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".