Careful what you feed your best friend...

[Jim Goose]

A few yrs back i had to put down my kelpie cross (Jess).
She was diagnosed with a neurological disorder and possible brain tumour.
Her back legs stopped working and she suffered fits.

She was fed a mix of dry dog food and dog meat rolls.
Beginning to wonder now after reading this:

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/q...-1226095928053

Pet food laced with dangerously high levels of sulphur dioxode, tests reveal

David Murray
From: The Sunday Mail (Qld)
July 17, 2011 12:00AM
57 comments




SOME pet food is being laced with high levels of a preservative that can trigger severe neurological conditions in cats and dogs, Sunday Mail tests reveal.

Companies are allowed to use the preservative, sulphur dioxide, in pet meat products with impunity because there are no rules about labelling or how much can be added.

One product tested by The Sunday Mail last week had 435 times the sulphur dioxide level claimed on the packet, while others included the preservative without any mention.

"The problem is because often it is the cheapest thing you can get to feed an animal, ill-informed people or pensioners feed that," University of Sydney veterinary specialist Professor Richard Malik said yesterday.

After being alerted to the test results by The Sunday Mail, one major supplier to Coles and Woolworths withdrew its website claims about the preservative.

The results come as a wider debate rages over whether pets are being harmed by an exclusive diet of canned and dry food.

Clinical studies over the past two decades have proven that sulphur dioxide can destroy Vitamin B (thiamine) levels in food, which is essential to animal health.

Scientists have warned that thiamine deficiency can cause neurological breakdown in cats and dogs.

The RSPCA has been pushing for new laws to ensure there is enough thiamine in pet food and last week said it was alarmed at The Sunday Mail's test results.

"If you want to feed your pet raw meat, our recommendation is to use human-grade products until we have adequate safeguards," scientific officer Dr Jade Norris said.

Vet and nutritional expert Linda Fleeman treated a cat for thiamine deficiency at her Victorian clinic in April.

"It happens very suddenly and is extremely severe. They get neurological signs that are over a very short period of time," Dr Fleeman said. "It may appear that the animal has a brain tumour or other neurological condition."

Confusing symptoms could lead owners to have their pets put down unnecessarily, she said.

A new Australian Standard requires that pet food has adequate thiamine but the voluntary system does not apply to fresh pet meat.

Sulphur dioxide is used in red wine and dried fruits but in pet food can cause illness when the animal's entire diet consists of products high in sulphur dioxide with no thiamine added.

The Sunday Mail last week bought 10 products, selected at random, from Woolworths, Coles and a pet store chain and passed them to Biotech Laboratories for testing.

VIP Pet Foods Supreme Steak Mince for Dogs had the highest sulphur dioxide level at 1140mg/kg. Published research says a level of 1000mg/kg depletes thiamine levels in pets by 95 per cent.

Paws Fresh Roo Mince for dogs and cats - part of the VIP group - had a level of 870mg/kg, despite the brand's website claiming it "keeps sulphur dioxide at a minimum, at just 2mg/kg".

The brand withdrew the website claim after being contacted by The Sunday Mail and said it accepted consumers could have been "confused".

VIP's Supreme Steak Mince for Dogs and Gourmet Fresh Mince for cats did not mention preservatives on their packs. The company says all its packaging will have a preservative statement by the end of next month.

A VIP company spokesman said extra thiamine was added to all its products to make up for any lost through the use of sulphur dioxide. He said VIP conducts regular tests which show the thiamine levels in their products meets or exceeds international standards.

"The sulphur dioxide we use is a food-grade product; it's no different to what you'd consume in wine," he said.

Pet Cafe Fresh Meal for cats, manufactured by Sydney Pet Foods, had a level of 715mg/kg. A Sydney Pet Foods spokesman said levels were safe, however the company would soon sell products free of preservatives after developing a process where sulphur dioxide was not needed.

Vet Dr Bruce Syme from Vet's All Natural helped develop the product some years ago and continued to receive a "small royalty" but his company withdrew its endorsement after being told of the test result last week.

"I don't know if that's safe, unsafe or not an issue, but we don't have preservatives in our pet foods," said Vet's All Natural managing director Andrew Gleeson.

A spokesman for Coles said the company would contact manufacturers of the pet food it stocks to "have them verify that their products are appropriate for sale".

"The Coles product you've tested contains appropriate and safe levels of sulphur dioxide and is fortified to counter the effect of the sulphur dioxide on thiamine," the spokesman said.

"There is no current Australian standard for pet food so we follow the American one."

Woolworths has begun running its own tests on a range of pet food it stocks, including its own brand. All products will remain on the shelves until testing is finished.



Fresh proves best for guide dogs

TWO years ago Guide Dogs Queensland ditched commercial dry food and began feeding its colony of roughly 200 dogs a blend of fresh raw ingredients.

A plague of health issues persuaded chief executive Chris Laine that change was needed, and since then she says there have been some remarkable results.

Healthcare costs have dropped 82 per cent, despite the colony expanding. Serious skin and digestive issues have all but vanished and healthier teeth and gums have been observed, along with reduced body odour and fresher breath.

The switch is all the more notable because the group, a registered charity stretched for funds, was offered free dry food if it endorsed a brand.

The organisation had asked a question that affects millions of Australians - what's the best food for our four-legged friends? The issue is at the centre of a fierce debate among pet owners, vets, animal welfare campaigners and manufacturers.

All-natural advocates say an exclusive diet of some processed products is harming our dogs and cats. Supporters of manufactured products counter they are the best way of ensuring a complete, balanced and safe diet.

But Guide Dogs Queensland, like a growing band of owners, stopped and asked what exactly they were putting in their animals' food bowls.

They found the dry food they were using was loaded with carbohydrates, which vets such as University of Sydney expert Richard Malik say is against the natural order of things for dogs and cats.

"It's a common sense thing. If you think about what they eat in the wild, both dogs and cats are carnivores, they kill animals and they eat them," Dr Malik said.

It was important to feed animals "things that need chewing, that have got a lot of protein and don't have too much carbohydrate in them . . . which meant going to the butcher".

"In my opinion there are enormous health benefits to feeding natural food for half the diet," Dr Malik said.

The pet food industry is almost entirely self-regulated, leaving animal owners to rely on manufacturers doing the right thing as far as maintaining healthy standards.

But owner faith has been shaken by product recalls in recent years, including concerns about products sold exclusively in the US.

John Aird, from the Pet Food Industry Association of Australia, said these practices don't occur here and he does not see a major challenge from the "raw" pet food movement.

Guide Dogs Queensland is now selling its blend of pet food to the public as mince patties called "Leading Raw".

[SEZ213]

I saw this on the front page of the paper today, but I didn't fully read the article...Our dogs tend to eat our mince...which is probably not real good for them either...dry food is taken out of the bag and put in a storage container, so I don't have the packaging...but I think I'll be checking the Royal Canine website and seeing exactly what's in it...

And given my parents retriever is starting to get a little 'lost'...it might be a good idea to look into what they're feeding her as well.

Thanks Jim, it's appreciated.

[Adamz Ghia]

I have a 9 month old kelpie, I have only ever fed him fresh raw meat and freah fruit and veg. His teeth are the whitest I have seen on a dog and gums are a healthy pink, and he currently weighs 26 kilos of lean muscle. People often question why I feed him this way, I'll make sure to direct them to this article.

[StrokedXT]

My boys get about 5-6 cups of dry food, 5-6 chicken wings, carrots and peas every day. Every few days add some eggs, natural yoghurt and cheese.

[galaxy xr8]

Originally Posted by StrokedXT

My boys get about 5-6 cups of dry food, 5-6 chicken wings, carrots and peas every day. Every few days add some eggs, natural yoghurt and cheese.

I hope they are raw chicken wing's ? you shouldn't feed a dog cooked bones.



My dog's only eat organic chicken cooked with the skin off /organic lamb and any organic roast meet we have and we feed them Holistic select dry dog food, one is 16 and still run's ring's around the younger 10 yr old.

[StrokedXT]

Yeah everything they get is raw, unless they steal it while I'm cooking a barbie

[Spudz27]

Originally Posted by StrokedXT

My boys get about 5-6 cups of dry food, 5-6 chicken wings, carrots and peas every day. Every few days add some eggs, natural yoghurt and cheese.

I will ask my sister (vet science student) but I thought dairy was a no no?

[SEZ213]

Originally Posted by Spudz27

I will ask my sister (vet science student) but I thought dairy was a no no?

Some dogs can, some dogs can't...common misconception that all dogs are lactose intolerant...one of ours can eat it no probs, the other gets crook if his diet is even minutely changed...

Yoghurt is really good for them though, particularly if they've got skin conditions, etc. (there's a couple of products on the market that actually have yoghurt in them, but their name escapes me...the dogs skin cleared up, but he will cause the evacuation of our house in the process...)

Onion, chocolate and some others are big no no's...along with macadamia nuts apparently...(which could explain why one of our staffies is crazier than the average, silly little bugger cracks the fallen shells with his teeth and chews them, along with whole coconuts)...

[irish2]

Originally Posted by Adamz Ghia

I have a 9 month old kelpie, I have only ever fed him fresh raw meat and freah fruit and veg. His teeth are the whitest I have seen on a dog and gums are a healthy pink, and he currently weighs 26 kilos of lean muscle. People often question why I feed him this way, I'll make sure to direct them to this article.

This.

In nature dogs would eat raw meat, and bone. The other nutrients they require would come from eating stomach contents, and liver. Fresh food whether it be for human or pets it always a good idea.

[sgt_doofey]

Natural Yoghurt is different to the other ones, isn't it? We used to feed our puppy natural yoghurt when we first got him along with the puppy milk. That was the advice from the breeder.

Hmmm, might have to do some research now as we recently swapped to these types of products for our two dogs. Might have to swap to beef mince instead.

[zdcol71]

Mine eats whatever he is given, and thats a fair menu..... Eggs, mullet , pasta, milk, chocolate, cream,chicken(necks, carcasses,),all the leftovers, even gets the warm dregs from a stubbie... I think we look a bit too far into pets diets, just as we probably look a bit too far in to our own,....everything in moderation and we're probably doing ok. (although he has never had a can of dog food in his life)
PS...Sezzy, mine is nuts for pastachios, cashews...any nuts

[mad-xa]

i used to feed my dog raw pet mince but he came down with pancretitis cost me $1500 for treatment and they told me that itwas a mass on his pancreas and wanted to do surgery i refused and took him home when he got home he went out and had a big dump and was almost instantly back to normal so i reackon they misread the x-ray ,but also i find if you buy the cheap dog rolls they fart the house down,so we spend a fair bit and get good quality roo mince and cook it...

[uranium_death]

We were told to basically avoid the mass-produced dry-food for cats as they offer little, they dehydrate and cause many issues in the urinary system...

[Geez Louise]

We cook our dogs a diet of Roo Meat or chicken mince, vegetables, rice and with a bit of garlic. They love it!

I spend more time preparing their food than I do on the families dinner sometimes...

[StrokedXT]

Why cook the meat?

[Geez Louise]

I cook the meat to kill off any harmful bacteria that may be present. I don't know how the meat has been prepared so therefore cooking it ensures it is safe for my kids (my dogs) to eat.

[Adamz Ghia]

The lady I bought Ed (the Kelpie) from said meat should be served raw as cooking the meat kills the enzymes (spelling???) that breaks down the meat and helps them digest it better, and kills off other nutrients. I asked the same thing about bacteria and she said dogs stomachs are more resistant to them.

I'm not saying anyones way is wrong, if your dog is healthy and happy then there's no problem, but I agree with the article. They are a wild animal, so should eat as close to a wild diet as possible.

A treat for mine is a banana, and with the prices of them these days I have to be in a good mood for him to get one, or apples, strawberries and pears. In summer I mash up fruit and mix it with water and freeze it into a giant ice block and he'll spend the day sitting there and licking it. Grapes are toxic to them, but mine has a big liking to them, cannot leave grapes around the house othjerwise he'll find them and demolish them...

[Iggypoppin']

Eggs are a really good food for dogs, we used to whip 3 into a small amount of milk and give it to our old whippet cross Barry. His coat was always very glossy and smooth; this is what the eggs do.
A pigs ear every now and then was good too, kept his teeth good.

[sgt_doofey]

Eggs and fish are good for them - particularly Tuna and Salmon. Make sure it's the boneless fish though.
Our kids get them for treats in their meals every now and then.

[benoxr]

yeah thanks for that article JIm Goose.
I've had doubt on the processed food for years and the special dry food Ive been buying from the Vet or Supercoat Sensitive is just costing way too much. I used to feed both my dogs on cooked chicken mince (human food - chicken breasts) rice and peas but 2 of the 3 vets at our local vet told me to get them off that diet as it should only be used for a short period. I have to agree because their stools returned to normal once they went off that diet.
Might have to check out the Guide Dogs QLD website to see what they are doing but it gets hard because one of my dogs has pancreatitis. Heaps of different opinions on the net but you just dont know who is telling the truth.

[anolade]

yeah we don't feed the dogs on the rubbish meat rolls unless we not able to feed them ourself if we skip out for weekenders.
always brought roo lamb beef minces.
our dogs past present get raw mince dry dog food food scraps and goat shoulders.
when we did breed dogs pups use to get weetbix and milk for breakfast then mince and gravy for tea sometimes they ate better then us

[RepSpec]

why not just buy a better quality of pet food?

i buy advance dry and wet for my dog and while expensive, its the best on the market. Dont really have time to prepare mince, veg ect. open a can and some dry food keeps her going.

[GT]

I have been breeding , showing and feeding top dogs for nearly 20 years and after the first 10 years with some dreadful and varied health issues and started looking closely at the grass roots care.

Diet is the most important thing in animal husbandry and since I realised this we have been clear of associated health problems. I feed a BARF diet and also add Olive Oil once a week and daily apple cider vinegar plus fish oil. I regularly get calls from people with skin and allergy issues in their pets and easily fix these with a simple change of diet.

Get rid of all processed and dried foods. Do not feed dehydrated pigs ears etc (I feed apples, pears and carrots as treats) and stick to a BARF diet that is BALANCED. A couple of times a week give them fresh meaty bones. This is very difficult to achieve a balanced diet accurately, messy to prepare yourself and time consuming so use a brand that is licensed and accountable. I strongly recommend only 2 brands which I have used.

1.Ian Billinghursts BARF raw diet (completely natural, aussie made (he is a Sydney Vet) and now widely available. He is very anti the big manufacturers that initially supported his business with sick animals that were being poisoned with their food. Good read so Google his website.

2. K9 Natural - a fairly new product to Australia and made in NZ. Doing very well now all over the world. Smells awesome!

Do your dogs and cats a favour - the difference is just amazing and will probably add years to their lives. NOTE - dog and cat diets should ALWAYS be raw. Watch a bit more animal planet and see how creatures in the wild live. Our pets are not that far from this state.

Gaela

[stang65]

We buy any reduced mince form safeway/cples/butcher and just make a bolognaise with pasta . We freeze it and defrost a 1kg tub each day. Also he gets turkey legs raw as well as chicken carcasses. But word of warning raw poultry will make him FART.

[Bobman]

Never buy cheap and nasty stuff for your pets. Some people just buy home brand stuff or other nasty foods because they think "they're just animals".

Some people shouldn't be allowed to own pets.