In response to this situation, we began collecting and analyzing
the ingredients, labeling and marketing literature of brand-name dog foods to
highlight the widespread lack of quality and safety of these commercially
prepared foods. The results of this analysis are quite alarming, even
downright disgusting! They take all of the stuff that is not fit for human
consumption, including animal “by-products”, things like hooves, organs,
stomachs and bowels...with the contents still in them, sick and diseased
animals, even road kill and euthanized dogs and cats in some documented cases.
Then they mix in the refuse from vegetable and grain processing. Stuff like
ground corncobs, stalks and husks, rotten and spoiled vegetables and moldy,
fungus riddled grains. Then they mix it together, package it up, stick
fancy labeling on it and sell it as dog food.
With a few rare exceptions, the commercial dog food
manufacturers seem to be more concerned about their profit margins than they
are about the health of their customers’ pets. This leads to a strong
temptation to “cut corners” by using cheaper, less nutritious ingredients, less
than optimal processing techniques and unsafe or unhealthy chemicals to
reduce the preparation time or increase the shelf-life of their products.
Dog Food Labeling
A better understanding of the labeling of commercially
prepared dog food probably won’t help make you feel any better about feeding
your Chihuahua a commercial product and instead may just convince you that the
only real way to know what you’re feeding your pet is to make your own. To
understand the controversy that has been swirling around this industry for
decades, however, you first must have a clear understanding of the current
regulations regarding labeling of commercial pet foods. As consumers, we
naturally assume that the products we purchase either for our own consumption
or for that of our Chihuahuas are safe and have been rigorously tested. The
recent recall tells us differently. Although the Food and Drug Administration
does require proper identification of commercially prepared dog food products,
a net quantity statement, and a proper listing of the ingredients - that’s all
it requires. In other words, the government doesn’t care what goes in the
product as long as the manufacturer tells you what it is. And the terms used
in the descriptions, like “animal by-products” for instance, don’t even have to
be clearly defined.
Some states, however, do have additional regulations of
their own and the majority of these are based on information and models
provided by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). In
fact, many commercially prepared dog foods will use the so-called “stringent”
testing controls required by the AAFCO to validate their products. You may be
interested to know however, that these controls are minimal. To meet AAFCO’s
requirements, a product either has to meet the nutritional guidelines it sets
forth or pass a food trial. These trials, however, are not nearly as
scientific as one might expect.
Dog Food Testing
For example, in the book,
Official Publication, 1994,
Association of the American Feed Control Officials Incorporated, “The
Testing Protocols for Providing an Unqualified Representation of Nutritional
Adequacy for Dog or Cat Food” require that only a minimum of 8 dogs be
participants in the test. The testing period has to run for a minimum of six
months. The protocols also require that while at the start of the test, dogs must
be of normal weight and health and if they don’t lose more than 15% of their
original body weight, don’t die or aren’t removed from the test because of
nutritional causes, the product being tested meets the requirements of the
AAFCO. At least 6 of 8 dogs must complete the test. This governing body does
not require that manufacturers test different breeds and blood tests taken at
the beginning and the end of the test period screen only for four different
values; including red blood count, hemoglobin, serum albumin and packed cell
volume. Even a basic blood test run by your veterinarian should screen for at
least 25 values.
Now we have to admit that if a dog food brand touted the
fact that it had passed the stringent testing requirements of the AAFCO - we
might have felt that the product was safe for our Chihuahuas. After reading
the definition of these “stringent requirements”, however, we do not agree that
because only 6 of 8 dogs tested didn’t die or lose more than 15% of their body
weight, that this product should be deemed safe. Another problem associated
with the AAFCO’s recommendations involves its requirements for a product to be
labeled “complete and balanced for all breeds.” As pet owners reading this
label, we’re led to believe that the product meets all the nutritional
requirements of our particular breed of dog. It’s insane to think, however,
that a Chihuahua has the same nutritional requirements as a Great Dane. While
the AAFCO does identify different nutritional requirements for puppies and
adult dogs, the fact that it doesn’t distinguish between different breeds is a
problem. In addition, most malnutrition problems wouldn’t even show up until
well after the six month trial period is over.
Although the AAFCO does provide a little regulation over the
industry, the truth of the matter is - commercially prepared dog food is not
subject to quality control. While competition and media scrutiny
within the industry has helped drive the overall quality upward, if you don’t
know exactly what it is you’re buying, you may be taking a big risk with your
pet’s health. According to the AAFCO guidelines, any product that lists a type
of meat in its name must contain at least 95% of that particular type of meat
minus the water needed for processing. This holds true for beef, chicken, fish
and lamb. If a product is classified as a “dinner”, “platter” or “entrée”, the
requirement for the percentage of that ingredient drops to a minimum of
25%.
A product label that uses the word “with” on the other hand must contain only
3%
of the named ingredient. Flavored products only have to contain enough of the
ingredient to be detectable.
Other items you’ll see on a label include a guaranteed
analysis, a nutritionally adequate statement and feeding directions. The
guaranteed analysis simply states that the food meets the minimum percentages
of crude protein and fat and the maximum percentages of crude moisture and
fiber. It will not tell you exactly how much is in the product but rather,
will state “no less or no more than x%”. The x being the guideline set forth
by the AAFCO. The problem here is that if the crude protein content minimum is
9%, you have no way of knowing if the actual content is 9% or 50%. The same
holds true for moisture (or water). If the maximum is 78% - you have no way of
knowing if the product is actually 77% water or 10% water.
A product that is advertised as complete will also need a
nutritionally adequate statement which simply says no supplemental feeding is
required. If the product does not meet the requirements of being 100%
nutritious, it must indicate that supplemental feeding is required.
In the same vein, the feeding directions provided by the
manufacturer take into account only the dog’s weight. No suggestions are
provided based on the age, breed or activity level of your particular pet.
It’s also interesting to note that the caloric content of a particular product,
which is the best way to determine how much of particular dog food your pet
needs, is not a required component of the dog food label. Although the AFFCO
encourages the voluntary listing of calories, few manufacturers have stepped up
to the plate and added it to their labels.
As you can see, the labels currently being used on
commercial brands of dog food are about as clear as mud and have nothing to do
with whether or not a product is safe for your pet. The inclusion of
artificial preservatives in these products is another red flag. Regulations
again, only require that the preservatives are listed, not that they’ve been
proven safe for your pet. Many of these ingredients including; BHA, BHT, and
ethoxyquin have been linked to liver and kidney dysfunction as well as allergic
reactions, organ failure and skin problems in dogs. Another ingredient that is
common in many commercial brands of pet food is Menadione Sodium Bisulfate
which is simply an artificial form of Vitamin K. Although some pet food
manufacturers will argue that the natural form of this vitamin is unstable and
yet dogs need it to promote blood clotting and possibly bone health in older
dogs, it has been banned by the FDA for use in products for human consumption.
In dogs, Menadione Sodium Bisulfate has been linked to allergic reactions,
eczema, hemolytic anemia, jaundice, weakened immune systems, liver cell
cytotoxicity, and irritation of the mucous membranes and skin. This synthetic
may also damage the natural Vitamin K cycle and can be toxic in high doses.
So… now what? As a responsible Chihuahua owner, the lesson
you need to take from this chapter is that you simply cannot trust that just
because a pet food is available to you commercially it’s a safe choice for your
pet. Can you still feed commercially prepared foods? The answer is yes, but
with extreme caution.
Choosing a Commercial Dog Food Product
When choosing a commercial product that is actually safe and
nutritious for your pet, you’ll want to pay close attention to the first
ingredient on the label. Since ingredients are listed on the label from the
highest to the lowest percentage, choose a product that lists a type of protein
such as Beef or Chicken as the first ingredient. Avoid generics such as meat
and/or poultry and concentrate on those that say Lamb, Beef, Chicken or Turkey, for example. The listing of an ingredient, however, does not take into account
it‘s quality. Just because beef is the first ingredient, you should not assume
that the beef is the type of beef you would consume. In fact, very few dog
food products even use human grade beef. Human grade beef must meet the
standards set by the FDA for human consumption.
Pet owners should also avoid by-products at all cost. They
can include parts that may or may not be digestible such as feet, hooves,
bones, blood, fatty tissue, intestines, claws and even feathers. Another thing
that most dog owners don’t know about their commercial brand is that the
ingredients can vary in each bag. The regulations require that the ingredients
are listed accurately on the label but do not require that the end result is
the same for every bag. If the market for the ingredients fluctuates, many
commercial dog food manufacturers will adjust their ingredients to take
advantage of current prices. Since many dogs cannot tolerate changes in their
diets, this can cause problems. Keeping a few labels to compare against each
other will tell you whether or not this is a practice of the manufacturer of
your brand of dog food.
Gregg Dickson, co-founder of The Chihuahua Fanatics Club at
www.ChihuahuaFanatics.com
has developed an online community; a place where people who
care
for Chihuahuas can join together to share insights, information and
Chihuahua pet care tips.
