our pets.

'What I would be concerned about is if people start to feel guilty about
what they are feeding their pets when pet food is perfectly fine. I also
don't believe that feeding cats and dogs natural diets is as simple as
some people make out.

'I would hate to be seeing cats and dogs suffering from a lack of
nutrition because their owner has chosen to give them a home-made diet
that lacks essential ingredients.'

She says: 'Many vets feed their pets commercial foods. I have three dogs
aged five months, seven and 12 years, all of whom are fed solely on
dried food, and am very happy with it.'

Yet Roger Meacock, who has a practice in Swindon, is concerned that many
processed foods, often described as 'premium' and ' scientifically
balanced', also contain ingredients that should not be part of any dog
or cat's diet.

'Often, grain is added to canned and dried pet food to bulk it out,' he
says. 'Basically, it is a cheaper alternative to meat. Additives to
ensure the food tastes good to cats and dogs are also added.

'But what people need to understand is that while on the outside dogs
and cats have been domesticated into cuddly pets, inside a dog is 99 per
cent related to the wolf, while a pet cat's digestive system is no
different from a wild lion's.

'Therefore the bulk of a healthy diet for a cat or dog should not
contain processed food that is high in carbohydrate and other additives.

'It should revolve around raw meat, as it would do in the wild, which is
good for their teeth and gums as well as animals' general health.'

The United Kingdom Raw Meaty Bones Support and Action Group, a
not-for-profit organisation that promotes a natural diet for pets,
compares Britain's growing problem with junk food to our dependency on
processed pet food.

Jackie Marriott, who helps run the group says: 'A few years ago, school
dinners for children consisted of processed food, but due to educating
people about the dangers of junk food, that has changed.

'People realise that however good processed food is, it cannot take the
place of home-cooked fresh meals. And that is the same for cats and
dogs. Think about it - how can dried food that sits in a bowl all day be
good for your pet?

'Part of the problem rests with the fact that many of us as owners find
these foods incredibly convenient - this is why the pet-food
manufacturers have been successful.

'Research has linked dry cat food with health problems'

'Unfortunately, the factory process of making processed pet food that
will sit in a bowl without going off, or can be stored in a can for
years, means that many of the nutrients are destroyed. This is why
additives such as preservatives and vitamins need to be added to the food.

'Although our pets digest them, their digestive systems have to work
flat out to derive the most benefit. For example, it is hard for cats to
digest the carbohydrate. Most importantly, processed food also sits like
a sludge on their teeth.'

Unsurprisingly, the pet-food manufacturers do not agree that there's any
problem with feeding animals a solely processed food diet. They point
out that they spend millions researching the correct foods with a good
balance of nutrients.

The Pet Food Manufacturers Association says: 'There are concerns that
feeding raw meat to pets can present a human/animal risk, such as
salmonella contamination. In the case where only raw meat and bones are
fed, there is an additional concern among vets and animal nutritionists
that this exclusive diet may not meet the pet's needs.'

And a spokesman for the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons adds: 'It
would be ideal if universities could be funded through purely
independent sources. But in reality we cannot condemn them for accepting
money from commercial sources.

'Honesty and integrity are at the heart of professional vets. They would
not be expected to recommend products without due justification.'

Their words, however, ring hollow for owners like Fiona and Catherine,
who feel that feeding their pets a more natural diet might have
prolonged their lives - not to mention the growing body of vets
convinced that expensive processed foods are a money-making and
dangerous mistake.

Read mo
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz0d9VSt6TE
 




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