[rawfeeding] Raw feeding is just a fad?

Hi all,
I just came across this in the Canadian Living online magazine
written by Dee Van Dyk. Page 2 is the killer in regards to raw
feeding is just a fad. If I find the time, I'll e-mail her & tell
her that she's just a fad. Wish people would get their facts
straight!

Cheryl

Pet deaths from dog food have been all over the news. Should you make
your own dog food? A vet weighs in.
by Dee Van Dyk (canadianliving.com) www.deevandyk.com

In 2007, pet deaths linked to commercial pet food caused a surge in
the sale of cookbooks for pets. On the heels of a pet food recall,
pet owners were left questioning the safety of commercial pet food;
however, the decision to turn to homemade pet food worries many
veterinarians.

Why the recent pet deaths?
According to Dr. Danny Joffe, medical director at the Calgary Animal
Referral and Emergency Centre, the two chemicals (melamine and
cyanuric acid) involved in the recent pet deaths are fairly inert
individually. The trouble happens when you find them together. "When
they combine they can produce crystals that can damage kidneys, and
that seems to be what's causing the problem," says Joffe. "Pet food
and human food use wheat gluten and rice protein as components of
various nutritional products. Companies that are buying these raw
materials pay based on the protein content of the material, and these
chemicals added in falsely elevate these protein levels."
There's nothing wrong with wheat gluten or rice protein themselves --
they're very valuable nutrients used in human food as well, says
Joffe. The problem is in the chemicals that were added. "It's just
bad luck that this contamination occurred and, once the tainted lots
of wheat gluten and rice protein are not being used, the foods that
were recalled will be perfectly safe again."

Should you serve table scraps or people food to your pets?
Don't assume that what's good for you is good for your pet as well.
Our nutrient needs differ, says Joffe. And not only do animal
nutrient needs differ from human nutrient needs, but your pet's
nutritional requirements will differ depending on whether he's a cat
or a dog, how much he weighs, and other prevailing health and medical
issues specific to your pet.

Toxic food
In fact, some foods people enjoy regularly are actually toxic to our
pets. "Chocolate is probably the classic example," says Joffe. "The
toxicity of chocolate increases with the darkness of the chocolate.
While milk chocolate is not very toxic [to pets], and white chocolate
is almost nontoxic, bittersweet baking chocolate is very toxic."

Other foods dangerous to our pets include raisins, grapes, Xylitol (a
sugar substitute used in baking), coffee, onions, onion powder,
walnuts, alcoholic beverages and salt.

"Another thing people sometimes do is feed their pets human food that
might be a little spoiled," says Joffe. "Rather than throwing it out,
they'll give it to the dog, but the same problems that would occur
for you or me eating spoiled food occur in dogs."

Human treats your dog can eat
There are human foods, however, that are good for your pet. Certain
animals can't tolerate vegetables -- they cause them to suffer from
diarrhea or constipation -- but if they can handle it, celery,
carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, and cauliflower all make good, healthy
treats for your dog.

Page 1 of 2

Further in this article
2. Should you make your own pet food?

Making your own pet food

Pet deaths from dog food have been all over the news. Should you make
your own dog food? A vet weighs in.

By Dee Van Dyk

What's the best approach to making homemade pet food?
1. Talk to your veterinarian.
2. Know that preparing homemade pet food can be a time-intensive
project.
3. Choose recipes that are good for your animal and that match her
size and fitness requirements. Your vet can either provide you with
suitable recipes or suggest appropriate outlets to get recipes from,
says Joffe. "There are websites that are staffed by veterinary
nutritionists who, for a fee, help you balance a diet for your pet."
One example is www.balanceit.com.

What about raw pet food?
"A current fad that's getting a lot of play on the Internet is
feeding raw food like chicken or fish to pets," says Joffe. "It's one
of those areas with a lot more anecdotal information than research."

Proponents of this diet cite raw meat as the way wild animals in
nature eat. The problem, says Joffe, is that wolves and coyotes are
not like our domesticated pets. Literally members of our family, our
pets eat in our kitchens, sleep in our beds and lick our kids' faces -
- and so what our pets eat has implications for the whole family
unit. At the same time, there is no scientific research to back
claims that a raw food diet is nutritionally advantageous for your
pet.

Also note that "raw foods can be very highly contaminated with
bacteria like E. coli and salmonella, which may or may not make the
dog sick," warns Joffe. "The bacteria can be passed in the animal's
stool where it is then available for people to pick up. It's a public
health accident waiting to happen," he says.

What's the bottom line in choosing the best pet food for your pet?
The bottom line in pet food is that the good-quality commercial pet
food is probably still your best option.

"The companies that I recommend are the science-based companies,"
says Joffe. "They are companies that have research and development
departments, they have nutritionists employed by them, and they
constantly do research into pet nutrition and then alter their
formulations based on what these new findings are."

Whether you opt for quality commercial pet food or homemade pet food,
your veterinarian is the best person to contact to find the best
options for your beloved pet.

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