| Every day, people by the millions pour food from a | | | | extend shelf-life by sterilization. Dry foods are |
| package into their pet's bowl. Day in and day out, meal | | | | extruded at hundreds of degrees and hundreds of |
| after meal, pets get the same fare. This strange | | | | pounds of pressure. Canned foods are retorted. |
| phenomenon is widely practiced by loving pet owners | | | | Commercial pet foods also contain a mix of |
| who believe they are doing the right thing. Why? | | | | ingredients including meats, fats, starches (a variety of |
| Certainly because it is convenient, but also because | | | | label dressing "natural" ingredient buzzwords) and |
| the labels state that such foods are "complete and | | | | vitamin/mineral "fortifiers." Although the ingredient label |
| balanced," "100% complete," or that they have passed | | | | is evocative and beguiling, what is in the final product is |
| various analytical and feeding test standards. | | | | another matter. Essential fatty acids are oxidized and |
| Furthermore, manufacturers, and even veterinarians, | | | | isomerized. Cytotoxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic |
| counsel pet owners about not feeding other foods, | | | | cholesterol oxidation products (COP) are formed, |
| such as table scraps, because of the danger of | | | | including C-7 derivatives, 5,6-epoxides, triols, 25-OHs |
| unbalancing these modern processed nutritional | | | | and 3,5-dienes - the real culprits in human |
| marvels. The power of the message is so great that | | | | atherogenesis, incidently. The cooked meats form |
| pet owners en masse do every day to their pets | | | | heterocyclic amines, proteins are degraded and amino |
| what they would never do to themselves or their | | | | acids destroyed or racemized. Carbohydrates are |
| children - force-feed the same processed food at | | | | glycated, acrylamides are formed, vitamins destroyed, |
| every meal. Think about it. Our world is complex | | | | oxidized and racemized and minerals are complexed |
| beyond comprehension. It is not only largely unknown, it | | | | into unavailable matrices. The end result is a potpourri |
| is unknowable in the "complete" sense. In order for | | | | of imbalance, unavailability and toxicity - not "100% |
| nutritionists and manufacturers to produce a "100% | | | | completeness." Yes, pets can survive for a time on |
| complete and balanced" pet food, they must first know | | | | such fare, but that is simply a testament to their |
| 100% about nutrition. However, nutrition is not a | | | | physiological capacity to adapt. They seek equilibrium |
| completed science. It is, in fact, an aggregate science, | | | | at higher and higher levels of toxicity until adaptive |
| which is based upon other sciences, such as | | | | reserve is exhausted. Chronic degenerative diseases |
| chemistry, physics, and biology. But since no scientist | | | | and immune failure is the end result. The point is, don't |
| would argue that everything is known in chemistry, or | | | | believe the claim on any commercially prepared pet (or |
| physics, or biology, how can nutritionists claim to know | | | | human) food that it is "100% complete and balanced." It |
| everything there is to know about nutrition, which is | | | | is a spurious unsupported boast, intended to build |
| based upon these sciences? This is the logical | | | | consumer trust and dependence on commercial |
| absurdity of the "100% complete and balanced" diet | | | | products - not create optimal health. Unfortunately, |
| claim. It is the reason a similar venture to feed babies a | | | | most people think animal feeding is a mystery. It is not. |
| "100% complete" formula turned out to be a health | | | | Animal nutrition is not a special nutritional science to |
| disaster. In that instance, after sufficient disease and | | | | which common sense human nutrition principles cannot |
| death resulted from attempting to retire the human | | | | be applied. Use the same reasoning in feeding your |
| breast to a mere appendage of adornment, | | | | pets that you use for feeding your family. Nutrition is |
| government stepped in and controlled the commercial | | | | also not about some special ingredient, the absence of |
| hype. Now doctors, nurses and purveyors of baby | | | | some boogeyman ingredient, or claims such as |
| formulas cannot say these products are complete or | | | | "natural," "organic," or the like. If you feed processed |
| that they are equal to or superior to breast-feeding. | | | | foods, use discernment since just about anyone can |
| Good for the regulators. (Although they should have | | | | create a commercial pet food. The pet food industry |
| been proactive and prevented the disaster before it | | | | has hundreds of brands. Business profiteers and the |
| ever took root, not have merely stepped in after | | | | occasional movie star are the most common forces |
| enough deaths accrued.) Even with that lesson as a | | | | behind the labels. All one needs is a little money and |
| dire warning, pet food regulators turn a blind eye. | | | | they can go to any number of toll manufacturers and |
| Instead of preventing pet food producers from claiming | | | | have them slightly modify a shelf formula. Then all that |
| a processed food concoction is 100% complete, they | | | | is needed is to dress it all up with a fancy package, a |
| in effect promote the death and disease-dealing | | | | clever brochure, and some advertising. Voila! Another |
| specious claim by setting bogus standards that | | | | brand is added to the 20-billion-dollar pet food industry |
| supposedly justify and authenticate the claim. They | | | | heyday. Nutrition is a serious health business, not a |
| legitimize sloppy science in order to win consumer | | | | mere opportunity to turn dollars. Check the credentials |
| confidence. All a manufacturer has to do is guarantee | | | | of the decision maker at the head of the company |
| that their percentage of protein, fat and the like meets | | | | you are entrusting your pet's health to and examine |
| National Research Council standards. In the alternative, | | | | closely its operating philosophy. Health competence |
| manufacturers can do feeding trials on caged | | | | and principle should come before pretty packaging and |
| laboratory animals for a few weeks, measure cursory | | | | beguiling hoopla. The public is not well served by |
| blood parameters, and monitor growth and weight - as | | | | exclusively feeding products from companies without |
| if survival after a few weeks on a food has anything | | | | any real commitment to health… or knowledge |
| to do with achieving optimal health and long life! Down | | | | of how to even achieve it. For the past 25 years, I |
| the primrose path millions of trusting pet owners go | | | | have been a lonely voice in the wilderness trying to get |
| while at the same time unknowingly condemning their | | | | people to understand the deadly health consequences |
| pets to terrible degenerative diseases. Pet food | | | | of feeding processed pet foods exclusively. People |
| regulators then spend the majority of their time | | | | want convenience in a bag and the industry wants the |
| harassing pet food companies with picayune | | | | flow of billions of dollars to continue uninterrupted. In the |
| requirements about terminology on packaging and | | | | meantime, the scientific literature offers compelling |
| where certain words must be placed on labels. In this | | | | proof that millions of animals have been maimed and |
| regard manufacturers must contend with the USDA | | | | killed as a result of feeding thoroughly tested "100% |
| (United States Department of Agriculture), FDA (Food | | | | complete" foods… with the full imprimatur of |
| and Drug Administration), AAFCO (American | | | | government regulation. (Exactly the same thing that |
| Association of Feed Control Officials), and 50 State | | | | abounds in the FDA-pharmaceutical industry.) |
| feed regulatory agencies. All for naught. It's like the | | | | Examples of pet food disasters include dilated |
| entire police force busying themselves ticketing people | | | | cardiomyopathy from taurine deficiency, potassium |
| for jaywalking while turning a blind eye to the murder | | | | imbalances, fatty acid and carnitine deficiencies and |
| and rape going on in the alleys. Claiming that anything is | | | | numerous other problems that would be expected on |
| 100% is like claiming perfection, total knowledge, and | | | | a steady diet of dead, devitalized, carbohydrate-based |
| absolute truth. Has pet nutrition really advanced that | | | | processed foods. Moreover, the whole panoply of |
| far? Does a chemist make such a claim? A physicist? | | | | human chronic degenerative diseases such as cancer, |
| Doctor? Professor? Did Einstein, Bohr, Pasteur, | | | | obesity, arthritis, autoimmunities, dental deterioration and |
| Aristotle, Plato, or any of the greatest minds in human | | | | organ failure are at epidemic levels in the pet |
| history make such claims? No. Has the science of pet | | | | population… as should be expected on such a |
| nutrition advanced to the point where everything is | | | | diet. "Thousands of pet cats die each year with dilated |
| known about the physiology, digestion and biochemistry | | | | cardiomyopathy… observed in… cats |
| of animals, or that everything is known about their | | | | fed commercial cat food…" (Science, Volume |
| food? Certainly not. The fact of the matter is that the | | | | 237, pages 764-8) Not only is feeding the same |
| "100% complete" claim is actually "100% complete" | | | | processed food day in and day out a formula for |
| guesswork. At best, one could say that such a claim is | | | | disease, it is a cruelty to pets. It is one thing to take |
| the firm possibility of a definite maybe. Each time | | | | them from their interesting and active wild setting and |
| regulatory agencies convene to decide how much of | | | | confine them, but to not even offer them interesting |
| which nutrients comprise "100% completeness," debate | | | | natural meal variety is really quite inexcusable. The |
| always ensues and standards usually change. This not | | | | answer, like everything else good in life, is a little |
| only proves that what they claimed before was not | | | | attention and common sense. Knowledge is the best |
| "100% complete," but this should also make us highly | | | | beginning point. Further reading and resources of |
| suspicious about what they now claim to be "100% | | | | scientific references: Wysong, R. L. (2002). The Truth |
| complete." Moreover, consider that in order to | | | | About Pet Foods. Midland, MI: Inquiry Press. Science, |
| determine the minimum requirement for a certain | | | | Volume 237, pages 764-8 Journal of the American |
| nutrient - say protein - all other nutrients used in the | | | | Veterinary Medical Association, Volume 199, pages |
| feeding trials must be adequate and standardized. | | | | 731-4 Journal of the American Veterinary Medical |
| Otherwise, if vitamin E, for example, is in excess or is | | | | Association, Volume 201, pages 267-74 Feline Practice, |
| deficient in the basal diet, how would one know if the | | | | Volume 20, Number 1, page 30 Journal of the |
| results of the study were because of the effects of | | | | American Veterinary Medical Association, Volume 202, |
| protein or due to something amiss with the level of | | | | pages 744-51 Journal of the American Veterinary |
| vitamin E? If the minimum requirements for all 26+ | | | | Medical Association, Volume 191, pages 1563-8 Journal |
| essential nutrients were all set and absolutely etched in | | | | of Nutrition, Volume 129, pages 1909-14 Journal of |
| stone, that would be one thing. But they aren't. They | | | | Nutrition, Volume 126, pages 984-8 Journal of the |
| are constantly changing. This means each time any | | | | American Veterinary Medical Association, Volume 203, |
| nutrient requirement is changed, all test results for all | | | | pages 1395-1400 Journal of the American Veterinary |
| other nutrients using the wrong minimum for this | | | | Medical Association, Volume 198, pages 647-50 |
| nutrient would then be invalid. Most nutritionists simply | | | | Veterinary Clinics of North America Small Animal |
| ignore this conundrum, feeling like cowboys trying to | | | | Practice, Volume 19, pages 527-37 Veterinary Forum, |
| lasso an octopus - there are just too many loose ends. | | | | Volume 9, pages 34-5 Veterinary Forum, Volume 9, |
| But they continue to perpetuate the "100% complete" | | | | pages 26-8 American Journal of Veterinary Research, |
| myth, and excuse themselves by saying they make | | | | Volume 62, pages 1616-23 Petfood Industry, May/June |
| adjustments when necessary. An apology of "I'm | | | | 1998, pages 4-14 Journal of Animal Science, Volume |
| sorry," when the false premise of "100% | | | | 75, pages 2980-5 Veterinary Business, Volume 2, page |
| completeness" is still retained, deserves no forgiveness. | | | | 1 Waltham International Focus, Volume 3, Number 1, |
| Also consider that virtually all so-called complete pet | | | | page 9 For further reading, or for more information |
| foods are vigorously heat processed to gelatinize the | | | | about, Dr Wysong and the Wysong Corporation |
| unnatural starch components (making them "digestible" | | | | please visit or write to . |
| - meaning more easily converted to glucose) and to | | | | |