What's
Really in Pet Food
by
The Animal Protection Institute
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 $11
billion per year U.S. pet food industry wants consumers to believe
they are buying when they purchase their products.
This report explores the differences
between what consumers think they are buying and what they are actually
getting. It focuses in very general terms on the most visible name
brands -- the pet food labels that are mass-distributed to supermarkets
and discount stores -- but there are many highly respected brands
that may be guilty of the same offenses.
What most consumers don't know is that
the pet food industry is an extension of the human food and agriculture
industries. Pet food provides a market for slaughterhouse offal,
grains considered "unfit for human consumption," and similar
waste products to be turned into profit. This waste includes intestines,
udders, esophagi, and possibly diseased and cancerous animal parts.
Three of the five major pet food companies
in the United States are subsidiaries of major multinational companies:
Nestlé (Alpo, Fancy Feast, Friskies, Mighty Dog, and Ralston
Purina products such as Dog Chow, ProPlan, and Purina One), Heinz
(9 Lives, Amore, Gravy Train, Kibbles-n-Bits, Nature's Recipe),
Colgate-Palmolive (Hill's Science Diet Pet Food). Other leading
companies include Procter & Gamble (Eukanuba and Iams), Mars
(Kal Kan, Mealtime, Pedigree, Sheba, Waltham's), and Nutro. From
a business standpoint, multinational companies owning pet food manufacturing
companies is an ideal relationship. The multinationals have increased
bulk-purchasing power; those that make human food products have
a captive market in which to capitalize on their waste products,
and pet food divisions have a more reliable capital base and, in
many cases, a convenient source of ingredients.
There are hundreds of different pet
foods available in this country. And while many of the foods on
the market are similar, not all of the pet food manufacturing companies
use poor quality or potentially dangerous ingredients.
Ingredients
Although the purchase price of pet food
does not always determine whether a pet food is good or bad, the
price is often a good indicator of quality. It would be impossible
for a company that sells a generic brand of dog food at $9.95 for
a 40-lb. bag to use quality protein and grain in its food. The cost
of purchasing quality ingredients would be much higher than the
selling price.
The protein used in pet food comes from
a variety of sources. When cattle, swine, chickens, lambs, or other
animals are slaughtered, the choice cuts such as lean muscle tissue
are trimmed away from the carcass for human consumption. However,
about 50% of every food-producing animal does not get used in human
foods. Whatever remains of the carcass -- bones, blood, intestines,
lungs, ligaments, and almost all the other parts not generally consumed
by humans -- is used in pet food, animal feed, and other products.
These "other parts" are known as "by-products,"
"meat-and-bone-meal," or similar names on pet food labels.
The Pet Food Institute -- the
trade association of pet food manufacturers -- acknowledges the
use of by-products in pet foods as additional income for processors
and farmers: "The growth of the pet food industry not only
provided pet owners with better foods for their pets, but also created
profitable additional markets for American farm products and for
the byproducts of the meat packing, poultry, and other food industries
which prepare food for human consumption."1
Many of these remnants provide
a questionable source of nourishment for our animals. The nutritional
quality of meat and poultry by-products, meals, and digests can
vary from batch to batch. James Morris and Quinton Rogers, two professors
with the Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of California
at Davis Veterinary School of Medicine, assert that, "There
is virtually no information on the bioavailability of nutrients
for companion animals in many of the common dietary ingredients
used in pet foods. These ingredients are generally by-products of
the meat, poultry and fishing industries, with the potential for
a wide variation in nutrient composition. Claims of nutritional
adequacy of pet foods based on the current Association of American
Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) nutrient allowances ('profiles')
do not give assurances of nutritional adequacy and will not until
ingredients are analyzed and bioavailability values are incorporated."2
Meat and poultry meals, by-product meals,
and meat-and-bone meal are common ingredients in pet foods. The
term "meal" means that these materials are not used fresh,
but have been rendered. What is rendering? Rendering, as defined
by Webster's Dictionary, is "to process as for industrial use:
to render livestock carcasses and to extract oil from fat, blubber,
etc., by melting." Home-made chicken soup, with its thick layer
of fat that forms over the top when the soup is cooled, is a sort
of mini-rendering process. Rendering separates fat-soluble from
water-soluble and solid materials, removes most of the water, and
kills bacterial contaminants, but may alter or destroy some of the
natural enzymes and proteins found in the raw ingredients. Meat
and poultry by-products, while not rendered, vary widely in composition
and quality.
What can the feeding of such products
do to your companion animal? Some veterinarians claim that feeding
slaughterhouse wastes to animals increases their risk of getting
cancer and other degenerative diseases. The cooking methods used
by pet food manufacturers -- such as rendering, extruding (a heat-and-pressure
system used to "puff" dry foods into nuggets or kibbles),
and baking -- do not necessarily destroy the hormones used to fatten
livestock or increase milk production, or drugs such as antibiotics
or the barbiturates used to euthanize animals.
Animal and Poultry
Fat
You may have noticed a unique, pungent
odor when you open a new bag of pet food -- what is the source of
that delightful smell? It is most often rendered animal fat, restaurant
grease, or other oils too rancid or deemed inedible for humans.
Restaurant grease has become a major
component of feed grade animal fat over the last fifteen years.
This grease, often held in fifty-gallon drums, may be kept outside
for weeks, exposed to extreme temperatures with no regard for its
future use. "Fat blenders" or rendering companies then
pick up this used grease and mix the different types of fat together,
stabilize them with powerful antioxidants to retard further spoilage,
and then sell the blended products to pet food companies and other
end users.
These fats are sprayed directly onto
extruded kibbles and pellets to make an otherwise bland or distasteful
product palatable. The fat also acts as a binding agent to which
manufacturers add other flavor enhancers such as digests. Pet food
scientists have discovered that animals love the taste of these
sprayed fats. Manufacturers are masters at getting a dog or a cat
to eat something she would normally turn up her nose at.
Wheat, Soy, Corn, Peanut
Hulls, and Other Vegetable Protein
The amount of grain products used in
pet food has risen over the last decade. Once considered filler
by the pet food industry, cereal and grain products now replace
a considerable proportion of the meat that was used in the first
commercial pet foods. The availability of nutrients in these products
is dependent upon the digestibility of the grain. The amount and
type of carbohydrate in pet food determines the amount of nutrient
value the animal actually gets. Dogs and cats can almost completely
absorb carbohydrates from some grains, such as white rice. Up to
20% of the nutritional value of other grains can escape digestion.
The availability of nutrients for wheat, beans, and oats is poor.
The nutrients in potatoes and corn are far less available than those
in rice. Some ingredients, such as peanut hulls, are used for filler
or fiber, and have no significant nutritional value.
Two of the top three ingredients in
pet foods, particularly dry foods, are almost always some form of
grain products. Pedigree Performance Food for Dogs lists Ground
Corn, Chicken By-Product Meal, and Corn Gluten Meal as its top three
ingredients. 9 Lives Crunchy Meals for cats lists Ground Yellow
Corn, Corn Gluten Meal, and Poultry By-Product Meal as its first
three ingredients. Since cats are true carnivores -- they must eat
meat to fulfill certain physiological needs -- one may wonder why
we are feeding a corn-based product to them. The answer is that
corn is a much cheaper "energy source" than meat.
In 1995, Nature's Recipe pulled thousands
of tons of dog food off the shelf after consumers complained that
their dogs were vomiting and losing their appetite. Nature's Recipe's
loss amounted to $20 million. The problem was a fungus that produced
vomitoxin (an aflatoxin or "mycotoxin," a toxic substance
produced by mold) contaminating the wheat. In 1999, another fungal
toxin triggered the recall of dry dog food made by Doane Pet Care
at one of its plants, including Ol' Roy (Wal-Mart's brand) and 53
other brands. This time, the toxin killed 25 dogs.
Although it caused many dogs
to vomit, stop eating, and have diarrhea, vomitoxin is a milder
toxin than most. The more dangerous mycotoxins can cause weight
loss, liver damage, lameness, and even death as in the Doane case.
The Nature's Recipe incident prompted the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) to intervene. Dina Butcher, Agriculture Policy Advisor for
North Dakota Governor Ed Schafer, concluded that the discovery of
vomitoxin in Nature's Recipe wasn't much of a threat to the human
population because "the grain that would go into pet food is
not a high quality grain."3
Soy is another common ingredient
that is sometimes used as a protein and energy source in pet food.
Manufacturers also use it to add bulk so that when an animal eats
a product containing soy he will feel more sated. While soy has
been linked to gas in some dogs, other dogs do quite well with it.
Vegetarian dog foods use soy as a protein source.
Additives and Preservatives
Many chemicals are added to commercial
pet foods to improve the taste, stability, characteristics, or appearance
of the food. Additives provide no nutritional value. Additives include
emulsifiers to prevent water and fat from separating, antioxidants
to prevent fat from turning rancid, and artificial colors and flavors
to make the product more attractive to consumers and more palatable
to their companion animals.
Adding chemicals to food originated
thousands of years ago with spices, natural preservatives, and ripening
agents. In the last 40 years, however, the number of food additives
has greatly increased.
All commercial pet foods must be preserved
so they stay fresh and appealing to our animal companions. Canning
is a preserving process itself, so canned foods contain less preservatives
than dry foods. Some preservatives are added to ingredients or raw
materials by the suppliers, and others may be added by the manufacturer.
Because manufacturers need to ensure that dry foods have a long
shelf life to remain edible after shipping and prolonged storage,
fats used in pet foods are preserved with either synthetic or "natural"
preservatives. Synthetic preservatives include butylated hydroxyanisole
(BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), propyl gallate, propylene
glycol (also used as a less-toxic version of automotive antifreeze),
and ethoxyquin. For these antioxidants, there is little information
documenting their toxicity, safety, interactions, or chronic use
in pet foods that may be eaten every day for the life of the animal.
Potentially cancer-causing agents such
as BHA, BHT, and ethoxyquin are permitted at relatively low levels.
The use of these chemicals in pet foods has not been thoroughly
studied, and long term build-up of these agents may ultimately be
harmful. Due to questionable data in the original study on its safety,
ethoxyquin's manufacturer, Monsanto, was required to perform a new,
more rigorous study. This was completed in 1996. Even though Monsanto
found no significant toxicity associated with its own product, in
July 1997, the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine requested that
manufacturers voluntarily reduce the maximum level for ethoxyquin
by half, to 75 parts per million. While some pet food critics and
veterinarians believe that ethoxyquin is a major cause of disease,
skin problems, and infertility in dogs, others claim it is the safest,
strongest, most stable preservative available for pet food. Ethoxyquin
is approved for use in human food for preserving spices, such as
cayenne and chili powder, at a level of 100 ppm -- but it would
be very difficult to consume as much chili powder every day as a
dog would eat dry food. Ethoxyquin has never been tested for safety
in cats.
Some manufacturers have responded to
consumer concern, and are now using "natural" preservatives
such as Vitamin C (ascorbate), Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols), and
oils of rosemary, clove, or other spices, to preserve the fats in
their products. Other ingredients, however, may be individually
preserved. Most fish meal, and some prepared vitamin-mineral mixtures,
contain chemical preservatives. This means that your companion animal
may be eating food containing several types of preservatives. Federal
law requires preservatives to be disclosed on the label; however,
pet food companies only recently started to comply with this law.
Additives in Processed
Pet Foods
Anticaking agents
Antimicrobial agents
Antioxidants
Coloring agents
Curing agents
Drying agents
Emulsifiers
Firming agents
Flavor enhancers
Flavoring agents
Flour treating agents
Formulation aids
Humectants
Leavening agents
Lubricants
Nonnutritive sweeteners
Nutritive sweeteners
Oxidizing and reducing agents
pH control agents
Processing aids
Sequestrants
Solvents, vehicles
Stabilizers, thickeners
Surface active agents
Surface finishing agents
Synergists
Texturizers
While the law requires studies
of direct toxicity of these additives and preservatives, they have
not been tested for their potential synergistic effects on each
other once ingested. Some authors have suggested that dangerous
interactions occur among some of the common synthetic preservatives.4
Natural preservatives do not provide as long a shelf life as chemical
preservatives, but they are safe.
The Manufacturing Process
How Pet Food Is Made
Although feeding trials are no longer
required for a food to meet the requirements for labeling a food
"complete and balanced," most manufacturers perform palatability
studies when developing a new pet food. One set of animals is fed
a new food while a "control" group is fed a current formula.
The total volume eaten is used as a gauge for the palatability of
the food. The larger and more reputable companies do use feeding
trials, which are considered to be a much more accurate assessment
of the actual nutritional value of the food. They keep large colonies
of dogs and cats for this purpose, or use testing laboratories that
have their own animals.
Most dry food is made with a machine
called an expander or extruder. First, raw materials are blended,
sometimes by hand, other times by computer, in accordance with a
recipe developed by animal nutritionists. This mixture is fed into
an expander and steam or hot water is added. The mixture is subjected
to steam, pressure, and high heat as it is extruded through dies
that determine the shape of the final product and puffed like popcorn.
The food is allowed to dry, and then is usually sprayed with fat,
digests, or other compounds to make it more palatable. Although
the cooking process may kill bacteria in pet food, the final product
can lose its sterility during the subsequent drying, fat coating,
and packaging process. A few foods are baked at high temperatures
rather than extruded. This produces a dense, crunchy kibble that
is palatable without the addition of sprayed on palatability enhancers.
Animals can be fed about 25% less of a baked food, by volume (but
not by weight), than an extruded food.
Ingredients are similar for
wet, dry, and semi-moist foods, although the ratios of protein,
fat, and fiber may change. A typical can of ordinary cat food reportedly
contains about 45-50% meat or poultry by-products. The main difference
between the types of food is the water content. It is impossible
to directly compare labels from different kinds of food without
a mathematical conversion to "dry matter basis."5
Wet or canned food begins with ground ingredients mixed with additives.
If chunks are required, a special extruder forms them. Then the
mixture is cooked and canned. The sealed cans are then put into
containers resembling pressure cookers and commercial sterilization
takes place. Some manufacturers cook the food right in the can.
There are special labeling
requirements for pet food, all of which are contained in the annually
revised Official Publication of AAFCO.6
The use of the terms "all" or "100%" cannot
be used "if the product contains more than one ingredient,
not including water sufficient for processing, decharacterizing
agents, or trace amounts of preservatives and condiments."
Products containing multiple ingredients are covered by AAFCO Regulation
PF3(b) and (c). The "95% rule" applies when the ingredient(s)
derived from animals, poultry, or fish constitutes at least 95%
or more of the total weight of the product (or 70% excluding water
for processing).
Because all-meat diets are usually not
nutritionally balanced, they fell out of favor for many years. However,
due to rising consumer interest in high quality meat products, several
companies are now promoting 95% and 100% canned meats as a supplemental
feeding option.
The "dinner" product is defined
by the 25% Rule, which applies when "an ingredient or a combination
of ingredients constitutes at least 25% of the weight of the product"
(excluding water sufficient for processing) as long as the ingredient(s)
shall constitute at least 10% of the total product weight; and a
descriptor that implies other ingredients are included in the product
formula is used on the label. Such descriptors include "recipe,"
"platter," "entree," and "formula."
A combination of ingredients included in the product name is permissible
when each ingredient comprises at least 3% of the product weight,
excluding water for processing, and the ingredient names appear
in descending order by weight.
The "with" rule allows an
ingredient name to appear on the label, such as "with real
chicken," as long as each such ingredient constitutes at least
3% of the food by weight, excluding water for processing.
The "flavor" rule allows a
food to be designated as a certain flavor as long as the ingredient(s)
are sufficient to "impart a distinctive characteristic"to
the food. Thus, a "beef flavor" food may contain a small
quantity of digest or other extract of tissues from cattle, without
containing any actual beef meat at all.
What Happened to the
Nutrients?
Dr. Randy L. Wysong is a veterinarian
and produces his own line of pet foods. A long-time critic of pet
food industry practices, he said, "Processing is the wild card
in nutritional value that is, by and large, simply ignored. Heating,
cooking, rendering, freezing, dehydrating, canning, extruding, pelleting,
baking, and so forth, are so commonplace that they are simply thought
of as synonymous with food itself."7
Processing meat and by-products used in pet food can greatly diminish
their nutritional value, but cooking increases the digestibility
of cereal grains.
To make pet food nutritious, pet food
manufacturers must "fortify" it with vitamins and minerals.
Why? Because the ingredients they are using are not wholesome, their
quality may be extremely variable, and the harsh manufacturing practices
destroy many of the nutrients the food had to begin with.
Contaminants
Commercially manufactured or rendered
meat meals and by-product meals are frequently highly contaminated
with bacteria because their source is not always slaughtered animals.
Animals that have died because of disease, injury, or natural causes
are a source of meat for meat meal. The dead animal might not be
rendered until days after its death. Therefore the carcass is often
contaminated with bacteria such as Salmonella and Escherichia coli.
Dangerous E. Coli bacteria are estimated to contaminate more than
50% of meat meals. While the cooking process may kill bacteria,
it does not eliminate the endotoxins some bacteria produce during
their growth and are released when they die. These toxins can cause
sickness and disease. Pet food manufacturers do not test their products
for endotoxins.
Mycotoxins -- These toxins comes from
mold or fungi, such as vomitoxin in the Nature's Recipe case, and
aflatoxin in Doane's food. Poor farming practices and improper drying
and storage of crops can cause mold growth. Ingredients that are
most likely to be contaminated with mycotoxins are grains such as
wheat and corn, cottonseed meal, peanut meal, and fish meal.
Labeling
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 NRC standards, which still exist and are being revised as of
2001, were based on purified diets, and required feeding trials
for pet foods claimed to be "complete" and "balanced."
The pet food industry found the feeding trials too restrictive and
expensive, so AAFCO designed an alternate procedure for claiming
the nutritional adequacy of pet food, by testing the food for compliance
with "Nutrient Profiles." AAFCO also created "expert
committees" for canine and feline nutrition, which developed
separate canine and feline standards. While feeding trials can still
be done, a standard chemical analysis may be also be used to determine
if a food meets the profiles.
Chemical analysis, however, does not
address the palatability, digestibility, or biological availability
of nutrients in pet food. Thus it is unreliable for determining
whether a food will provide an animal with sufficient nutrients.
To compensate for the limitations of
chemical analysis, AAFCO added a "safety factor," which
was to exceed the minimum amount of nutrients required to meet the
complete and balanced requirements.
The digestibility and availability of
nutrients is not listed on pet food labels.
The 100% Myth -- Problems
Caused by Inadequate Nutrition
The idea of one pet food providing all
the nutrition a companion animal will ever need for its entire life
is a myth.
Cereal grains are the primary ingredients
in most commercial pet foods. Many people select one pet food and
feed it to their dogs and cats for a prolonged period of time. Therefore,
companion dogs and cats eat a primarily carbohydrate diet with little
variety. Today, the diets of cats and dogs are a far cry from the
primarily protein diets with a lot of variety that their ancestors
ate. The problems associated with a commercial diet are seen every
day at veterinary establishments. Chronic digestive problems, such
as chronic vomiting, diarrhea, and inflammatory bowel disease are
among the most frequent illnesses treated. These are often the result
of an allergy or intolerance to pet food ingredients. The market
for "limited antigen" or "novel protein" diets
is now a multi-million dollar business. These diets were formulated
to address the increasing intolerance to commercial foods that animals
have developed. The newest twist is the truly "hypoallergenic"
food that has had all its proteins artificially chopped into pieces
smaller than can be recognized and reacted to by the immune system.
Dry commercial pet food is
often contaminated with bacteria, which may or may not cause problems.
Improper food storage and some feeding practices may result in the
multiplication of this bacteria. For example, adding water or milk
to moisten pet food and then leaving it at room temperature causes
bacteria to multiply.8 Yet this practice
is suggested on the back of packages of some kitten and puppy foods.
Pet food formulas and the practice of
feeding that manufacturers recommend have increased other digestive
problems. Feeding only one meal per day can cause the irritation
of the esophagus by stomach acid. Feeding two smaller meals is better.
Feeding recommendations or instructions
on the packaging are sometimes inflated so that the consumer will
end up purchasing more food. However, Procter & Gamble allegedly
took the opposite tack with its Iams and Eukanuba lines, reducing
the feeding amounts in order to claim that its foods were less expensive
to feed. Independent studies commissioned by a competing manufacturer
suggested that these reduced levels were inadequate to maintain
health. Procter & Gamble has since sued and been countersued
by that competing manufacturer, and a consumer complaint has also
been filed seeking class-action status for harm caused to dogs by
the revised feeding instructions.
Urinary tract disease is directly related
to diet in both cats and dogs. Plugs, crystals, and stones in cat
bladders are often triggered or aggravated by commercial pet food
formulas. One type of stone found in cats is less common now, but
another more dangerous type has become more common. Manipulation
of manufactured cat food formulas to alter the acidity of urine
and the amount of some minerals has directly affected these diseases.
Dogs also form stones as a result of their diet.
History has shown that commercial pet
food products can cause disease. An often-fatal heart disease in
cats and some dogs is now known to be caused by a deficiency of
the amino acid taurine. Blindness is another symptom of taurine
deficiency. This deficiency was due to inadequate amounts of taurine
in cat food formulas, which itself occurred because of decreased
amounts of animal proteins and increased reliance on carbohydrates.
Cat foods are now supplemented with taurine. New research suggests
that supplementing taurine may also be helpful for dogs, but as
yet few manufacturers are adding extra taurine to dog food. Inadequate
potassium in certain feline diets also caused kidney failure in
young cats; potassium is now added in greater amounts to all cat
foods.
Rapid growth in large breed puppies
has been shown to contribute to bone and joint disease. Excess calories
and calcium in some manufactured puppy foods promoted rapid growth.
There are now special puppy foods for large breed dogs. But this
recent change will not help the countless dogs who lived and died
with hip and elbow disease.
There is also evidence that hyperthyroidism
in cats may be related to excess iodine in commercial pet food diets.9
This is a new disease that first surfaced in the 1970s, when canned
food products appeared on the market. The exact cause and effect
are not yet known. This is a serious and sometimes terminal disease,
and treatment is expensive.
Many nutritional problems appeared with
the popularity of cereal-based commercial pet foods. Some have occurred
because the diet was incomplete. Although several ingredients are
now supplemented, we do not know what ingredients future researchers
may discover that should have been supplemented in pet foods all
along. Other problems may result from reactions to additives. Others
are a result of contamination with bacteria, mold, drugs, or other
toxins. In some diseases the role of commercial pet food is understood;
in others, it is not. The bottom line is that diets composed primarily
of low quality cereals and rendered meat meals are not as nutritious
or safe as you should expect for your cat or dog.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What Consumers Can
Do
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.
Call API with any information about the pet food industry, specific
manufacturers, or specific products.
Print out a copy of this report for your veterinarian to further
his or her knowledge about commercial pet food.
Direct your family and friends with companion animals to this website,
to alert them of the dangers of commercial pet food. Or request
copies of our Fact Sheet on Selecting a Good Commercial Food.
Stop buying commercial pet food. Or if that is not possible, reduce
the quantity of commercial pet food and supplement with fresh foods.
Purchase one or more of the many books available on pet nutrition
and make your own food. Be sure that a veterinarian or a nutritionist
has checked the recipes to ensure that they are balanced and complete.
Check our sample diets you can make yourself.
Please be aware that API is not a veterinary hospital, clinic, or
service. API does not and will not offer any medical advice. If
you have concerns about your companion animal's health or nutritional
requirements, please consult your veterinarian.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Further Reading
about Animal Nutrition
The Animal Protection Institute recommends
the following books, many of which include recipes for home-prepared
diets:
Rudy Edalati. Barker's Grub: Easy, Wholesome
Home Cooking for Your Dog. Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0-609-80442-1.
Richard H. Pitcairn, D.V.M., and Susan Hubble Pitcairn. Dr. Pitcairn's
Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats. Rodale Press,
Inc. ISBN 0-87596-243-2.
Kate Solisti-Mattelon and Patrice Mattelon. The Holistic Animal
Handbook: A Guidebook to Nutrition, Health, and Communication. Beyond
Words Publishing Co. ISBN 1-5827-0023-0.
Donald R. Strombeck. Home-Prepared Dog & Cat Diets: The Healthful
Alternative. Iowa State University Press. ISBN 0-8138-2149-5.
Celeste Yarnall. Natural Cat Care. Journey Editions. ISBN 1-8852-0363-2.
Celeste Yarnall. Natural Dog Care. Journey Editions. ISBN 0-7858-1123-0.
References
Association of American Feed Control
Officials Incorporated. Official Publication 2001. Atlanta: AAFCO,
2001.
Barfield, Carol. FDA Petition, Docket
Number 93P0081/CP1, accepted February 25, 1993.
Becker, Ross. "Is your dog's food
safe?" Good Dog!, November/December 1995, 7.
Cargill, James, MA, MBA, MS, and Susan
Thorpe-Vargas, MS. "Feed that dog! Part VI." DOGworld,
December 1993, 36.
Case, Linda P., M.S., Daniel P. Carey,
D.V.M., and Diane A. Hirakawa, Ph.D. Canine and Feline Nutrition:
A Resource for Companion Animal Professionals. St. Louis: Mosby,
1995.
Coffman, Howard D. The Dry Dog Food
Reference. Nashua: PigDog Press, 1995.
Corbin, Jim. "Pet Foods and Feeding."
Feedstuffs, July 17, 1996, 80-85.
Knight-Ridder News Syndicate. "Nature's
Recipe Recalls Dog Food That Contains Vomitoxin." August 28,
1995.
Morris, James G., and Quinton R. Rogers.
"Assessment of the Nutritional Adequacy of Pet Foods Through
the Life Cycle." Journal of Nutrition, 124 (1994): 2520S-2533S.
Newman, Lisa. What's in your pet's food?
Tucson & Phoenix: Holistic Animal Care, 1994.
New York State Department of Agriculture
and Markets. 1994 Commercial Feed Analysis Annual Report. Albany:
Division of Food Inspection Services, 1995.
Parker, J. Michael. "Tainted dog
food blamed on corn." San Antonio Express News, April 1, 1999.
"Petfood activist." Petfood
Industry, September/October 1991, 4.
Pet Food Institute. Fact Sheet 1994.
Washington: Pet Food Institute, 1994.
Phillips, Tim, DVM. "Rendered Products
Guide." Petfood Industry, January/February 1994, 12-17, 21.
Pitcairn, Richard H., D.V.M., Ph.D.,
and Susan Hubble Pitcairn. Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural
Health for Dogs & Cats. Emmaus: Rodale, 1995.
Plechner, Alfred J., DVM, and Martin
Zucker. Pet Allergies: Remedies for an Epidemic. Inglewood: Wilshire
Book Co., 1986.
Rhode Island Department of Environmental
Management, Division of Agriculture. 1994 Report of the Inspection
and Analysis of Commercial Feeds, Fertilizers and Liming Materials.
Providence: Division of Agriculture, 1995.
Roudebush, Philip, DVM. "Pet food
additives." JAVMA, 203 (1993): 1667-1670.
Rouse, Raymond H. "Feed Fats."
Petfood Industry, March/April 1987, 7.
Sellers, Richard. "Regulating petfood
with an open mind." Petfood Industry, November/December 1990,
41-44.
Smith, Carin A. "Research Roundup:
Changes and challenges in feline nutrition." JAVMA 203 (1993),
1395-1400.
Strombeck, Donald. R. Home-Prepared
Dog and Cat Foods: The Healthful Alternative. Ames: Iowa State University
Press, 1999.
Winters, Ruth, M.S. A Consumer's Dictionary
of Food Additives. New York: Crown, 1994.
Wysong, R. L. "The 'complete' myth."
Petfood Industry, September/October 1990, 24-28.
[Wysong, R. L.] Fresh and Whole: Getting
Involved in Your Pet's Diet. Midland: Wysong Corporation, 1990.
Wysong, R. L. Rationale for Animal Nutrition.
Midland: Inquiry Press, 1993.
Notes
1. Pet Food Institute, 2.
2. Morris, 2520S.
3. Corbin, 81.
4. Cargill, 36.
5. The conversion is: ingredient percentage divided by (100 minus
moisture percentage).
6. Official Publication, Regulation PE3, 114-115.
7. Wysong, Rationale, 40-41.
8. Strombeck, 50-52.
9. Smith, 1397.
©1997-2002 by The Animal
Protection Institute. |