The digestive systems of dogs and cats are short, acidic, and handle bacteria well. This is why they are not susceptible to salmonella, parasites, or e-coli from tainted meat as humans are. Humans have very long digestive tracks which allow food to 'linger' for 24 hours or more, thus allowing more time for parasites to get into their bloodstreams. Some people add fulvic acids to their pet's raw food diet.
According to research, Fulvic neutralizes toxins and can eliminate food poisoning within minutes.. fulvic acid acts as a refiner and transporter of organic materials and cell nutrients. Fulvic acids enhance the permeability for digestive, circulatory, cell membranes. According to A. Szalay, fulvic acid has the ability to dramatically detoxify herbicides, pesticides, and other poisonsthat it interacts with – this includes many radioactive elements. This detoxification process may extend to animals and humans.
The food your animal eats should provide all of the nutritional components which are necessary for all organs and systems of a healthy body to perform in harmonious unison. A properly functioning body does an amazing job at preventing disease and healing itself, and to do this it requires the energies and nutrients of a well-balanced diet. In terms of finding the proper diet for our companions, this means learning to look beyond our own needs, opinions, and agendas to address the natural needs of the animals that we caretake.
In the wild, no one cooks for the coyote or wolf; no one brushes their teeth. Their foods are raw and unprocessed.
Processed foods and drugs have seriously depleted the natural vitality and immune systems of many pets. Whereas large amounts of red meat can cause cancer in humans, a lack of RAW red meat in an animal's diet can lead to serious health problems.Animals require the enzymes, amino acids and other nutrients in the raw meat in order to stay healthy. Many skin and coat problems are a direct result of a lack of raw animal fat in the diet - fat which humans often believe is bad for their pet. Animals need at least 30% raw fat, and their systems are not designed to handle cooked meat or cooked fat. Restaurant grease has become a major component of feed-grade animal fat over the last 15 years. Often held in 50-gallon drums for weeks or months in extreme temperatures, this grease is usually kelp outside with no regard for its safety or further use. The rancid grease is then picked up by fat blenders who mix the animal and vegetable fats together, stabilize them with powerful antioxidants to prevent further spoilage, and then sell the blended products to pet food companies. Rancid, heavily preserved fats are extremely difficult to digest and can lead to a host of animal health problems, including digestive upsets, diarrhea, gas, and bad breath. In the wild, a panther or jackal does not barbecue, grill or smoke its prey. It definitely does not walk to the local supermarket to buy dry food either. Yet most pet owners recoil at the thought of feeding raw meat to their dog or cat, concerned about bacteria or parasites. Dog and cat digestive systems have evolved over millions of years to consume a raw diet, and they can tolerate foods containing a wide range of naturally occurring bacteria. You've probably seen your dog enjoy eating something you consider disgusting and wondered why he doesn't get sick!
I have fed a commercial diet and raw diet to my dogs without any problem. My dogs THRIVE on raw food and SURVIVE on commercial food. Dogs are carnivores, before commercial food was introduced in the 1960's dogs ate more human grade food then than they do now and when they died it was prodominately because they were hit by a car - not cancer as we see so often today. I understand that canine nutrition is truly a matter of opinon and because l respect that not everyone can afford feeding a raw diet l researched the products and tested on my own dogs different brands of kibble and prefer feeding premium kibble like Solid Gold, Wellness, Innova, Candidae instead of Iams, Science Diet, Bil o Jack, Alpo, Pedigree etc .
At Least Do This Much
Avoid generic store brands. They use the poorest quality ingredients. Mix table scraps and greens with commercial food. Add raw eggs and raw organic meats several times a week. Cultured yogurt protects the stomach and digestive system from antibiotics found in most meat. Add a little to each meal. Avoid food with the fast-food smell of rancid fat and oil. Cheap, unsavory dry food has an unforgivable odor wafting from obviously oily bags. Always think variety.
http://rawfed.com/myths/vets.html
This site might assist you to understand how much nutritional training vets receive.
Ethoxyquin, BHA and BHT
taken from furbabies website:
BHA and BHT
The Animal Protection Institute (API) says nutritional factors
are known to play a role in causing and perpetuating diseases such
as: cancer, allergic skin, inflammatory bowel, food intolerance,
chronic ear infections, cystitis, bladder and kidney stones, heart
disease, pancreatitis, hyperthyroidism, hip dysplasia and diabetes.
Food labels speak for themselves. For example, Hill’s Science
Diet uses both BHA and BHT (preservatives) in most dry food with an
interesting exception being the Sensitive Stomach formula which uses
vitamins C & E as preservatives. Is Hill’s saying: animals with
stomach problems should not ingest BHA and BHT? I wonder why?!
BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) is a preservative and
antioxidant. Safety data on BHA says: “possible human carcinogen;
apparently carcinogenic in animal experiments. May be harmful by
ingestion or inhalation. May act as a skin, eye or respiratory
irritant.” API says it is associated with stomach and urinary tract
cancer.
BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) is associated with esophageal
cancer. According to Cognitive Enhancement Research Institute, “BHT
acts as both a promoter and antipromoter of carcinogenesis…..When BHT
is administered after carcinogenic exposure, the incidence of cancer
is frequently increased.” Its effects are determined by the type of
cancer.
Ethoxyquin
Ethoxyquin (EQ) is a rubber stabilizer-insecticide known as the
cheapest and most powerful (long lasting) preservative on the market.
A barrel of EQ directly from Monsanto production is labeled with
skull-and-crossbones with the word “poison” prominently displayed. It
is listed as a pesticide by the Department of Agriculture. OSHA calls
it a hazardous chemical rated 3 out of 6. “A compound rated 6 is so
potently toxic that 7 drops can cause death.” According to API, EQ is
associated with immune deficiency syndrome, leukemia, blindness, DNA
mutations, chromosomal aberrations and many forms of cancer.
API has a partial list of pet foods that contain EQ: Hill’s
Science Diet, Iams, Ralston One and 9 lives Friskies. It’s listed in
ingredients of cat food such as Whisker Lickens and Whiskas. Jean
Hofve, DVM, explains that EQ is not listed on labels when it’s added
to fish meal, a prominent ingredient in most cat food.
How come most veterinarians across America have an array of
Hill’s Science Diet on display in their offices? I’d really love to
hear from some veterinarians regarding Hill’s. Don Hamilton, DVM in
Ocate, NM, says misinformation is the culprit. In Homeopathic Care
for Cats and Dogs he writes, “My nutrition training in veterinary
school was minimal, to say the least, as it was for most of my
contemporary colleagues. Table foods, we heard, were an absolute
invitation to disaster. Dry food was considered the best choice for
cats and dogs. Then we were given literature – something like today’s
infomercials – on a couple of brands of food. Not surprisingly, these
two companies command the major share of the marketplace, largely due
to recommendations by veterinarians. I now believe much of the
information to be incorrect. Furthermore, I see this information as
contributing to the deterioration in the health of our companion
animals that we have witnessed in recent years.”
Rendering Plants
Rendering plants process decomposing animal carcasses into a dry protein product. Ann Martin writes, “One small plant in Quebec, Ontario renders 10 tons of dogs and cats per week.” Earth Island Journal states: “Each year in the US, 286 rendering plants quietly dispose of more that 12.5 million tons of dead animals, fat and meat waste. Renderers are thankful that most people remain blissfully unaware of their existence.”
Dr. Belfield was a veterinary meat inspector for the US department of Agriculture. He writes in Earth Island Journal, “To prevent condemned meat from being rerouted and used for human consumption, government regulations require that meat is ‘denatured” before removal from the slaughterhouse and shipment to rendering facilities.” When you see ‘meat and bone meal’ on pet food labels it refers to cooked and converted animals with a large % being euthanized pets. Pets euthanized by veterinarians contain pentobarbital which survives rendering without undergoing degradation.
According to Earth Island Journal “meat and bone meal from sources not fit for human consumption has found its way into poultry feed……Remember this when you are eating your next piece of chicken or turkey.”
PARTIAL LIST OF PET FOODS
CONTAINING BHA, BHT or ETHOXYQUIN
Hill's Science Diet (BHA, Ethoxyquin)
Alpo - Beef (BHA)
Pedigree (BHA, BHT)
Pro Plan (BHA)
American Nutrition (BHA)
Royal Canine (BHA)
Iam's (BHA, Ethoxyquin)
Heinz (BHA)
Ralston - Purina (BHA)
Ralston One (Ethoxyquin)
9 Lives Friskies (BHA, Ethoxyquin)
Big Bet (by-products)
Pro-Pet (by products)
Eagle Pet (by products
Fancy Feast (by products)
Hi-Tor Felo Diet (by products)
ProPlan (by products)
Four of the top five major pet food companies in the United States are subsidiaries of multinational food production companies: Colgate-Palmolive, Heinz, Nestle and Mars.