http://specialneedspets.org/animals Tue, 08 Apr 2008 05:16:30 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Sample Diets for Dogs and Cats Disclaimer: Before you start to feed your companion animal a home-prepared diet, API strongly recommends that you discuss your decision with your veterinarian or a holistic veterinarian in your area. (For a list of holistic veterinary practitioners, contact the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association at ... http://specialneedspets.org/animals/index.php/recipes/ Commercial pet food is a great convenience for busy caregivers. You want the best for your companion animals, but with a bewildering array of foods and claims to choose from, how do you decide what’s best for your animals? Standards for Ingredients The pet food industry is huge and extremely profitable ($25 ... http://specialneedspets.org/animals/index.php/selecting-pet-food/ Write or call pet food companies and the Pet Food Institute and express your concerns about commercial pet foods. Demand that manufacturers improve the quality of ingredients in their products. Print out a copy of this report for your veterinarian to further his or her knowledge about commercial pet food. Direct your ... http://specialneedspets.org/animals/index.php/consumer-action/ Co-Packing The 2007 Menu Foods recall brought to light some of the pet food industry’s dirtiest secrets. Most people were surprised — and appalled — to learn that all Iams/Eukanuba canned foods are not made by The Iams Company at all. In fact, in 2003 Iams signed an exclusive 10-year contract for ... http://specialneedspets.org/animals/index.php/industry-secrets/ The idea that one pet food provides all the nutrition a companion animal will ever need for its entire life is a dangerous myth. Today, the diets of cats and dogs are a far cry from the variable meat-based diets that their ancestors ate. The unpleasant results of grain-based, processed, year-in ... http://specialneedspets.org/animals/index.php/nutrition-related-diseases/ Potential Contaminants Given the types of things manufacturers put in pet food, it is not surprising that bad things sometimes happen. Ingredients used in pet food are often highly contaminated with a wide variety of toxic substances. Some of these are destroyed by processing, but others are not. Bacteria. Slaughtered animals, as ... http://specialneedspets.org/animals/index.php/harmful-ingredients/ Dry Food The vast majority of dry food is made with a machine called an extruder. First, materials are blended in accordance with a recipe created with the help of computer programs that provide the nutrient content of each proposed ingredient. For instance, corn gluten meal has more protein than wheat ... http://specialneedspets.org/animals/index.php/making-pet-food/ The National Research Council (NRC) of the Academy of Sciences set the nutritional standards for pet food that were used by the pet food industry until the late 1980s. The original NRC standards were based on purified diets, and required feeding trials for pet foods claimed to be “complete” and ... http://specialneedspets.org/animals/index.php/pet-food-standards/ There are special labeling requirements for pet food, all of which are contained in the annually revised Official Publication of AAFCO.2 While AAFCO does not regulate pet food, it does provide model regulations and standards that are followed by U.S. pet food makers. The name of the food provides the first ... http://specialneedspets.org/animals/index.php/pet-food-labels/ Plump whole chickens, choice cuts of beef, fresh grains, and all the wholesome nutrition your dog or cat will ever need. These are the images pet food manufacturers promulgate through the media and advertising. This is what the $15 billion per year U.S. pet food industry wants consumers to believe they ... http://specialneedspets.org/animals/index.php/whats-in-pet-food/