Around 25 years ago, I started formulating pet food in a time where the entire industry of pet food was in a tangle and was focused on things such as fat and protein content with no regard to ingredients. Since soap and boot leather can make an ideal pet food, with “ideal” percentages, it was obvious that analytical percentages aren’t the only way to conclude the tale of the quality of food for pets. I was at that time that, and I am also now that food products is not more or less than the ingredients of the ingredients it is made up of. Because this idea of ingredients has gained traction in the world of pet food and has been given commercial form that alters and sabotages the fundamental principle of food quality and the proper way to feed. Does health depend on which ingredients a commercial food product has or doesn’t contain? Although it might seem in relation to what I’ve recently said, it’s not. Here’s why pets.
AAFCO Approval
The official publication that is issued annually by the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) offers a broad options for ingredients that can be included in animal food. As I’ve explained in my book The Truth About Pet Foods The approved ingredients include:
Dehydrated Garbag
and dried animal waste products that have been processed
Polyethylene is a roughage substitute (plastic
Hydrolyzed poultry feathers
Hydrolyzed hai
Hydrolyzed leather meal
By-products of poultry hatchery
meat meal tankage
peanut hulls
Ground almond shells
(*Association of American Feed Control Officials, 1998 Official Publication)
The regulatory agency also prohibits the use of a variety of beneficial natural ingredients are readily available to humans like bee pollen L-carnitine, glucosamine, spirulina and many more nutraceuticals. It’s simple to say that the law of nature is not the sole deciding factor in determining what is legal to be included in pet food.
From the point of view of the regulators They operate on the basic nutritional concept that food’s value is based on percents and that there isn’t any particular benefit to a particular ingredient. They do not acknowledge the thousand of research papers showing that the type of ingredient and the quality can make a huge differences in health. They also deny the negative effects of food processing as well as the effects of time, light oxygen, heat, and packaging on the nutritional and health worth.
The 100% Complete Myth
People are becoming more aware to the importance of organic and natural foods. Everybody intuitively understands that the more closely the food is derived from real healthy, fresh and nutritious food, the greater the likelihood that health and wellness will follow. However, many people don’t apply this common sense to food for pets. Instead, they opt for “100% complete” processed food, and sometimes go the extra mile by choosing “super premium” or “natural” brands, thinking that they are doing what could be achieved. They give in to a commercial scheme (100 100% completeness) and let their pets do the same thing they would not do to their own family or themselves and eat the same food at every meal, all day long and out. The food we consume is not “100% complete” because there is no one in the world with all-knowledge of nutrition. This claim is ridiculous. Knowing this basic concept is more crucial than any pet food formula regardless of the quality of the ingredients. Everything else that follows must be based on this idea, i.e., no food should be fed in a continuous manner, regardless of claims about completeness or quality.
Genetics Is The Key
Pets require the food they have biologically adjusted to. It’s all about contextual factors. Like a fish has the water to remain healthy, pets require its natural environment for food for good health. Every creature must adhere to their nature. What is more clear or easy? If you’re a carnivore, the best genetic match is carrion, prey and other fresh plant material and maybe even feathers and fur in addition to some unmentionables discovered in decaying material. It’s not pretty to imagine of that “FiFi” with her pink bow and polished nails would accept such food however, that’s exactly what she was meant to consume. Since it’s her design eating food that is in line with this design (minus the harmful and unneeded elements) is also essential to her well-being.
The Disease Price
It is possible to feed an unpackaged, sterile steam-cleanse dried, farinaceous hunk designed to resemble the pork chop, but don’t fool ourselves. That isn’t the kind of food that pets are designed to eat ….regardless or claim regarding the ingredients listed on the label that make one believe it’s a the best food available in a five-star restaurant. Pets can tolerate this kind of food for a while but ultimately the nature demands to be accountable. The cost is health loss as a result of the susceptibility to infection as well as dental diseases, early ageing as well as obesity and heart and organ disease such as diabetes, cancer as well as arthritis, among other cruel and painful chronic diseases. Since our pets aren’t away from the dangers of nature, where they’d easily succumb to the circumstances and suffer for a long time and suffer, they are confined to our homes that are secure and under medical care from a vet that doesn’t typically cure, but rather treat symptoms and prolongs the duration of suffering. The cause of suffering is the manner in which we feed our pets not the ingredients of the supposed 100 percent all-natural pet food.
The Perfect Food
What’s the solution? It’s easy and something I’ve been preaching for over 25 years. Bring your pet back to its natural roots. They require a daily an activity that is interesting as well as clean air and a chance to play in the natural world and lots of love and food that is as close to the way they’d find it outdoors as they can. Natural, fresh and whole food items that are suitable for carnivores and that are fed in a variety of forms is as good as it is possible to be. Anything less than this is an attempt to compromise. Do your best to compromise the least amount when health is your ultimate goal. (Same concept applies to your family and you.) To make a food item as close as is possible to this goal, you need the proper philosophy of food (described in the previous paragraphs) as well as the know-how in the design and manufacturing of these foods.
Enter The Profiteer
Some of these concepts (often confused or misunderstood) are being embraced by a myriad of entrepreneurs who specialize in pet foods. The trend of low fat has resulted in low fat pet food. The popularity of high fiber resulted in high-fiber pet food. It was the “no corn, wheat or soy” trend led to no wheat, corn or soy pet food. It was the “omega- 3” craze brought about pet food that contained fish oil. In the “variety” craze led to pet foods that claim to provide the best variety. It is believed that the “four food groups” craze has led to the four food groups being combined into a box. This “raw” craze has led to frozen pet food that is raw. The list of options is endless, and the race to earn pet owners’ dollars is at an all-time high.
It is easy to feel empathy for pet owners concerned while they walk through the vast array of foods available in the aisles for pet food. However, with just audio clips and stories they hear from their family member or breeder, vet, or from commercials choice, they choose options that may not benefit the well-being of their pet, but could directly cause weakening immunity and illness.
The first thing that consumers need to be aware of is to consider the ideal diet for pets , as previously mentioned. Any packaged food item, regardless of its claims can ever match the quality of that. The best alternative is to cook at home fresh food. (Contact Wysong for recipes and instructions.) If this isn’t always feasible, then the ingredients should be selected to be closest to the ideal as is possible. (More ideas below.)
Raw Frozen Pet Food Dangers
On first sight, when you consider the ideal model of feeding I’ve described – natural, raw and whole – the most nutritious food could include one of those frozen raw pet foods that are now trying to take advantage of this “raw” craze. It’s a shame the fact that some companies are using my literature and books to convince pet owners that their frozen pet food products are actually on the right track. They use bits and pieces of useful information and alter them into something else that very isn’t the right thing to say and confuses consumers. Additionally the exotic frozen blends made of ingredients with no connection to as well as the conditions of their manufacture and freezing are definitely not economically viable and are not the most appropriate option. Due to the content of water and the condition of the raw material, be completely hazardous.
Human Grade
There are also claims of “USDA approved” ingredients, “human grade” ingredients and ingredients that are bought directly from the meat counter in the supermarket. In the first place and with the superficiality that marketers are known for it might appear that these foods be superior to other ones. But these labels are only creating an impression of quality. The public would not think of that the food animals are made to eat in the wild, whole, raw, prey and carrion as “human grade” or “USDA approved.” Simply because something isn’t “human grade” does not necessarily mean that it isn’t healthy or nutritious. For instance, the viscera of a chicken isn’t “human grade” but carries greater nutritional value than a fresh White chicken breast. Americans believe that chicken feet wouldn’t be suitable for human consumption however many nations in the Far East enjoy the taste. However “human grade” beef steaks given to pets could lead to serious nutritional imbalances and illness when they are fed exclusively. Foods for pets that provide an illusion of high-quality (USDA human grade.) to convince the pet owner to take their pets a specific food is not the way to go about ensuring health.
Pet Nutrition Is Serious Health Science
Pet nutrition isn’t all about advertising and who can earn the most profit quickly. A pet food entrepreneur off the street could go to any of the private label companies and get an entirely new product created. They offer a wide range of formulations in stock that can be tweaked to fit the current market trends. Voila! A brand new pet food brand is born.
Pet food is about nutrition, and it is a major health issue. There is an implicit ethical principle when it comes to marketing products that have the potential to seriously affect the health of a pet. However, this ethic is almost never present in the industry of pet food. Beginning from the 100% guarantee and moving on to the brands driven by fads that fill stores, the health isn’t being provided. Only our organization is teaching the fundamentals that I’m addressing here. Instead, businesses run by people who have no technological or nutritional food processing, or health abilities present themselves for the general public to appear being serious about their health … simply because it is what people want to hear, and that is what people buy. No matter whether the companies comprehend or follow healthy practices. The facade is what sells as is selling the goal. Ingredients are essential, they are however, they are not more important than the knowledge and values of the company that chooses them, and who is responsible for preparing the food, storing them, processing in packaging them. Consumers put a lot of confidence in the fact that these nuggets are not atypically processed and are what they are told they are. A lot of slips can occur between the lip of the cup and the cup. There are many slips that may be made between the commercial claims cup and the food bowl. the mouth of the bowl for pet food.
Consumer Blame
The pet owner is not free of blame in this unjust – constant consumption of processed pet food approach to feeding their pets. They want everything to be simple and affordable. They don’t want to be taught or put in excessive effort, and they’d like something that is easy to base their upon such things as “corn, wheat and soy are evil,” or “USDA approved,” or “human grade” or “organic is good.” They are also looking for something free and believe they can find it through the form of pet food. They want premium quality meats, fresh and organic food items all neatly packaged in an open and easy-to-pour package with a price of 50 cents for a pounds. You could even pay $1 or more if the manufacturer can convince them of the quality of their product or the amount of cancer your pet can develop if they opt for a different brand.
Are By-Products Evil?
In the process of processing human food, there are thousands of tons of waste products which aren’t able to be easily offered to the public. Do they make them ineffective or even less valuable? No. These by-products can include trimmings, viscera bones, organs and gristle, as well as other items that people do not want. Are these perfectly healthy items to be dumped in a garbage dump? Like I said that the resources of Earth decrease and millions of people suffer hunger across the world, should we provide our pets with only “human grade” foods and allow perfectly edible – and often even more nutritious products go to waste? Is that ethical or justified for either the user or the manufacturer?
Road Kill and Euthanized Pets
This change toward “human grade” for pet foods is in part due to a myriad of myths that have gained more powerful legs than they merit. There is a rumor in the market that road kill and euthanized animals can be used as ingredients in food. I haven’t seen the evidence to support this claim , and in the twenty years of looking for ingredient suppliers, I have not found a source of this kind. Yet, the most fantastical myths come to life, and the more incredible they are, the more potential they hold. This is the lazy way of thinking and is the root of all suffering. A lack of thinking about the world in a rational way causes racism, sexism as well as wars and religious persecution. We would like to believe the world is split into good-evil, right-wrong and black-white. Marketers profit from this by creating these sharp distinctions that consumers are able to grasp easily Human grade is good / all other is evil; organic = wrong/right rice is white and corn is wheat is black. These simplistic and uninformed distinctions are simple and quick for salespeople and marketers to make use of to influence the public’s perception. However, no one stepping back and applying common sense would think that something as intricate as health could be derived from what is or is not contained in the food products that are processed. The reality isn’t black or white, it’s in the shades of gray. Grayness demands some understanding of judgment, discernment and judgement prior to making decisions. It’s not easy, but it’s what everyone must do if we want the world ever to become more peaceful and the both pet and human health are improving.