Posted by NessaRata on May 02, 2007 · Member since Mar 2007 · 241 posts
Interesting article. It's also interesting to know that their diet should mostly be vegetables. I'll give my dog vegetable treats instead of the store brand ones. He loves veggies! Thanks for the article!
0 likes
Posted by yogaferret on May 02, 2007 · Member since Nov 2006 · 460 posts
It would be nice if all those people switching to a natural, homemade diet for their animals after this, KEEP it up even after it's been "cleaned up". I doubt it though. :(
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ferret Resources: http://nippynihon.blogspot.com/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mahatma Gandhi: "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
0 likes
Posted by Anonymous on May 03, 2007 · Member since Dec 1969 · 11789 posts
I agree YF that it would be nice if everyone feeding their pets a natural homemade diet sticks with it. Hopefully they will see the difference in their pets before they switch back to any of those Franken-Pet-Foods. I love how the president of the American Veterinary Medical Association warns people about feeding their pets a homemade diet: "Mahr warns, be consistent. In 35 years of veterinary practice, "many of the problems I've seen have been from inconsistent or changing diets, " "If your pet is healthy and doing well on the pet food it is currently eating, and the food is not on the recalled products list, there is no reason to change their diet,"
First of all, the majority of Veterinary practices in this country that sell pet food, sell and recommend some of the "worst" pet foods on the market. The #1 brand sold by veterinarians is Hill's Science Diet (which was also one of the very first to be recalled). I would feed my own pets ground up tennis balls before feeding them any of their products. He also states that if the product you are feeding is not on the list to keep feeding it. One of the best foods on the market, Natural Balance, has been recalled and from some emails I have received from my pet rescue friends around the country, rice protein concentrate is not even listed as an ingredient in many of the products (some products listed it as rice flour, and even worse...the majority did not even list it at all)!
So far my pets have been very healthy and are eating Nature's Variety's Raw Instinct and some are on their Organic Raw food (from NV as well). There are no grains in either one. There should be no possible way that my pet's food could end up being on the contaminated list because there are no grains in any of the pet foods I feed them. If you are concerned about your current brand showing up on the list, I would highly recommend NV's (only the two I mentioned above). I would cook (and did many years ago). I just have way too many to cook for. :D
Posted by Anonymous on May 03, 2007 · Member since Dec 1969 · 11789 posts
Hey Tofuttubreak, My dog's have been on Nature's Variety for about 5 years. I have used other foods, and do switch foods from time to time. I have just stuck with NV since this broke because I know most of the problems have been "grain based" and I am not feeding my dogs (or cats) any grains. They do have an "Organic Raw" which I feed some of my pets. You can read all about their different products at: www.naturesvariety.com You can use the store locater to find a place near you. Like I mentioned, I think for the time being the raw, and the dry "raw instinct" are the safest way to go withour cooking. My vet, my vet tech/house sitter Anya (who is watching all the doggies and kitties as I type), and everyone that works in her office is doing the same as me. I have been following her recommendation, by sticking with those 2 foods. Oh....BTW...I get a major "YUK FACTOR" with touching meat (or seeing, smelling, etc.). The raw comes frozen in patties or little medallions and is very easy to feed. Good Luck, -dave
i've ordered from them before and was really happy with their service and selection. :)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ferret Resources: http://nippynihon.blogspot.com/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mahatma Gandhi: "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
0 likes
Posted by VegAnna on May 04, 2007 · Member since May 2003 · 385 posts
The article made me think...
Is this the same case as with menstrual products? Sanitary napkins didn't enter the market until the 1930s, and I have a feeling that commercial petfood doesn't have much of a history either. People have had pets for thousands of years, with or without commerical pet food. There must be a way... and it can't be "only under the close supervision of your vet."
0 likes
Posted by being_fiona_falconer on May 05, 2007 · Member since Feb 2007 · 67 posts
i have been reading about making our own pet food recently, and as far as grains are concerned, the consensus was that they should be soaked overnight and fed that way. grains are very hard to digest, and when they are cooked, they are worse. raw grains are hard for them to get nutrition out of, but soaking them overnight was the solution offered.
also, one source mentioned that you should let your dogs eat cow poop, if they come upon it. apparently the grains in that poop are optimal for their digestiion, since they are partially digested already.
so, bring on the cow poop!!
fiona
0 likes
Posted by willwolf on May 05, 2007 · Member since Apr 2003 · 596 posts
OK, I'm growing more and more confused with all of this. Originally, my cat was on dry Innova Lite (orange bag) for several years. Then, Innova changed the formula a bit and called it Innova Reduced Fat (fuchsia bag). My cat, for whatever reason did not react well at all to the new formulation. Now, I have him on the Natural Balance Reduced Calorie (pink bag). He's doing ok on this, but I'm not sure if I should switch again to something better. My bag of NB is almost gone, so I'm trying to figure this out. I usually give him the canned Wellness on occasion. In the past, I've only fed my cat moist food once or twice per week. Now, I wonder if I should start feeding him primarily moist food. Dave, do you feed your cats the Nature's Variety in kibble, canned, or frozen form? Or a combo? I noticed that the frozen NV is 95% meat and 5% veggies/fruits. The kibble has grain, though, except for the one grain-free variety. In Martin Goldstein's animal book, he says that cats should eat 1/3 to 1/2 meat, with grains and veggies for the rest. Dave, I thought you mentioned that you feed your animals no grain. I'm confused. Aarrrgh, what do I do???
0 likes
Posted by yogaferret on May 05, 2007 · Member since Nov 2006 · 460 posts
Is this the same case as with menstrual products? Sanitary napkins didn't enter the market until the 1930s, and I have a feeling that commercial petfood doesn't have much of a history either. People have had pets for thousands of years, with or without commerical pet food. There must be a way... and it can't be "only under the close supervision of your vet."
Yes, processed pet food IS quite recent. And very American. It's unfortunate that this fast food mentality is spreading through out the world. Most ferret owners in Europe have been natural feeders and with (not surprisingly) a concomitent low incidence of disease/illness. I hate to hear of that processed pet food might becoming more popular. :( HOpefully, this will stem the tide.
And there IS a way - use common sense when feeding. But, alas, I think its obvious that common sense is not so common.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ferret Resources: http://nippynihon.blogspot.com/ Ferret Research: http://ferretknots.blogspot.com/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mahatma Gandhi: "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
Interesting article. It's also interesting to know that their diet should mostly be vegetables. I'll give my dog vegetable treats instead of the store brand ones. He loves veggies! Thanks for the article!
It would be nice if all those people switching to a natural, homemade diet for their animals after this, KEEP it up even after it's been "cleaned up". I doubt it though. :(
I really like Barb's comments onthe whole thing:
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-QanJVsYzeKevvCXwpLAi9JYjD9eU?p=600
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ferret Resources: http://nippynihon.blogspot.com/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mahatma Gandhi:
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
I agree YF that it would be nice if everyone feeding their pets a natural homemade diet sticks with it. Hopefully they will see the difference in their pets before they switch back to any of those Franken-Pet-Foods. I love how the president of the American Veterinary Medical Association warns people about feeding their pets a homemade diet:
"Mahr warns, be consistent. In 35 years of veterinary practice, "many of the problems I've seen have been from inconsistent or changing diets, "
"If your pet is healthy and doing well on the pet food it is currently eating, and the food is not on the recalled products list, there is no reason to change their diet,"
First of all, the majority of Veterinary practices in this country that sell pet food, sell and recommend some of the "worst" pet foods on the market. The #1 brand sold by veterinarians is Hill's Science Diet (which was also one of the very first to be recalled). I would feed my own pets ground up tennis balls before feeding them any of their products. He also states that if the product you are feeding is not on the list to keep feeding it. One of the best foods on the market, Natural Balance, has been recalled and from some emails I have received from my pet rescue friends around the country, rice protein concentrate is not even listed as an ingredient in many of the products (some products listed it as rice flour, and even worse...the majority did not even list it at all)!
So far my pets have been very healthy and are eating Nature's Variety's Raw Instinct and some are on their Organic Raw food (from NV as well). There are no grains in either one. There should be no possible way that my pet's food could end up being on the contaminated list because there are no grains in any of the pet foods I feed them. If you are concerned about your current brand showing up on the list, I would highly recommend NV's (only the two I mentioned above). I would cook (and did many years ago). I just have way too many to cook for. :D
Hey Tofuttubreak,
My dog's have been on Nature's Variety for about 5 years. I have used other foods, and do switch foods from time to time. I have just stuck with NV since this broke because I know most of the problems have been "grain based" and I am not feeding my dogs (or cats) any grains. They do have an "Organic Raw" which I feed some of my pets.
You can read all about their different products at:
www.naturesvariety.com
You can use the store locater to find a place near you. Like I mentioned, I think for the time being the raw, and the dry "raw instinct" are the safest way to go withour cooking. My vet, my vet tech/house sitter Anya (who is watching all the doggies and kitties as I type), and everyone that works in her office is doing the same as me. I have been following her recommendation, by sticking with those 2 foods. Oh....BTW...I get a major "YUK FACTOR" with touching meat (or seeing, smelling, etc.). The raw comes frozen in patties or little medallions and is very easy to feed.
Good Luck,
-dave
Hey Dave and tofutti,
You can also order NV and other natural foods here:
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/default.aspx
i've ordered from them before and was really happy with their service and selection. :)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ferret Resources: http://nippynihon.blogspot.com/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mahatma Gandhi:
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
The article made me think...
Is this the same case as with menstrual products? Sanitary napkins didn't enter the market until the 1930s, and I have a feeling that commercial petfood doesn't have much of a history either. People have had pets for thousands of years, with or without commerical pet food. There must be a way... and it can't be "only under the close supervision of your vet."
i have been reading about making our own pet food recently, and as far as grains are concerned, the consensus was that they should be soaked overnight and fed that way. grains are very hard to digest, and when they are cooked, they are worse. raw grains are hard for them to get nutrition out of, but soaking them overnight was the solution offered.
also, one source mentioned that you should let your dogs eat cow poop, if they come upon it. apparently the grains in that poop are optimal for their digestiion, since they are partially digested already.
so, bring on the cow poop!!
fiona
OK, I'm growing more and more confused with all of this. Originally, my cat was on dry Innova Lite (orange bag) for several years. Then, Innova changed the formula a bit and called it Innova Reduced Fat (fuchsia bag). My cat, for whatever reason did not react well at all to the new formulation. Now, I have him on the Natural Balance Reduced Calorie (pink bag). He's doing ok on this, but I'm not sure if I should switch again to something better. My bag of NB is almost gone, so I'm trying to figure this out. I usually give him the canned Wellness on occasion. In the past, I've only fed my cat moist food once or twice per week. Now, I wonder if I should start feeding him primarily moist food. Dave, do you feed your cats the Nature's Variety in kibble, canned, or frozen form? Or a combo? I noticed that the frozen NV is 95% meat and 5% veggies/fruits. The kibble has grain, though, except for the one grain-free variety. In Martin Goldstein's animal book, he says that cats should eat 1/3 to 1/2 meat, with grains and veggies for the rest. Dave, I thought you mentioned that you feed your animals no grain. I'm confused. Aarrrgh, what do I do???
Is this the same case as with menstrual products? Sanitary napkins didn't enter the market until the 1930s, and I have a feeling that commercial petfood doesn't have much of a history either. People have had pets for thousands of years, with or without commerical pet food. There must be a way... and it can't be "only under the close supervision of your vet."
Yes, processed pet food IS quite recent. And very American. It's unfortunate that this fast food mentality is spreading through out the world. Most ferret owners in Europe have been natural feeders and with (not surprisingly) a concomitent low incidence of disease/illness. I hate to hear of that processed pet food might becoming more popular. :( HOpefully, this will stem the tide.
And there IS a way - use common sense when feeding. But, alas, I think its obvious that common sense is not so common.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ferret Resources: http://nippynihon.blogspot.com/
Ferret Research: http://ferretknots.blogspot.com/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mahatma Gandhi:
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."