5 Major Myths About Raw Food Diets - Only Natural Pet Store

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Five Major Myths About Raw Food Diets

1. It's Too Expensive – We firmly believe that feeding cheap dog food is a case of being “penny-wise and pound foolish.” A steady diet of cheap commercial dog food is strongly linked to poor canine health, often resulting in costly and hard-to-treat health problems as dogs age. What is really the more cost-effective option? You can spend a bit more for a high quality diet now, or pay dearly later on in terms of vet bills and your dog’s potentially painful and debilitating health problems.

2. Raw Food Is Risky – Generally speaking, the risk of getting sick from eating raw meat doesn’t apply to dogs. As did their ancestors, our canine companions have a shorter GI tract, and produce powerful digestive juices to digest and assimilate raw food and handle any bacteria it may contain. The bacteria that may be present in all raw meats (intended for human or pet consumption) do not usually cause health problems for dogs. In fact, a raw food diet is known to improve the health of most companion animals.

3. It’s All or Nothing – Many people mistakenly believe that feeding raw is an all or nothing deal, but this is not true! If cost or convenience is a challenge, you can choose to feed raw half time, or even just a few times a week. Your dog can benefit greatly from the high-potency nourishment that raw food delivers. Raw food is the natural choice for dogs, and even occasional raw food for your dog can improve their health and longevity.

4. Dogs Don’t Really Like Raw – It’s true that dogs (like us humans) can be creatures of habit, and dogs that turn up their noses at raw food are most likely responding to its “differentness” rather than the nature of the food. Also, dogs that free feed (have 24 hour access to kibble), or those that routinely eat commercial foods laden with artificial taste- and aroma-enhancing ingredients may have lost their natural sense of appetite and instinctive desire for healthy food. Dogs, like people, can get addicted to "junk" food. Given healthier food, many dogs learn to appreciate the vitality a raw diet gives them.

5. It's Too Much of a Hassle – When compared to the convenience of tossing some dry food into a bowl for our dogs, feeding a raw food diet is admittedly a bit more work. But with the convenient portions available in frozen prepared raw food diets, a bit of preparation (i.e., taking the time to transfer food from freezer to fridge to thaw) doesn’t add much to the food prep time. Today’s raw food diets take no more effort than you take handling raw meat to prepare meals for your human family members, and honestly, isn’t your dog worth the extra effort?

Raw Transitioning & Trial Tips

If raw food seems like a good idea, but you worry that your dog won’t take to a raw food diet, read on! The benefits of a raw food diet can be astounding, and if you make the commitment and persevere, your dog can greatly benefit from your efforts. Here are some tips to get you started:

Take Your Time – Incorporating raw food into your dog's diet is a big step, and your dog’s digestive system and palate need time to adjust to the change. Plan to transition your pet over a 2-4 week timeframe, depending on how picky your dog is and the state of their health. Gradually increase the proportions of new to old food so your dog’s system has time to adjust.

Taste Test First – You don’t have to go all out and buy pre-packaged raw dog food from the get-go! Try giving your dog a small bit of raw meat when you are preparing meat for family meals - this can give you an idea of how receptive your dog may be to a raw food diet. Try different meats and see if your dog has a preference. Often a dog that dislikes raw beef will take to raw turkey or chicken.

Whet Your Pet’s Appetite – If your dog is used to free feeding (having dry food left out all day), start by cutting back to two or three meals per day. This is healthier for your dog’s digestive system, and will increase your dog’s appetite - and usually, their willingness to try whatever you put down at meal time. You can also try adding a tasty “topper” to encourage your dog to try something new.

Take Baby Steps – Especially for picky dogs, a change to raw food can be a huge adjustment. Start out slow, and try mixing a bit of raw meat into your dog’s usual canned food or kibble. Many dogs will accept raw food more easily if you warm it up, or even cook it lightly first by pan searing the outside to release the aroma. Over time, you can cook it less until your dog accepts it raw. Keep trying - the results are worth it!

Raw food can enhance your dog’s quality of life and overall health, and help them live a longer life. It’s easy to take our dogs for granted, and investing in a raw food diet is one of the best ways to give back to your dog for all of the love they give you every day.

Judge OKs $24M for cats, dogs sickened by pet food

For those whose pets were affected by the pet food recalls

http://www.komonews.com/news/national/30981739.html

Pet Food Recall - Salmonella - Affecting Pedigree & Others

From BARF WORLD:

Warning: If You Read Nothing Else Read About The Pedigree Recall
On Friday, September 12, 2008 Mars issued a
voluntary nationwide recall of products manufactured
at the Everson, Pennsylvania plant. The 150 brands
involved so far include: Pedigree, Old Roy Dog Food,
Special Kitty Cat Food, Country Acres Cat and Dog
food, Members Mark, Retriever brands, Natural Cat
and Dog Food (Sam's Club), Paws & Claws,
Wegman's Bruiser, Pet Pride, PMI, Red Flannel.


You may not recognize some of these names -
they are private label brands produced for various
supermarkets. For a complete list of all recalled
brands and sizes go to www.petcare.mars.com

The recall is due to potential salmonella
contamination - particularly Salmonella serotype
Schwarzengrund. The press release from Mars alerts
us to the symptoms (for both pets and humans) and
advises us to contact the doctor should we have any
such problems.
DISTURBING FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW
ABOUT THIS RECALL

1. Internally, the company ordered production
stopped at the Everson, PA facility on July 29th, 2008
because they were alerted to a potential and possible
link of two cases of Salmonella Schwarzengrund in
humans. Yet Mars waited until August 08, 2008 (10
days later) to issue only a limited recall for Pedigree
sold in Las Vegas and Southern California. Finally,
on September 12, 2008 - 45 days after production
in the plant was stopped Mars issued a nationwide
recall of 150 brands? Why so long to let the public
know?

2. The recall now involves all products produced
at the Everson PA plant beginning February 18, 2008
until July 29, 2008 when production was halted. Why
February 18, 2008? One could guess that their trace
back leads to contamination found as far back as
February 18, 2008.

3. Salmonella Schwarzengrund Outbreak
Investigation, August 2007. The Center for Disease
Control (CDC) collaborated just a year ago with FDA
and public health officials due to a multistate outbreak
of same salmonella strain and these illnesses were
linked directly to the dry pet food produced at MARS
Everson PA facility
http://cdc.gov/salmonella/schwarzengrund.html

4. The FDA provides guidelines to MARS and all
other pet food manufacturers, which states "... it
expects pet food manufacturers to use sufficient
manufacturing process controls and procedures to
ensure finished products are free of all Salmonella
species and other pathogenic microbes. This
could include having a Hazard Analysis and Critical
Control Point plan in place, sampling finished
product prior to releasing products into commerce
and sampling incoming ingredients for the presence
of Salmonella..."
Assuming Mars follows the guidelines why yet
another recall of the same strain of salmonella from
exactly the same manufacturing facility?

Note: Mars of course assures us that their
products are produced at many facilities
throughout the country and only 2.7 percent of the
total PEDIGREE production came from this plant.
And all the other brands they produce?

5. Who's qualified to answer your questions?
Today I called the hotline at Mars to talk to a
company representative. In the course of the
conversation she assured me that there is no
salmonella in their products but they did find
salmonella Schwartzengrundat the production
facility. That was, I think, supposed to reassure
me. She said that sometimes the byproducts from
animals used in their products contain salmonella
and that might be where it came from.

When I questioned her about the same strain
and product recall a year ago she said she wasn't
aware of it - and sorry, she was new to Mars.

6. Healthy people can become infected with
Salmonella Schwarzengrund. It becomes
particularly dangerous to children, infants, the
elderly and those with compromised immune
systems. Some symptoms include vomiting,
diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, cramps, fever but even
more serious ailments could occur and you should
of course consult your doctor. The most obvious
means of transfer is though handling of food.

YOU BE THE JUDGE

Mars hasn't actually admitted there is
anything wrong with their pet food. The verbiage is
all in the "potential" contamination and "voluntary"
recall lingo. They haven't said how much is
involved yet ...if any. But, they have stopped
production at the plant that had exactly the same
problem one year ago. And they have issued a
nationwide recall. You be the judge - and if you
know anyone feeding these brands be sure to
make them aware of the potential dangers.

Cooking vs Enzymes vs Cancer

This article actually outlines what happens to the food and when. This is from a site that talks about how humans are the only species to cook their food and
the corresponding health issues we have as a result.

http://www.mindfully.org/Food/Cooking-Malnutrition-Cancer2001.htm

It is also worth noting that very successful cancer battling programs (in humans) often involve juicing (read The Cancer Battle Plan). Taking raw veggies, putting them through an extractor and drinking the juice to pack in more veggie servings in a day than we could fit if we also ate all that fiber.

The enzymes from raw veggies and juices destroy the protective coating that exists around cancer cells (which fools our bodies into thinking these cells are normal so that they get fed and grow/multiply). Once the protective coating is stripped away, the body can fight them and destroy them. Some enzymes are more effective against certain types of cancer, but the more variety we get, the more tools we give our body to build optimum health, not to mention the other side benefits of vitamins, etc.

Carnivores don't process veggies well, their digestive tract is too short for them to sit there and break down properly. Freezing/thawing and pulverizing helps because these methods help break down the cell walls. Veggies aren't going to do them any harm, but most of them will pass through undigested if eating a raw diet.
If eating a kibble, they might get digested better because kibble is harder for the canine to digest, thus keeping it in the digestive tract longer.

Raw meat, organs and bones are the most easily digested forms of food they can get. And the enzymes are still intact, helping the body quickly break down the food and absorb a much higher percent than with baked food.

For those who have a strong aversion to feeding raw, then adding a bit of appropriate enzymes to help the system more easily process other types of food is very helpful for long-term health.

Here is a b-naturals newsletter on changing diets which covers advice and links for commercial kibble, home-cooked and raw diets:
http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/changing-diets/

Difference between probiotics and enzymes:
http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/enzymes-and-probiotics/

And she has many more articles in her newsletter section.

So if you take nothing else from this, remember that natural enzymes help fight cancer. This is one of the reasons that carnivores thrive on this type of diet, although there are exceptions to every rule.

String of Illnesses Affects Nutro-fed Pets

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2008/04/pet_food_recalls93.html

String of Illnesses Afflicts NUTRO-Fed Pets
Company insists its food is '100% safe'

By Lisa Wade McCormick
ConsumerAffairs.com


April 18, 2008
• RECALL LIST
• Consumer Complaints
---
A worrisome health trend among dogs and cats across the country has surfaced in the past few months. Scores of pets from California to South Carolina have experienced sudden and recurring bouts of diarrhea, vomiting, and other digestive problems.

Through an examination of reports submitted by readers, ConsumerAffairs.com has uncovered a common link among these pets: They all ate the same brand of food: NUTRO pet food.

In all of the cases we've examined, the animals' conditions improved once their owners switched them to another brand of food.

"I've been feeding my chocolate Lab, Indy, NUTRO for almost four years," said Laura F. of Las Vegas, Nevada. "He's always been happy, healthy, and big. Recently I switched him to NUTRO (Natural Choice) Lite at my vet's request. Three weeks ago, he started vomiting uncontrollably."

Laura said her veterinarian initially thought Indy had pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas. The vet prescribed some medication and Indy's condition gradually improved.

"Now, three weeks later, he started vomiting again," she said, adding she continued to feed her dog NUTRO. "He's now lost about 8 pounds in three weeks and is weak and lethargic.

"The vet believes -- as do I -- that it is the food," she said.

Laura switched brands of dog food and Indy's health improved. After a while, Laura tried mixing in the NUTRO with the new food. But that turned out to be a bad idea.

"The vomiting started again," Laura said. "I also noticed that he only ate about half his food and was actually dropping the NUTRO out and trying to only eat the Science Diet. I think even my dog knows there is something wrong with the NUTRO food.

"I will never feed any of my pets NUTRO again."

Similar stories
We've heard similar stories and sentiment from scores of pet owners nationwide -- many of whom are loyal NUTRO customers. We've also heard from a pet store employee, who noticed these same digestive problems with her clients' pets that ate NUTRO products.

A pet owner in South Carolina told us that she found foreign objects in her last few bags of NUTRO foods.

And a disabled woman in California said all these pets' health problems have given her a horrible sense of déjà vu. Her service dog, she said, experienced these same digestive problems a few years ago – after eating NUTRO food.

"I would not venture to give any pet one nugget of NUTRO food after what my dog went through," said Maggie D. of San Francisco.

NUTRO responds
NUTRO, however, defended its products.

A spokeswoman told us she is unaware of any substantiated medical problems like these linked to her company's pet food.

Many NUTRO customers also tout the food, saying it's an excellent product. Veterinarians told ConsumerAffairs.com that many factors can cause gastrointestinal problems in dogs and cats, including changes in diet, newly-developed sensitivities to pet food, or viral infections.

But scores of pet owners who've contacted us are convinced that something is now wrong with NUTRO's food.

They're pet owners like Lynn C. of Cabot, Arkansas.

"I've used NUTRO for years and never had any problems," she told us. "But my 10-year-old border collie, Boo, became sick six weeks ago. He was lethargic, lost weight, and when evaluated by a veterinarian, his liver enzymes were critical. They were elevated…off the chart. My vet said we've got to do something.

"She put him on antibiotics and a strong amino acid, but he continued to deteriorate."

A week into Boo's treatment, a co-worker told Lynn about problems she'd read about regarding NUTRO's pet food.

"I had never dreamed it could be the food," she said. "I'm feeding all four of my dogs the food, so why all of the sudden would it affect Boo? The other three are still thriving. But they're younger—and he's the smallest dog."

Lynn did some digging and found the complaints filed by pet owners on ConsumerAffairs.com.

"I was shocked at the information that I found on NUTRO," she said. "I faxed pages and pages of this information to my veterinarian, who became alarmed and told me to stop feeding him the NUTRO."

Within days, Boo's condition improved.

"He started acting like he felt better," Lynn said. "It's amazing. He wasn't responding until I took him off the NUTRO food. Within a week, he had regained two pounds, and after two weeks, his liver enzymes were still high, but improving.

"I cannot explain why this happened all of the sudden since Boo has been eating this food for years. But I know my dog and I know it was the food."

Another pet owner in the small town of Cabot, Arkansas, who shows Westies, said her dogs experienced the same problems with NUTRO's food.

"I started using NUTRO Natural Choice for my show dogs last fall," said Judy Y., who has fed dogs NUTRO on and off for years. "With the last two bags my dogs started to lose weight and their stools were extremely soft. One litter had constant diarrhea. They were losing weight, their coats were not in the condition they should be. And after they ate, they would suck up water like they hadn't had any all day.

"The only dog I wasn't having problems with was the old dog that can only eat raw meat, no dog food at all."

Judy also noticed that one of her puppies wasn't growing.

"She was growing fine until I put her on NUTRO," Judy said. "And then it was like she just stopped growing. She looked like she had been starved and her coat looked real bad."

Judy's vet examined the dogs -- and their stools -- and didn't find any problems.

"So I said the heck with the commercial dog food and I started feeding all my dogs raw food," Judy said. "They've all bounced back. They have all gained weight and their hair is growing again."

The only exception is the puppy that had growth problems.

"My puppy is 10 months old now and her growth seems to be stunted," Judy said. "I have never had this happen in the 40 years I have been showing and breeding dogs. I'm not sure this show quality puppy will now get big enough to show or breed. It is so heart breaking to see such a good quality dog not live up to her potential because of a dog food."

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There is more to the article at the above link.

History of Pet Food