I've blogged quite a bit about the problems with pet food. Number one problem is you need a biologically appropriate diet...which for cats means MEAT, not grains or fruits or veges. Any vet will tell you this, but then they may turn around and sell you 'cat food' that is the complete opposite and full of non-meat products. So this is why we need to be educated. The second problem is the quality of ingredients in commercial pet foods. It's not just that they are poor quality, it is the fact that ingredients are actual refuse (rubbish) and not fit for human food manufacturing. Plus, things that aren't even food - like plastic - are permitted as ingredients. And yes, I've talked about all of this before, with sources, and I have even mentioned that grains that are rejected as fit for humans are permitted in pet food. These grains can be mouldy, with moulds that produce toxins as part of their metabolism. These toxins SURVIVE the high heat processing, and are not tested for. So once again, we really need to feed MEAT NOT GRAINS.
Today I came across an even more interesting angle on the mouldy grains thing. Apparently the problem is compounded with Genetically Modified crops, as the pesticide that is used on such crops causes increased growth of such moulds. Oh, and by the way, such moulds are of concern for the human population, as they cause cancer.
Interestingly, the Dr who wrote the article had been hypothesising that weather conditions also play a part in mould growth - and he saw a rise in pet food recalls with drought weather that probably caused increased mould growth on the grain ingredients. Interesting that PET FOOD was the thing to watch - it means that this is the thing that is most full of the toxins, so easy to see because of the 'effects'.
Once again, this is why we need to be educated. If commercial pet food, with all its toxins and lack of biologically appropriate food is rejected by the consumers, improvements will happen. The biggest thing to make a light bulb go off in a manufacturer's head is DOLLARS. And if we look at the pet food offerings in countries like America, we can see that the demand for better food has given rise to quite a wide offering of things like commercial RAW. Can't get anything like it here in Australia...yet (I hope!). Which is why I make my own.
In Dr Becker's words:
Today I came across an even more interesting angle on the mouldy grains thing. Apparently the problem is compounded with Genetically Modified crops, as the pesticide that is used on such crops causes increased growth of such moulds. Oh, and by the way, such moulds are of concern for the human population, as they cause cancer.
Interestingly, the Dr who wrote the article had been hypothesising that weather conditions also play a part in mould growth - and he saw a rise in pet food recalls with drought weather that probably caused increased mould growth on the grain ingredients. Interesting that PET FOOD was the thing to watch - it means that this is the thing that is most full of the toxins, so easy to see because of the 'effects'.
Once again, this is why we need to be educated. If commercial pet food, with all its toxins and lack of biologically appropriate food is rejected by the consumers, improvements will happen. The biggest thing to make a light bulb go off in a manufacturer's head is DOLLARS. And if we look at the pet food offerings in countries like America, we can see that the demand for better food has given rise to quite a wide offering of things like commercial RAW. Can't get anything like it here in Australia...yet (I hope!). Which is why I make my own.
In Dr Becker's words:
Study the ingredients in the food you buy your pet, and avoid brands containing grains or corn in any form, including corn gluten meal, whole grain corn, corn flour, etc. Also avoid formulas containing cereal grains like maize, sorghum, pearl millet, rice and wheat.
Consider transitioning your pet away from all dry food to either a high-quality, human grade canned food, or better yet, a balanced, fresh food diet made from organic ingredients. You can make your pet’s meals at home using recipes that are balanced nutritionally for either a cat or a dog. You can also look into commercially prepared raw pet foods as well as dehydrated raw foods that are GMO-free. Or you can consider a mixture of homemade and commercially prepared organic diets.
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/12/11/aflatoxin-contamination.aspx