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What’s
Really in Pet Food
Plump
whole chickens, choice cuts of beef, fresh grains, and
all the wholesome nutrition your dog or cat will ever
need.
These
are the images pet food manufacturers promulgate through
the media and advertising. This is what the $16.1 billion
per year U.S. pet food industry wants consumers to believe
they are buying when they purchase their products.
This
report explores the differences between what consumers
think they are buying and what they are actually getting.
It focuses in very general terms on the most visible
name brands — the pet food labels that are mass-distributed
to supermarkets and discount stores — but there are
many highly respected brands that may be guilty of the
same offenses.
What
most consumers don’t know is that the pet food industry
is an extension of the human food and agriculture industries.
Pet food provides a convenient way for slaughterhouse
offal, grains considered “unfit for human consumption,”
and similar waste products to be turned into profit.
This waste includes intestines, udders, heads, hooves,
and possibly diseased and cancerous animal parts.
The
Players
The
pet food market has been dominated in the last few years
by the acquisition of big companies by even bigger companies.
With $15 billion a year at stake in the U.S. and rapidly
expanding foreign markets, it’s no wonder that some
are greedy for a larger piece of the pie.
- Nestlé’s
bought Purina to form Nestlé Purina Petcare Company
(Fancy Feast, Alpo, Friskies, Mighty Dog, Dog Chow,
Cat Chow, Puppy Chow, Kitten Chow, Beneful, One, ProPlan,
DeliCat, HiPro, Kit’n’Kaboodle, Tender Vittles, Purina
Veterinary Diets).
- Del
Monte gobbled up Heinz (MeowMix, Gravy Train, Kibbles
’n Bits, Wagwells, 9Lives, Cycle, Skippy, Nature’s
Recipe, and pet treats Milk Bone, Pup-Peroni, Snausages,
Pounce).
- MasterFoods
owns Mars, Inc., which consumed Royal Canin (Pedigree,
Waltham’s, Cesar, Sheba, Temptations, Goodlife Recipe,
Sensible Choice, Excel).
Other
major pet food makers are not best known for pet care,
although many of their household and personal care products
do use ingredients derived from animal by-products:
- Procter
and Gamble (P&G) purchased The Iams Company (Iams,
Eukanuba) in 1999. P&G shortly thereafter introduced
Iams into grocery stores, where it did very well.
- Colgate-Palmolive
bought Hill’s Science Diet (founded in 1939) in 1976
(Hill’s Science Diet, Prescription Diets, Nature’s
Best).
Private
labelers (who make food for “house” brands like Kroger
and Wal-Mart) and co-packers (who produce food for other
pet food makers) are also major players. Three major
companies are Doane Pet Care, Diamond, and Menu Foods;
they produce food for dozens of private label and brand
names. Interestingly, all 3 of these companies have
been involved in pet food recalls that sickened or killed
many pets.
Many
major pet food companies in the United States are subsidiaries
of gigantic multinational corporations. From a business
standpoint, pet food fits very well with companies making
human products. The multinationals have increased bulk-purchasing
power; those that make human food products have a captive
market in which to capitalize on their waste products;
and pet food divisions have a more reliable capital
base and, in many cases, a convenient source of ingredients.
The
Pet Food Institute — the trade association of pet food
manufacturers — has acknowledged the use of by-products
in pet foods as additional income for processors and
farmers: “The growth of the pet food industry not only
provided pet owners with better foods for their pets,
but also created profitable additional markets for American
farm products and for the byproducts of the meat packing,
poultry, and other food industries which prepare food
for human consumption.”1
Label
Basics
There
are special labeling requirements for pet food, all
of which are contained in the annually revised Official
Publication of AAFCO.2 While AAFCO does
not regulate pet food, it does provide model regulations
and standards that are followed by U.S. pet food makers.
The
name of the food provides the first
indication of the food’s content. The use of the terms
“all” or “100%” cannot be used “if the product contains
more than one ingredient, not including water sufficient
for processing, decharacterizing agents, or trace amounts
of preservatives and condiments.”
The
“95% Rule” applies when the ingredient(s) derived from
animals, poultry, or fish constitutes at least 95% or
more of the total weight of the product (or 70% excluding
water for processing). Because all-meat diets are not
nutritionally balanced and cause severe deficiencies
if fed exclusively, they fell out of favor for many
years. However, due to rising consumer interest in high
quality meat products, several companies are now promoting
95% and 100% canned meats as a supplemental feeding
option.
The
“dinner” product is defined by the “25% Rule,” which
applies when “an ingredient or a combination of ingredients
constitutes at least 25% of the weight of the product
(excluding water sufficient for processing)”, or at
least 10% of the dry matter weight; and a descriptor
such as “recipe,” “platter,” “entree,” and “formula.”
A combination of ingredients included in the product
name is permissible when each ingredient comprises at
least 3% of the product weight, excluding water for
processing, and the ingredient names appear in descending
order by weight.
The
“With” rule allows an ingredient name to appear on the
label, such as “with real chicken,” as long as each
such ingredient constitutes at least 3% of the food
by weight, excluding water for processing.
The
“flavor” rule allows a food to be designated as a certain
flavor as long as the ingredient(s) are sufficient to
“impart a distinctive characteristic” to the food. Thus,
a “beef flavor” food may contain a small quantity of
digest or other extract of tissues from cattle, or even
an artificial flavor, without containing any actual
beef meat at all.
The
ingredient list is the other major key
to what’s really in that bag or can. Ingredients must
be listed in descending order of weight. The ingredient
names are legally defined. For instance, “meat” refers
to only cows, pigs, goats and sheep, and only includes
specified muscle tissues. Detailed definitions are published
in AAFCO’s Official Publication, revised annually,
but can also be found in many places online.
The
guaranteed analysis provides a very
general guide to the composition of the food. Crude
protein, fat, and fiber, and total moisture are required
to be listed. Some companies also voluntarily list taurine,
Omega fatty acids, magnesium, and other items that they
deem important — by marketing standards.
Pet
Food Standards and Regulations
The
National Research Council (NRC) of the Academy of Sciences
set the nutritional standards for pet food that were
used by the pet food industry until the late 1980s.
The original NRC standards were based on purified diets,
and required feeding trials for pet foods claimed to
be “complete” and “balanced.” The pet food industry
found the feeding trials too restrictive and expensive,
so AAFCO designed an alternate procedure for claiming
the nutritional adequacy of pet food, by testing the
food for compliance with “Nutrient Profiles.” AAFCO
also created “expert committees” for canine and feline
nutrition, which developed separate canine and feline
standards.
While
feeding trials are sometimes still done, they are expensive
and time-consuming. A standard chemical analysis may
also be used to make sure that a food meets the profiles.
In either case, there will be a statement on the label
stating which method was used. However, because of the
“family rule” in the AAFCO book, a label can say that
feeding tests were done if it is “similar” to a food
that was actually tested on live animals. There is no
way to distinguish the lead product from its “family
members.” The label will also state whether the product
is nutritionally adequate (complete and balanced), and
what life stage (adult or growth) the food is for. A
food that says “all life stages” meets the growth standards
and can be fed to all ages.
Chemical
analysis, however, does not address the palatability,
digestibility, or biological availability of nutrients
in pet food. Thus it is unreliable for determining whether
a food will provide an animal with sufficient nutrients.
To compensate for the limitations of chemical analysis,
AAFCO added a “safety factor,” which was to exceed the
minimum amount of nutrients required to meet the complete
and balanced requirements.
In
2006, new NRC standards were published; but it will
take several years for AAFCO’s profiles to be updated
and adopted, let alone accepted by the states.
The
pet food industry loves to say that it’s more highly
regulated than human food, but that’s just not true.
Pet food exists in a bit of a regulatory vacuum; laws
are on the books, but enforcement is another story.
The FDA has nominal authority over pet foods shipped
across state lines. But the real “enforcers” are the
feed control officials in each state. They are the ones
who actually look at the food and, in many instances,
run basic tests to make sure the food meets its Guaranteed
Analysis, the chart on the label telling how much protein,
fat, moisture, and fiber are present. But regulation
and enforcement vary tremendously from state to state.
Some, like Texas, Minnesota, and Kentucky, run extensive
tests and strictly enforce their laws; others, like
California, do neither.
The
Manufacturing Process: How Pet Food Is Made
Dry
Food
The
vast majority of dry food is made with a machine called
an extruder. First, materials are blended in accordance
with a recipe created with the help of computer programs
that provide the nutrient content of each proposed ingredient.
For instance, corn gluten meal has more protein than
wheat flour. Because the extruder needs a consistent
amount of starch and low moisture to work properly,
dry ingredients — such as rendered meat-and-bone-meal,
poultry by-product meal, grains, and flours — predominate.
The
dough is fed into the screws of an extruder. It is subjected
to steam and high pressure as it is pushed through dies
that determine the shape of the final product, much
like the nozzles used in cake decorating. As the hot,
pressurized dough exits the extruder, it is cut by a
set of rapidly whirling knives into tiny pieces. As
the dough reaches normal air pressure, it expands or
“puffs” into its final shape. The food is allowed to
dry, and then is usually sprayed with fat, digests,
or other compounds to make it more palatable. When it
is cooled, it can be bagged.
Although
the cooking process kills bacteria in the ingredients,
the final product can pick up more bacteria during the
subsequent drying, coating, and packaging process. Some
experts warn that getting dry food wet can allow the
bacteria on the surface to multiply and make pets sick.
Do not mix dry food with
water, milk, canned food, or other liquids.
A
few dog foods are baked at high temperatures (over 500°F)
rather than extruded. This produces a sheet of dense,
crunchy material that is then broken into irregular
chunks, much like crumbling crackers into soup. It is
relatively palatable without the sprayed-on fats and
other enhancers needed on extruded dry food.
Semi-moist
foods and many pet treats are also made with an extruder.
To be appealing to consumers and to keep their texture,
they contain many additives, colorings, and preservatives;
they are not a good choice for a pet’s primary diet.
Wet
Food
Wet
or canned food begins with ground ingredients mixed
with additives. If chunks are required, a special extruder
forms them. Then the mixture is cooked and canned. The
sealed cans are then put into containers resembling
pressure cookers and commercial sterilization takes
place. Some manufacturers cook the food right in the
can.
Wet
foods are quite different in content from dry or semi-moist
foods. While many canned foods contain by-products of
various sorts, they are “fresh” and not rendered or
processed (although they are often frozen for transport
and storage). Wet foods usually contain much more protein,
and it’s often a little higher quality, than dry foods.
They also have more moisture, which is better for cats.
They are packaged in cans or pouches.
Comparing
Food Types
Because
of the variation in water content, it is impossible
to directly compare labels from different kinds of food
without a mathematical conversion to “dry matter basis.”
The numbers can be very deceiving. For instance, a canned
food containing 10% protein actually has much more protein
than a dry food with 30% protein.
To
put the foods on a level playing field, first calculate
the dry matter content by subtracting the moisture content
given on the label from 100%. Then divide the ingredient
by the dry matter content. For example, a typical bag
of dry cat food contains 30% protein on the label, but
32% on a dry-matter basis (30% divided by its dry matter
content, 100-6% moisture = 94%). A can of cat food might
contain 12% protein on the label, but almost 43% on
a dry-matter basis (12% divided by its dry matter content,
100-72% moisture = 28%). Dry food typically contains
less than 10% water, while canned food contains 78%
or more water.
Pet
Food Ingredients
Animal
Protein
Dogs
and cats are carnivores, and do best on a meat-based
diet. The protein used in pet food comes from a variety
of sources. When cattle, swine, chickens, lambs, or
other animals are slaughtered, lean muscle tissue is
trimmed away from the carcass for human consumption,
along with the few organs that people like to eat, such
as tongues and tripe.
However,
about 50% of every food animal does not get used in
human foods. Whatever remains of the carcass — heads,
feet, bones, blood, intestines, lungs, spleens, livers,
ligaments, fat trimmings, unborn babies, and other parts
not generally consumed by humans — is used in pet food,
animal feed, fertilizer, industrial lubricants, soap,
rubber, and other products. These “other parts” are
known as “by-products.” By-products are used in feed
for poultry and livestock as well as in pet food.
The
nutritional quality of by-products, meals, and digests
can vary from batch to batch. James Morris and Quinton
Rogers, of the University of California at Davis Veterinary
School, assert that, “[pet food] ingredients are generally
by-products of the meat, poultry and fishing industries,
with the potential for a wide variation in nutrient
composition. Claims of nutritional adequacy of pet foods
based on the current Association of American Feed Control
Officials (AAFCO) nutrient allowances (‘profiles’) do
not give assurances of nutritional adequacy and will
not until ingredients are analyzed and bioavailability
values are incorporated.”3
Meat
or poultry “by-products” are very common in wet pet
foods. Remember that “meat” refers to only cows, swine,
sheep, and goats. Since sheep and goats are rare compared
to the 37 million cows and 100 million hogs slaughtered
for food every year, nearly all meat by-products come
from cattle and pigs.
The
better brands of pet food, such as many “super-premium,”
“natural,” and “organic” varieties, do not use by-products.
On the label, you’ll see one or more named meats among
the first few ingredients, such as “turkey” or “lamb.”
These meats are still mainly leftover scraps; in the
case of poultry, bones are allowed, so “chicken” consists
mainly of backs and frames—the spine and ribs, minus
their expensive breast meat. The small amount of meat
left on the bones is the meat in the pet food. Even
with this less-attractive source, pet food marketers
are very tricky when talking about meat, so this is
explained further in the section on “Marketing Magic”
below.
Meat
meals, poultry meals, by-product meals, and meat-and-bone
meal are common ingredients in dry pet foods. The term
“meal” means that these materials are not used fresh,
but have been rendered. While there are chicken, turkey,
and poultry by-product meals there is no equivalent
term for mammal “meat by-product meal” — it is called
“meat-and-bone-meal.” It may also be referred to by
species, such as “beef-and-bone-meal” or “pork-and-bone-meal.”
What
is rendering? As defined by Webster’s Dictionary,
to render is “to process as for industrial use: to render
livestock carcasses and to extract oil from fat, blubber,
etc., by melting.” In other words, raw materials are
dumped into large vat and boiled for several hours.
Rendering separates fat, removes water, and kills bacteria,
viruses, parasites, and other organisms. However, the
high temperatures used (270°F/130°C) can alter or destroy
natural enzymes and proteins found in the raw ingredients.
Because
of persistent rumors that rendered by-products contain
dead dogs and cats, the FDA conducted a study looking
for pentobarbital, the most common euthanasia drug,
in pet foods. They found it. Ingredients that were most
commonly associated with the presence of pentobarbital
were meat-and-bone-meal and animal fat. However, they
also used very sensitive tests to look for canine and
feline DNA, which were not found. Industry
insiders admit that rendered pets and roadkill were
used in pet food some years ago. Although there are
still no laws or regulations against it, the practice
is uncommon today, and pet food companies universally
deny that their products contain any such materials.
However, so-called “4D” animals (dead, dying, diseased,
disabled) were only recently banned for human consumption
and are still legitimate ingredients for pet food.
Vegetable
Protein
The
amount of grain and vegetable products used in pet food
has risen dramatically over time. Plant products now
replace a considerable proportion of the meat that was
used in the earliest commercial pet foods. This has
led to severe nutritional deficiencies that have been
corrected along the way, although many animals died
before science caught up.
Most
dry foods contain a large amount of cereal grain or
starchy vegetables to provide texture. These high-carbohydrate
plant products also provide a cheap source of “energy”
— the rest of us call it “calories.” Gluten meals are
high-protein extracts from which most of the carbohydrate
has been removed. They are often used to boost protein
percentages without expensive animal-source ingredients.
Corn gluten meal is the most commonly used for this
purpose. Wheat gluten is also used to create shapes
like cuts, bites, chunks, shreds, flakes, and slices,
and as a thickener for gravy. In most cases, foods containing
vegetable proteins are among the poorer quality foods.
A
recent fad, “low-carb” pet food, has some companies
steering away from grains, and using potatoes, green
peas, and other starchy vegetables as a substitute.
Except for animals that are allergic to grains, dry
low-carb diets offer no particular advantage to pets.
They also tend to be very high in fat and, if fed free-choice,
will result in weight gain. Canned versions are suitable
for prevention and treatment of feline diabetes, and
as part of a weight loss program, as well as for maintenance.
Animal
and Poultry Fat
There’s
a unique, pungent odor to a new bag of dry pet food
— what is the source of that smell? It is most often
rendered animal fat, or vegetable fats and oils deemed
inedible for humans. For example, used restaurant grease
was rendered and routed to pet foods for several years,
but a more lucrative market is now in biodiesel fuel
production.
These
fats are sprayed directly onto extruded kibbles and
pellets to make an otherwise bland or distasteful product
palatable. The fat also acts as a binding agent to which
manufacturers add other flavor enhancers such as “animal
digests” made from processed by-products. Pet food scientists
have discovered that animals love the taste of these
sprayed fats. Manufacturers are masters at getting a
dog or a cat to eat something she would normally turn
up her nose at.
What
Happened to the Nutrients?
Cooking
and other processing of meat and by-products used in
pet food can greatly diminish their nutritional value,
although cooking increases the digestibility of cereal
grains and starchy vegetables.
To
make pet food nutritious, pet food manufacturers must
“fortify” it with vitamins and minerals. Why? Because
the ingredients they are using are not wholesome, their
quality may be extremely variable, and the harsh manufacturing
practices destroy many of the nutrients the food had
to begin with.
Proteins
are especially vulnerable to heat, and become damaged,
or “denatured,” when cooked. Because dry foods ingredients
are cooked twice — first during rendering and again
in the extruder — problems are much more common than
with canned or homemade foods. Altered proteins may
contribute to food intolerances, food allergies, and
inflammatory bowel disease.
Additives
in Processed Pet Foods
Many
chemicals are added to commercial pet foods to improve
the taste, stability, characteristics, or appearance
of the food. Additives provide no nutritional value.
Additives include emulsifiers to prevent water and fat
from separating, antioxidants to prevent fat from turning
rancid, and artificial colors and flavors to make the
product more attractive to consumers and more palatable
to their companion animals.
A
wide variety of additives are allowed in animal feed
and pet food, not counting vitamins and minerals. Not
all of them are actually used in pet food. Additives
can be specifically approved, or they can fall into
the category of “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS).
Anticaking
agents
Antigelling agents
Antimicrobial agents
Antioxidants
Color additives
Condiments
Curing agents
Drying agents
Emulsifiers
Essential oils
Flavor enhancers
Flavoring agents
Grinding agents
Humectants
Leavening agents
Lubricants
Palatants
Pelleting agents and binders
Petroleum derivatives
pH control agents
Preservatives
Seasonings
Spices
Stabilizers
Sweeteners
Texturizers
Thickeners
Chemical
vs. Natural Preservatives
All
commercial pet foods must be preserved so they stay
fresh and appealing to our animal companions. Canning
is itself a preserving process, so canned foods need
little or no additional help. Some preservatives are
added to ingredients or raw materials by the suppliers,
and others may be added by the manufacturer. The U.S.
Coast Guard, for instance, requires fish meal to be
heavily preserved with ethoxyquin or equivalent antioxidant.
Evidently, spoiling fish meal creates such intense heat
that ship explosions and fires resulted.
Because
manufacturers need to ensure that dry foods have a long
shelf life (typically 12 months) to remain edible through
shipping and storage, fats used in pet foods are preserved
with either synthetic or “natural” preservatives. Synthetic
preservatives include butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)
and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), propyl gallate,
propylene glycol (also used as a less-toxic version
of automotive antifreeze), and ethoxyquin. For these
antioxidants, there is little information documenting
their toxicity, safety, interactions, or chronic use
in pet foods that may be eaten every day for the life
of the animal. Propylene glycol was banned in cat food
because it causes anemia in cats, but it is still allowed
in dog food.
Potentially
cancer-causing agents such as BHA, BHT, and ethoxyquin
are permitted at relatively low levels. The use of these
chemicals in pet foods has not been thoroughly studied,
and long term build-up of these agents may ultimately
be harmful. Due to questionable data in the original
study on its safety, ethoxyquin’s manufacturer, Monsanto,
was required to perform a new, more rigorous study.
This was completed in 1996. Even though Monsanto found
no significant toxicity associated with its own product,
in July 1997 the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine
requested that manufacturers voluntarily reduce the
maximum level for ethoxyquin by half, to 75 parts per
million. While some pet food critics and veterinarians
believe that ethoxyquin is a major cause of disease,
skin problems, and infertility in dogs, others claim
it is the safest, strongest, most stable preservative
available for pet food. Ethoxyquin is approved for use
in human food for preserving spices, such as cayenne
and chili powder, at a level of 100 ppm — but it would
be very difficult for even the most hard-core spice
lover to consume as much chili powder every day as a
dog would eat dry food. Ethoxyquin has never been tested
for safety in cats. Despite this, it is commonly used
in veterinary diets for both cats and dogs.
Many
pet food makers have responded to consumer concern,
and are now using “natural” preservatives such as Vitamin
C (ascorbate), Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols), and oils
of rosemary, clove, or other spices, to preserve the
fats in their products. The shelf life is shorter, however
— only about 6 months.
Individual
ingredients, such as fish meal, may have preservatives
added before they reach the pet food manufacturer. Federal
law requires fat preservatives to be disclosed on the
label; however, pet food companies do not always comply
with this law.
Danger
Ahead
Potential
Contaminants
Given
the types of things manufacturers put in pet food, it
is not surprising that bad things sometimes happen.
Ingredients used in pet food are often highly contaminated
with a wide variety of toxic substances. Some of these
are destroyed by processing, but others are not.
- Bacteria.
Slaughtered animals, as well as those that have died
because of disease, injury, or natural causes, are
sources of meat, by-products, and rendered meals.
An animal that died on the farm might not reach a
rendering plant until days after its death. Therefore
the carcass is often contaminated with bacteria such
as Salmonella and E. coli. Dangerous
E. Coli bacteria are estimated to contaminate
more than 50% of meat meals. While the cooking process
may kill bacteria, it does not eliminate the endotoxins
some bacteria produce during their growth. These toxins
can survive processing, and can cause sickness and
disease. Pet food manufacturers do not test their
products for bacterial endotoxins. Because sick or
dead animals can be processed as pet foods, the drugs
that were used to treat or euthanize them may still
be present in the end product. Penicillin and pentobarbital
are just two examples of drugs that can pass through
processing unchanged. Antibiotics used in livestock
production are also thought to contribute to antibiotic
resistance in humans.
- Mycotoxins.
Toxins from mold or fungi are called mycotoxins. Modern
farming practices, adverse weather conditions, and
improper drying and storage of crops can contribute
to mold growth. Pet food ingredients that are most
likely to be contaminated with mycotoxins are grains
such as wheat and corn, and fish meal.
- Chemical
Residue. Pesticides and fertilizers
may leave residue on plant products. Grains that are
condemned for human consumption by the USDA due to
residue may legally be used, without limitation, in
pet food.
- GMOs.
Genetically modified plant products are also of concern.
By 2006, 89% of the planted area of soybeans, 83%
of cotton, and 61% of maize (corn) in the U.S. were
genetically modified varieties. Cottonseed meal is
a common ingredient of cattle feed; soy and corn are
used directly in many pet foods.
- Acrylamide.
This is a carcinogenic compound formed at cooking
temperatures of about 250°F in foods containing certain
sugars and the amino acid asparagine (found in large
amounts in potatoes and cereal grains). It is formed
in a chemical process called the Maillard reaction.4,
5 Most dry pet foods contain cereal grains or
potatoes, and they are processed at high temperatures
(200–300°F at high pressure during extrusion; baked
foods are cooked at well over 500°F); these are perfect
conditions for the Maillard reaction. In fact, the
Maillard reaction is considered desirable
in the production of pet food because it imparts a
palatable taste, even though it reduces the bioavailability
of some amino acids, including taurine and lysine.6
The content and potential effects of acrylamide formation
in pet foods are unknown.
Pet
Food Recalls
When
things go really wrong and serious problems are discovered
in pet food, the company usually works with the FDA
to coordinate a recall of the affected products. While
many recalls have been widely publicized, quite a few
have not.
- In
1995, Nature’s Recipe recalled almost a million pounds
of dry dog and cat food after consumers complained
that their pets were vomiting and losing their appetite.
The problem was a fungus that produced vomitoxin contaminating
the wheat.
- In
1999, Doane Pet Care recalled more than a million
bags of corn-based dry dog food contaminated with
aflatoxin. Products included Ol’ Roy (Wal-Mart’s brand)
and 53 other brands. This time, the toxin killed 25
dogs.
- In
2000, Iams recalled 248,000 pounds of dry dog food
distributed in 7 states due to excess DL-Methionine
Amino Acid, a urinary acidifier.
- In
2003, a recall was made by Petcurean “Go! Natural”
pet food due to circumstantial association with some
dogs suffering from liver disease; no cause was ever
found.
- In
late 2005, a similar recall by Diamond Foods was announced;
this time the moldy corn contained a particularly
nasty fungal product called aflatoxin; 100 dogs died.
- Also
in 2005, 123,000 pounds of cat and dog treats were
recalled due to Salmonella contamination.
- In
2006, more than 5 million cans of Ol’ Roy, American
Fare, and other dog foods distributed in the southeast
were recalled by the manufacturer, Simmons Pet Food,
because the cans’ enamel lining was flaking off into
the food.
- Also
in 2006, Merrick Pet Care recalled almost 200,000
cans of “Wingalings” dog food when metal tags were
found in some samples.
- In
the most deadly recall of 2006, 4 prescription canned
dog and cat foods were recalled by Royal Canin (owned
by Mars). The culprit was a serious overdose of Vitamin
D that caused calcium deficiency and kidney disease.
- In
February 2007, the FDA issued a warning to consumers
not to buy “Wild Kitty,” a frozen food containing
raw meat. Routine testing by FDA had revealed Salmonella
in the food. FDA specifically warned about the potential
for illness in humans, not pets. There were no reports
of illness or death of any pets, and the food was
not recalled.
- In
March 2007, the most lethal pet food in history was
the subject of the largest recall ever. Menu Foods
recalled more than 100 brands including Iams, Eukanuba,
Hill’s Science Diet, Purina Mighty Dog, and many store
brands including Wal-Mart’s. Thousands of pets were
sickened (the FDA received more than 17,000 reports)
and an estimated 20% died from acute renal failure
caused by the food. Cats were more frequently and
more severely affected than dogs. The toxin was initially
believed to be a pesticide, the rat poison “aminopterin”
in one of the ingredients. In April, scientists discovered
high levels of melamine, a chemical used in plastics
and fertilizers, in wheat gluten and rice protein
concentrate imported from China. The melamine had
been purposefully added to the ingredients to falsely
boost their protein content. Subsequent tests revealed
that the melamine-tainted ingredients had also been
used in feed for cows, pigs, and chickens and thousands
of animals were quarantined and destroyed. In early
May, scientists identified the cause of the rapid
onset kidney disease that had appeared in dogs and
cats as a reaction caused by the combination of melamine
and cyanuric acid, both unauthorized chemicals. The
fallout from this recall is ongoing as of May 2007
so please be sure to check
the FDA website for the most recent updates.
Nutrition-Related
Diseases
The
idea that one pet food provides all the nutrition a
companion animal will ever need for its entire life
is a dangerous myth.
Today,
the diets of cats and dogs are a far cry from the variable
meat-based diets that their ancestors ate. The unpleasant
results of grain-based, processed, year-in and year-out
diets are common. Health problems associated with diet
include:
- Urinary
tract disease. Plugs, crystals, and
stones are more common in cats eating dry diets, due
to the chronic dehydration and highly concentrated
urine they cause. “Struvite” stones used to be the
most common type in cats, but another more dangerous
type, calcium oxalate, has increased and is now tied
with struvite. Manipulation of manufactured cat food
formulas to increase the acidity of urine has caused
the switch. Dogs can also form stones as a result
of their diet.
- Kidney
disease. Chronic dehydration associated
with dry diets may also be a contributing factor in
the development of kidney disease and chronic renal
failure in older cats. Cats have a low thirst drive;
in the wild they would get most of their water from
their prey. Cats eating dry food do not drink enough
water to make up for the lack of moisture in the food.
Cats on dry food diets drink more water,
but the total water intake of a cat eating
canned food is twice as great.7
- Dental
disease. Contrary to the myth propagated
by pet food companies, dry food is not good for teeth.8
Given that the vast majority of pets eat dry food,
yet the most common health problem in pets is dental
disease, this should be obvious. Humans do not floss
with crackers, and dry food does not clean the teeth.
- Obesity.
Feeding recommendations or instructions on the packaging
are sometimes inflated so that the consumer will end
up feeding — and purchasing — more food. One of the
most common health problems in pets, obesity, may
also be related to high-carb, high-calorie dry foods.
Both dogs and cats respond to low-carb wet food diets.
Overweight pets are more prone to arthritis, heart
disease, and diabetes. Dry cat food is now considered
the cause of feline diabetes; prevention and treatment
include switching to a high protein, high moisture,
low-carb diet.
- Chronic
digestive problems. Chronic vomiting,
diarrhea, constipation, and inflammatory bowel disease
are among the most frequent illnesses treated. These
are often the result of an allergy or intolerance
to pet food ingredients. The market for “limited antigen”
or “novel protein” diets is now a multi-million dollar
business. These diets were formulated to address the
increasing intolerance to commercial foods that pets
have developed. Even so, an animal that tends to develop
allergies can develop allergies to the new ingredients,
too. One twist is the truly “hypoallergenic” food
that has had all its proteins artificially chopped
into pieces smaller than can be recognized and reacted
to by the immune system. Yet there are documented
cases of animals becoming allergic to this food, too.
It is important to change brands, flavors, and protein
sources every few months to prevent problems.
- Bloat.
Feeding only one meal per day can cause the irritation
of the esophagus by stomach acid, and appears to be
associated with gastric dilitation and volvulus (canine
bloat). Feeding two or more smaller meals is better.
- Heart
disease. An often-fatal heart disease
in cats and some dogs is now known to be caused by
a deficiency of the amino acid taurine. Blindness
is another symptom of taurine deficiency. This deficiency
was due to inadequate amounts of taurine in cat food
formulas, which in turn had occurred due to decreased
amounts of animal proteins and increased reliance
on carbohydrates. Cat foods are now supplemented with
taurine. New research suggests that some dog breeds
are susceptible to the same condition. Supplementing
taurine may also be helpful for dogs, but as yet few
manufacturers are adding extra taurine to dog food.
- Hyperthyroidism.
There is also evidence that hyperthyroidism in cats
may be related to diet. This is a relatively new disease
that first surfaced in the 1970s. Some experts theorize
that excess iodine in commercial cat food is a factor.
New research also points to a link between the disease
and pop-top cans, and flavors including fish or “giblets.”
This is a serious disease, and treatment is expensive.
Many
nutritional problems appeared with the popularity of
cereal-based commercial pet foods. Some have occurred
because the diet was incomplete. Although several ingredients
are now supplemented, we do not know what ingredients
future researchers may discover that should have been
supplemented in pet foods all along. Other problems
may occur from reactions to additives. Others are a
result of contamination with bacteria, mold, drugs,
or other toxins. In some diseases the role of commercial
pet food is understood; in others, it is not. The bottom
line is that diets composed primarily of low quality
cereals and rendered meals are not as nutritious or
safe as you should expect for your cat or dog.
Pet
Food Industry Secrets
Co-Packing
The
2007 Menu Foods recall brought to light some of the
pet food industry’s dirtiest secrets.
Most
people were surprised — and appalled — to learn that
all Iams/Eukanuba canned foods are not made by The Iams
Company at all. In fact, in 2003 Iams signed an exclusive
10-year contract for the production of 100% of its canned
foods by Menu.
This
type of deal is called “co-packing.” One company makes
the food, but puts someone else’s label on it. This
is a very common arrangement in the pet food industry.
It was first illustrated by the Doane’s and Diamond
recalls, when dozens of private labels were involved.
But none were as large or as “reputable” as Iams, Eukanuba,
Hill’s, Purina, Nutro, and other high-end, so-called
“premium” foods.
The
big question raised by this arrangement is whether or
not there is any real difference between the expensive
premium brands and the lowliest generics. The recalled
products all contained the suspect ingredient, wheat
gluten, but they also all contained by-products of some
kind, including specified by-products such as liver
or giblets.
It’s
true that a pet food company that contracts with a co-packer
can provide its own ingredients, or it can require the
contractor to buy particular ingredients to use in its
recipes. But part of the attraction of using a co-packer
is that it can buy ingredients in larger bulk than any
one pet food maker could on its own, making the process
cheaper and the profits larger. It’s likely that with
many of the ingredients that cross all types of pet
foods, those ingredients are the same.
Are
one company’s products — made in the same plant on the
same equipment with ingredients called the same
name — really “better” than another’s? That’s what
the makers of expensive brands want you to think. The
recalled premium brands claim that Menu makes their
foods “according to proprietary recipes using specified
ingredients,” and that “contract manufacturers must
follow strict quality standards.” Indeed, the contracts
undoubtedly include those points. But out in the real
world, things may not go according to plan. How well
are machines cleaned between batches, how carefully
are ingredients mixed, and just how particular are minimum-wage
workers in a dirty smelly job going to be about getting
everything just perfect?
Whatever
the differences are between cheap and high-end food,
one thing is clear. The purchase price of pet food does
not always determine whether a pet food is good or bad
or even safe. However, the very cheapest foods can be
counted on to have the very cheapest ingredients. For
example, Ol’ Roy, Wal-Mart’s store brand, has now been
involved in 3 serious recalls.
Menu
manufactures canned foods for many companies that weren’t
affected by the recall, including Nature's Variety,
Wellness, Castor & Pollux, Newman's Own Organics,
Wysong, Innova, and EaglePack. It’s easy to see from
their ingredient lists that those products are made
from completely different ingredients and proportions.
Again, the issue of cleaning the machinery out between
batches comes up, but hopefully nothing so lethal will
pass from one food to another.
Animal
Testing
Another
unpleasant practice exposed by this recall is pet food
testing on live animals. Menu's own lab animals, who
were deliberately fed the tainted food, were the first
known victims. Tests began on February 27 (already a
week after the first reports); animals started to die
painfully from kidney failure a few days later. After
the first media reports, Menu quickly changed its story
to call these experiments “taste tests.” But Menu has
done live animal feeding, metabolic energy, palatability,
and other tests for Iams and other companies for years.
Videotapes reveal the animals’ lives in barren metal
cages; callous treatment; invasive experiments; and
careless cruelty.
Although
feeding trials are not required for a food to meet the
requirements for labeling a food “complete and balanced,”
many manufacturers use live animals to perform palatability
studies when developing a new pet food. One set of animals
is fed a new food while a “control” group is fed a current
formula. The total volume eaten is used as a gauge for
the palatability of the food. Some companies use feeding
trials, which are considered to be a much more accurate
assessment of the actual nutritional value of the food.
They keep large colonies of dogs and cats for this purpose,
or use testing laboratories that have their own animals.
There
is a new movement toward using companion animals in
their homes for palatability and other studies. In 2006,
The Iams Company announced that it was cutting the use
of canine and feline lab animals by 70%. While it proclaims
this moral victory, the real reasons for this switch
are likely financial. Whatever the reasons, it is a
very positive step for the animals.
Finally,
it is important to remember that the contamination that
occurred in the Menu Foods recall could have happened
anywhere at any time. It was not Menu’s fault; the toxin
was unusual and unexpected. All companies have quality
control standards and they do test ingredients for common
toxins before using them. They also test the final products.
However, there is a baseline risk inherent in using
the raw materials that go into pet foods. When there
are 11 recalls in 12 years, it’s clear that “freak occurrences”
are the rule, not the exception.
Marketing
Magic
A
trip down the pet food aisle will boggle the mind with
all the wonderful claims made by pet food makers for
their repertoire of products. Knowing the nature of
the ingredients helps sort out some of the more outrageous
claims, but what’s the truth behind all this hype?
- Niche
claims. Indoor cat, canine athlete,
Persian, 7-year old, Bloodhound, or a pet with a tender
tummy, too much flab, arthritis, or itchy feet — no
matter what, there’s a food “designed” just for that
pet’s personal needs. Niche marketing has arrived
in a big way in the pet food industry. People like
to feel special, and a product with specific appeal
is bound to sell better than a general product like
“puppy food.” The reality is that there are only two
basic standards against which all pet foods are measured:
adult and growth, which includes gestation and lactation.
Everything else is marketing.
- “Natural”
and “Organic” claims. The definition
of “natural” adopted by AAFCO is very broad, and allows
for artificially processed ingredients that most of
us would consider very unnatural indeed. The term
“organic”, on the other hand, has a very strict legal
definition under the USDA National Organic Program.
However, some companies are adept at evading the intent
of both of these rules. For instance, the name of
the company or product may be intentionally misleading.
Some companies use terms such as “Nature” or “Natural”
or even “Organic” in the brand name, whether or not
their products fit the definitions. Consumers should
also be aware that the term “organic” does not imply
anything at all about animal welfare; products from
cows and chickens can be organic, yet the animals
themselves are still just “production units” in enormous
factory farms.
- Ingredient
quality claims. A lot of pet foods
claim they contain “human grade” ingredients. This
is a completely meaningless term — which is why the
pet food companies get away with using it. The same
applies to “USDA inspected” or similar phrases. The
implication is that the food is made using ingredients
that are passed by the USDA for human consumption,
but there are many ways around this. For instance,
a facility might be USDA-inspected during the day,
but the pet food is made at night after the inspector
goes home. The use of such terms should be viewed
as a “Hype Alert.”
- “Meat
is the first ingredient” claim. A
claim that a named meat (chicken, lamb, etc.) is the
#1 ingredient is generally seen for dry food. Ingredients
are listed on the label by weight, and raw chicken
weighs a lot, since contains a lot of water. If you
look further down the list, you’re likely to see ingredients
such as chicken or poultry by-product meal, meat-and-bone
meal, corn gluten meal, soybean meal, or other high-protein
meal. Meals have had the fat and water removed, and
basically consist of a dry, lightweight protein powder.
It doesn’t take much raw chicken to weigh more than
a great big pile of this powder, so in reality the
food is based on the protein meal, with very little
“chicken” to be found. This has become a very popular
marketing gimmick, even in premium and “health food”
type brands. Since just about everybody is now using
it, any meaning it may have had is so watered-down
that you may just as well ignore it.
- Special
ingredient claims. Many of the high-end
pet foods today rely on the marketing appeal of people-food
ingredients such as fruits, herbs, and vegetables.
However, the amounts of these items actually present
in the food are small; and the items themselves may
be scraps and rejects from processors of human foods
— not the whole, fresh ingredients they want you to
picture. Such ingredients don’t provide a significant
health benefit and are really a marketing gimmick.
Pet
food marketing and advertising has become extremely
sophisticated over the last few years. It’s important
to know what is hype and what is real to make informed
decisions about what to feed your pets.
What
Consumers Can Do
- Write
or call pet food companies and the Pet Food Institute
and express your concerns about commercial pet foods.
Demand that manufacturers improve the quality of ingredients
in their products.
- Print
out a copy of this report for your veterinarian to
further his or her knowledge about commercial pet
food.
- Direct
your family and friends with companion animals to
this website, to alert them of the dangers of commercial
pet food. Print out copies of our Fact Sheet on Selecting
a Good Commercial Food.
- Stop
buying commercial pet food; or at least stop buying
dry food. Dry foods have been the subject of many
more recalls, and have many adverse health effects.
If that is not possible, reduce the quantity of commercial
pet food and supplement with fresh, organic foods,
especially meat. Purchase one or more of the many
books available on pet nutrition and make your own
food. Be sure that a veterinarian or a nutritionist
has checked the recipes to ensure that they are balanced
for long-term use.
- If
you would like to learn about how to make healthy
food for your companion animal, read up on "Sample
Diets," which contains simple recipes and important
nutritional information.
- Please
be aware that API is not a veterinary hospital, clinic,
or service. API does not and will not offer any medical
advice. If you have concerns about your companion
animal’s health or nutritional requirements, please
consult your veterinarian.
Because
pet food manufacturers frequently change the formulations
of their products and Born Free USA united with API
would not have conducted the necessary testing, we are
unable to offer endorsements for particular brands of
pet food. Many of our staff choose to make their own
pet food or to purchase natural or organic products
found in most feed and specialist stores but we cannot
recommend brands that would be right for your companion
animal or animals.
For
Further Reading about Animal Nutrition
Born
Free USA with Animal Protection Institute recommends
the following books (listed in alphabetical order by
author), many of which include recipes for home-prepared
diets:
- Michelle
Bernard. 2003. Raising Cats Naturally — How to
Care for Your Cat the Way Nature Intended. Available
at http://www.raisingcatsnaturally.com/.
- Chiclet
T. Dog and Jan Rasmusen. 2006. Scared Poopless:
The Straight Scoop on Dog Care. Available at
http://www.dogs4dogs.com/. ISBN-10: 0977126501,
ISBN-13: 978-0977126507.
- Rudi
Edalati. 2001. Barker’s Grub: Easy, Wholesome
Home-Cooking for Dogs. ISBN-10: 0609804421, ISBN-13:
978-0609804421.
- Jean
Hofve, DVM. 2007. What Cats Should Eat. Available
at http://www.littlebigcat.com/.
- Richard
H. Pitcairn, DVM, and Susan Hubble Pitcairn. 2005.
Dr. Pitcairn’s New Complete Guide to Natural Health
for Dogs and Cats. Rodale Press, Inc. ISBN-10:
157954973X, ISBN-13: 978-1579549732. Note: The recipes
for cats were not revised in this new edition and
date back to 2000; they may contain too much grain,
according to recent research.
- Kate
Solisti. 2004. The Holistic Animal Handbook: A
Guidebook to Nutrition, Health, and Communication.
Council Oaks Books. ISBN-10: 1571781536, ISBN-13:
978-1571781536.
- Donald
R. Strombeck. 1999. Home-Prepared Dog & Cat
Diets: The Healthful Alternative. Iowa State
University Press. ISBN-10: 0813821495, ISBN-13: 978-0813821498.
Note: Veterinary nutritionists have suggested that
the taurine and calcium are too low in some of these
recipes. Clam juice and sardines are poor sources
of taurine; use taurine capsules instead.
- Celeste
Yarnall. 2000, Natural Cat Care: A Complete Guide
to Holistic Health Care for Cats; and 1998, Natural
Dog Care: A Complete Guide to Holistic Health Care
for Dogs. Available at http://www.celestialpets.com/.
The
books listed above are a fraction of all the titles
currently available, and the omission of a title does
not necessarily mean it is not useful for further reading
about animal nutrition.
Please
note: Born Free USA united with API is not
a bookseller, and cannot sell or send these books to
you. Please contact your local book retailer or an online
bookstore, who can supply these books based on the ISBN
provided for each title.
Who
to Write
AAFCO
Pet Food Committee
David Syverson, Chair
Minnesota Department of Agriculture
Dairy and Food Inspection Division
625 Robert Street North
St. Paul, MN 55155-2538
http://www.aafco.org/
FDA
— Center for Veterinary Medicine
Sharon Benz
7500 Standish Place
Rockville, MD 20855
301-594-1728
www.fda.gov/cvm/
Pet
Food Institute
2025 M Street, NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036
202-367-1120
202-367-2120 fax
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