Poison Pet Food Thread

[myelo]

Originally posted by storch
myelo how do feral cats survive?  is their diet providing the necessary nutrients?

Yes, cats are strict carnivores (dogs are really omnivores). Feral cats eat mostly rodents, but also young rabbits, birds, reptiles, frogs and insects. But realize eating prey is not just eating meat -- they eat the organs, bones, and ingested plant material in the stomach and intestines. These contain certain vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids that are not found in the muscle tissue (meat).

That's why a meat only diet is insufficient for cats.

[BTW]

I feed my dog a little chicken and rice for breakfast and dry IAMS later in the day for the fiber, vitamins and minerals. I don't think he cares if the IAMS has ground up beaks or feathers in it. I suspect he would eat those in the wild

[Toad]

Yeah, he would eat beaks and feathers. And he'd bascially crap them out the other end as they are not easily digestible proteins. Probably good as "fiber" though.

That's why you see stool volume go way up with low quality foods and go way down with high quality foods.

If you want a backyard full of dog crap, feed WalMart's Ol' Roy.

Another thing I have found is that it is easy to maintain a dog's weight with less food on a high quality feed. The short story is that although a high quality feed costs more, you feed less of it to maintain weight so in the end you spend less per day feeding your dog.

And less time cleaning the backyard.  

[Sundowner]

This story refuses to die....

First pet food...then human consumption swine....then human consumption chickens..now human consumption fish.

I guess the secret is out that the FDA can't regulate cheap foodstuffs shipped in from abroad.

Excuse me if I seem cynical but bloated, ineffectual government agencies struggling to put a pretty spin on an ugly situation makes me a little queasy.

Regards,
Sun

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/05/08/fish.food/index.html

Officials: Fish pose no 'significant' danger

Acheson, who would not divulge what states the meal was sent to, said there is no reason for alarm.

"We do not believe that there is any significant risk associated with consuming these fish," he said.

Acheson added that investigators are traveling to the companies "to determine exactly what they are doing with the fish."

The discovery of the contaminated imports from China was announced Tuesday after analysis of the products showed they had been mislabeled, Acheson said.

The FDA is "considering possible enforcement actions," he said.

Agency investigators are expected to return to the U.S. next week from China, he said. He would not say what they have found..........

[indy007]

My puppy eats Natural Balance like Toad's. He seems to really like the Duck & Potato recipe.

If it's not Natural Balance, then I just make it myself. Ground beef or turkey, minced veggies, minced fruit, rice, and a vitamin supplement. Yogurt or egg is mixed in a few times a week. It's just hard to get him on this diet because it's low in fat. Dogs love fat... it's sprayed on dry food to get them to eat it.

I went back to Natural Balance just for the convenience.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

The scary part is I heard that in Germany today, human food ingredients cost on average 30% less than pet food.

[Sundowner]

Originally posted by MrRiplEy[H]
The scary part is I heard that in Germany today, human food ingredients cost on average 30% less than pet food.

Wow.

Interesting.

The bigger these guys' profit margins get, perhaps the more dangerous the product (food) becomes.  

Regards,
Sun