What's In Your Pet's Food?

Level 1 foods contain no common food allergens and are highly digestible. Typically, they contain added probiotics, though this feature is not a requirement.

Probiotics are beneficial living bacteria (as in yogurt), which are added after the cooking process too aid in digestion. They provide the meat carnivores need without the Byproducts commonly found in other commercial foods. PET DEPOT retail establishments are committed to providing customers with a variety of Level 1 food brands. (For a complete listing of Level 1 foods, please visit www.whole-dog-journal.com)

Level 2 foods contain no common food allergens or byproducts, but they are not as digestible as a Level 1 foods. This May contain extra grain sources but will not include brewers rice. We have a great selection of Level 2 foods at value pricing.

Level 3 foods contain one or two possible food allergens, but they are still moderately digestible.

Level 4 foods should be avoided! They may contain by-products, a substantial amount of potential food allergens, and preservatives, which may contain artificial binding agents that harden stools.

Level 5 foods should be permanently avoided, at all costs! These foods can cause long-term harm to animals and may reduce your pet’s life span. Also, these foods meet minimum AAFCO requirements. Lookout for the packaging of these brands; often, it is flashy and subtly misleading. Level 5 foods generally use ultra-poor protein sources (e.g. dead, dying, diseased, disabled), contain many food allergens, use preservatives, and may add unnecessary amounts of sugar, salt and artificial colors. Additionally, Level 5 foods may contain Meat Meal/ Bone Meal and make use of Propylene glycol.

The raw diet, of course! There are many anatomical and physical differences between humans and their pets. A dog or cat has a much higher ability to tolerate, neutralize and digest raw meat than humans do. Bacteria that would make humans deathly ill do not have the same effect on pets. As carnivores, dog and cat bodies are designed to eat and process raw meat. Carnivores also produce digestive enzymes in their stomachs, which are highly acidic and give them the ability to digest raw meat and even bones. The real danger comes from commercial pet food. Some common symptoms include diarrhea, increased flatulence, dull hair coat, intermittent vomiting or dry scratchy skin.

Rendering and denaturing are processes used to prepare meat/bone meals. To prevent condemned meat from being used for human consumption, government regulations require meat to be denatured, before removal to the slaughter house. The denatured carcasses and other waste can then be sent to a rendering facility.

The two mixtures most frequently used to denature meat are Carbolic acid (a phenol and potentially corrosive disinfectant) and Creosotes (used to preserve wood or as a disinfectant). Phenols are derived from the distillation of coal tar, while Creosotes are derived from the distillation of wood. Both substances are very toxic.

Creosotes were used for many years as a preservative for wood power poles. Its effect on the environment proved to be so negative that it is no longer used for that purpose. According to federal meat inspection regulations, fuel oil, kerosene, crude carbolic acid, and citronella are the approved denaturing materials.

While some may argue denaturing and rendering effectively sterilize condemned meat, it is important to note that harmful chemicals can survive the rendering process. Sodium pentobarbital, used by vets to put animals to sleep, was discovered to survive rendering without undergoing degradation, in a University of Minnesota experimental study. Although the study concluded that the residue amount of the chemical would be too small to cause problems, studies documenting the cumulative effect of the residue over a certain period of time are virtually non-existent. You are providing a chemical feast to your pet when you feed him/her meat/bone meal. DO NOT feed your pet anything you would not eat yourself.

The most common condition to treat in pets is skin allergies. The professional approach to these problems is to treat the symptoms: the persistent scratching, inflamed skin, loss of hair, etc. To accomplish this end, the vet will administer steroids, antibiotics, tranquilizers, and antihistamines. The administration of these drugs will usually give temporary relief, but prolonged use can create other more serious problems such as Cushing’s syndrome, Addison’s disease, liver and kidney disease. More over, these methods do not address the causes of allergies. There is a long list of possible causes for skin allergies in both dogs and cats; however, upon examination of pet diets, one may find that there is a significant correlation between diet and allergies.

According to veterinary allergists, animal protein can be an allergen. One of the most common protein allergen problems is caused by beef consumption. The animal protein dogs seem to do well on is lamb, venison, duck and trout. To determine the substances to which our pets are allergic, a series of allergy tests can be administered. Some patients, when tested will test positive for nearly every substance tested for. This is an indication that these animals are immunologically deficient, which means these animals have no defense against those specific agents or allergens.

The easiest way to boost your pet’s health is to give him/her a multi-vitamin! Similar to humans, a daily multi-vitamin is very helpful for dogs and cats. Antioxidants, Vitamins E and A, and Selenium, in appropriate proportions will aid in the prevention of adrenal gland cell oxidation and help to regenerate new ones. These vitamins and minerals assist in the production of vital hormones.