Why isn’t Association of Feed Control Officials AAFCO approved dog food status alone enough to trust for our dog foods?
"In a perfect world, AAFCO approved status on our dog foods guarantees a product meets your animal companion’s minimum nutrient needs. In reality, AAFCO claims fall into the honor system. No approval process exists to test acceptability of ingredients or to check the accuracy of nutrient claims. Furthermore, no enforcement body exists to punish companies knowingly using moldy or diseased products or misleading consumers with nutrient claims. Hypothetically, a morally defunct pet food company may legitimately utilize a three week old, tumor laden, animal carcass found rotting in a pool of pesticides, turn it into a bag of fat sprayed, crunchy, dry profit, and market the food as natural, premium, or gourmet. "
Bleh.
Items that pass Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) guidelines for dog food
AAFCO Approval
The Dog food industry is primarly self-regulating. AAFCO provides guidence, but the list of allowable food materials is shocking. The following is a example of some of the ingrediants AAFCO permints for use in pet foods:
• Dehydrated garbage
• Undried processed animal waste products
• Polyethylene roughage replacement (plastic)
• Hydrolyzed poultry feathers
• Hydrolyzed hair
• Hydrolyzed leather meal
• Poultry hatchery by-product
• Meat meal tankage
• Peanut hulls
• Ground almond shells
more bleh.
Don't feed your dog junk like Alpo, Beneful, or Hills. Don't let the vets sell you the pricey Hills. It's junk. They make so much money on those foods and they are just not that well made. Sure better than Ol' Roy but c'mon people in charge of our pets health! Read the labels. You do for your own food! Actually, what I am thinking. As long as you don't buy the cheapest junk at the grocery store (PLEASE don't buy dog food there, goto your local pet store and talk with the help), all the labels look good. What to do? Use Grain Free with highest protein level you can find. Even the highest protein ones are not that high though. The carb levels (still created because grain free doesn't mean carb free) are still high due to potatoes being used, sweet potato is better but still kinda high carb FOR A CARNIVORE.
“The prevalence of cancer and autoimmune related diseases in our pets is directly correlated to the processed foods we are feeding them. We are literally starving them to death of nutrients while stuffing them to the point of obesity with garbage.”
- Dr. Denise Miller, DVM and author of What's Wrong With our Pets?
"In my practice, the Stella & Chewy’s brand raw diet fills a special niche. Unfortunately, cancer in our pet companions is far too prevalent. I am often asked to recommend a meat-based diet that is safe for an immune-suppressed patient. Pets receiving chemotherapy or steroid treatment for allergies can utilize Stella & Chewy’s Certified Pathogen Safe food. I have appreciated the availability of the unique Duck Duck Goose formula for “cooling” my patients with hot constitutions or inflammatory disorders."
- Dr. Jodie Gruenstern, DVM, Animal Doctor
Here is their example mentioned above. I know, lots of money...
Stella & Chewy's Freeze Dried Raw Dog Food for Adult Dogs, Chicken Patties, 32 Count, 16 Ounce Bag
Sure, raw sounds good and right for our dogs, but in practice can be time consuming, gross, and well, unless you, um, kill and disassemble this 'prey' yourselves, the bacteria count from factory farm and s-houses is VERY high. I have read more than once that 20% to up to 50% of ground turkey is teaming with Salmonella. Certainly not good for immune compromised dogs with cancer. I just pan fry ground turkey or ground chicken from a frozen chub thawed (this stuff is cheap) with some garlic and give a part of a cup on my dogs dry food. Or a cooked egg on top.
Let me know and comment.
