Think your pet is safe just because Salmonella or E. coli bacteria is killed by the cooking process of pet food? Think again. The elephant ignored in pet food: endotoxins produced by dead bacteria. This is one of the most concerning things I’ve learned about pet food.

The medical dictionary of theFreeDictionary.com states: Endotoxins are ‘toxins’ that are released on bacterial death. Endotoxins are produced by Gram-negative bacteria. Examples of gram-negative bacteria: Salmonella and E. coli. Endotoxins are “moderately toxic; fatal to animals in large doses.”

Endotoxins are sort of a defense mechanism for bacteria (gram-negative bacteria); you kill me, I’m going to release a toxin. When bacteria such as Salmonella or E. coli are killed through heat or other ‘kill steps’, they release a toxin (endotoxins). Endotoxins cannot be destroyed through heat or acid or any ‘kill step’ recommended by FDA. FDA would like consumers to believe that the only bacterial risk in pet food is live bacteria. But live bacteria in not the only concern. Endotoxins produced upon bacterial death causes another whole set of problems.

Endotoxins are also a concern for human food, but not nearly to the extent of pet food. The amount of endotoxins in food (pet food ingredients or human food) directly relates to the amount of bacteria present before the ‘kill step’ (cooking). In recent testing, Consumer Reports examined 300 packages of ground beef (for human consumption), every single sample tested positive for bacteria that signified fecal contamination. Ten percent of the samples had a strain of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria – an endotoxin producing bacteria.

If human food meat has a high risk of bacteria contamination, we can assume pet grade/feed grade meat has a dramatically increased risk of bacteria contamination, considering the inferior quality of ingredients FDA allows into pet food. Most pet foods are made with pet grade ingredients, also known as feed grade or inedible ingredients. As example of pet grade, feed grade or inedible ingredients is FDA Compliance Policy CPG 690.300 which allows pet food to be made from “animals which have died otherwise than by slaughter”.

This is example of animals that have died other than by slaughter…animals that have died in the field. These animals can lay in the field for days, once picked up by the renderer they can again lay for days before processing.

From a 2003 USDA document on animal carcass disposal: “Because raw materials in an advanced stage of decay result in poor-quality end products, carcasses should be processed as soon as possible; if storage prior to rendering is necessary, carcasses should be refrigerated or otherwise preserved to retard decay. The cooking step of the rendering process kills most bacteria, but does not eliminate endotoxins produced by some bacteria during the decay of carcass tissue. These toxins can cause disease, and pet food manufacturers do not test their products for endotoxins.”

Another example of animals that have died other than by slaughter: Spent laying hens (hens no longer producing eggs) and male chicks are ground whole (including feathers, beaks, feet and intestines). FDA and all other pet food regulatory authorities have no concern with poultry feces being included in a pet food (which is full of dangerous bacteria), their only concern is the kill step to destroy live bacteria. No attention is paid to what the dead bacteria releases – endotoxins.

FDA tells the public “occasionally meat from animals that may have died otherwise than by slaughter” is used in pet food. “Occasionally” is not even close to accurate. From the same 2003 USDA document quoted above, “about three billion pounds of carcasses” from animal mortalities need to be disposed of annually. The disposal method of choice: rendering (after rendering, ingredients are sold to pet food/animal feed manufacturers). Three billion pounds is not occasionally (and this was estimate 12 years ago – we can easily increase that number to four billion pounds or higher – annually…again, not ‘occasionally’). As well, this three billion pounds does not include perhaps an equal or greater billions of pounds of spent laying hens rendered whole (feathers, feet, beaks and intestines included) each year that heads directly to pet food.

Another concern in pet foods is lack of requirement to transport and warehouse ingredients under refrigeration and in clean conditions (actions to prevent the growth of bacteria). Consider the commonly used pet food ingredient chicken meal or lamb meal (any meal ingredient). This ingredient is ground meat, bones and internal organs – the end ingredient (meal) has been cooked. Thousands of pounds of these meat meal ingredients are commonly delivered to pet food manufacturing in a dump truck. That’s right…a dump truck. No refrigeration, no clean conditions…a dump truck. The image to the left is a meat meal ingredient being delivered to a pet food manufacturer.

So…in pet food, there is a significant risk for high bacterial contamination of ingredients. Add in more risk for bacterial contamination via transportation/warehousing and the end result can be a massive bacteria load on pet food ingredients. Kill step taken (cooking of the pet food and/or ingredients) equals a potential for massive amounts of endotoxins in many pet foods.

FDA does insist on some type of “kill step” to destroy live bacteria, but FDA neglects to warn the public or even consider the risks of endotoxins from dead bacteria. Existing pet food regulations almost encourage an environment for massive bacterial growth (prior to kill step); allowing an environment for massive levels of endotoxins in finished pet foods/treats.

What are the risks of endotoxins?

Endotoxins cause inflammation; inflammation is the foundation of disease. Endotoxins have been linked to obesity, diabetes.

From Donald R. Strombeck, DVM, PhD, Professor Emeritus, University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine:

“Endotoxin entering the body is carried to the liver where it is inactivated. Increased endotoxin levels can damage the liver. Moreover, when the amount of endotoxin reaching the liver is normal, the presence of another potential toxin can interact with endotoxin to damage the liver. The other substances are not necessarily toxins. They include vitamin A, copper and iron, and many drugs. Thus, any level of endotoxin can damage the liver. Exposure to endotoxin should be minimized as much as possible.”

Endotoxemia: the presence of endotoxins in the blood. Endotoxins consumed through food sources are most often absorbed into the blood stream through the intestinal lining.

From Infectious Diseases of the Dog and Cat (3rd Edition), Chapter 38 Endotoxemia:

Dogs: “No clinical signs have been found that are pathognomonic for endotoxemia. Animals show either signs associated with infection (e.g., purulent vaginal discharge with pyometra, coughing with pneumonia, mastitis) or localizing signs such as inactivity and inappetence. Tachycardia, tachypnea, and fever are the clinical hallmarks of SIRS. If a dog is progressing towards severe sepsis or septic shock, signs associated with the GI tract (the canine Shock organ system) can develop, including vomiting or diarrhea, or both.”

Cats: “Endotoxemia is rarely reported and poorly described in cats. In a retrospective case series of cats with confirmed severe sepsis (9 of 29 cats had confirmed Escherichia coli or Pseudomonas spp. infections; endotoxin was not assayed), clinical signs included lethargy, pale mucous membranes, weak femoral pulses, tachypnea, hypothermia or fever, diffuse pain on abdominal palpation, bradycardia, and icterus.”

What can you do to protect your pet?

The most important thing is to provide your pet a food made with ingredients that had minimal bacterial growth in their raw state (prior to manufacturing of the pet food). Talk to your pet food manufacturer – ask them how they prevent bacteria growth. Ask if all raw material (raw ingredients) are transported and warehoused under refrigeration (optimal would be ingredients transported and warehoused according to human food safety standards). The only way to prevent endotoxin contamination in a pet food is to prevent bacteria growth on the ingredients.

Human grade ingredients – ingredients that are USDA inspected and approved for human consumption, and transported and warehoused under proper refrigeration is vital. Yes, human grade meats do contain endotoxin producing bacteria. However pet grade or feed grade meats are most often a lesser quality and are commonly not transported under refrigeration. Assumed risk of pet grade ingredients is dramatically higher than human grade ingredients.

Supplement your pet’s diet with a quality probiotic. It is key to have a healthy balance of bacteria in your pet’s gut. From a study published in World Journal of Gastroenterology, ‘Probiotics and gut health: A special focus on liver diseases’: “Newer evidence suggests that probiotics have the potential to reduce the risk of developing inflammatory bowel diseases and intestinal bacterial overgrowth after gut surgery. In liver health, the main benefits of probiotics might occur through preventing the production and/or uptake of lipopolysaccharides (endotoxins) in the gut, and therefore reducing levels of low-grade inflammation.”

Supplement your pet’s diet with fish oil or cod liver oil (omega-3 fatty acids). A 2013 study on pigs found that fish oil and cod liver oil supplements reduced endotoxin levels in the blood by 50%. Foods that provide natural sources of omega-3 are flaxseeds, sardines, and salmon. Pet food consumers can add these foods (human grade) to their pets diet to help control the effects of endotoxins they could be consuming.

Please consult your veterinarian for dosage of probiotics, fish oil and/or cod liver oil, and all food supplements.

If you suspect your pet has symptoms of endotoxemia, please ask your veterinarian to test for it (level of endotoxins in the blood). If you find high levels of endotoxins in the blood of your pet, you might want to consider having the pet food tested for endotoxin levels; ask your veterinarian to suggest a trusted lab. Also – please report any diagnosis of endotoxemia to FDA (send FDA your pet’s laboratory results). You can do that here: http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/ReportaProblem/ucm182403.htm

How prevalent are endotoxins in commercial pet foods?

Pet food is manufactured by grinding the ingredients – similar to the process of grinding hamburger. In human food, hamburger meat has been tested to contain up to 100 million (live) bacteria per hamburger. The result after cooking, a massive load of endotoxins remain in that hamburger. It is believed the reason that hamburger meat (ground meat) contains such high levels of (live) bacteria is due to using meat and fat trimmings from multiple animals, grinding the meat co-mingles all the the bacteria.

A similar system is used in pet food – meat and fat trimmings from multiple animals are ground prior to ingredient and/or pet food manufacturing. But…and this is a big but…pet food most commonly uses a lesser quality meat and fat trimmings than human food. So… if we know human food hamburger has been tested containing 100 million bacteria per hamburger (all USDA inspected and approved meat, required to be handled and transported under strict regulation meant to control bacterial growth), we can assume that many pet food meats (billions of pounds non-USDA inspected and not required to be transported under any regulation to control bacterial growth) contain significantly higher bacteria per serving. That significantly higher bacterial load – after the ‘kill step’ – results in significantly higher levels of endotoxins in the pet food.

An example of how prevalent endotoxins in pet food could be, we look back at our Pet Food Test Results published earlier this year. Our testing found 10 of 12 pet foods contained gram-negative bacteria that upon ‘kill-step’ would produce endotoxins.

Pet foods tested found to contain one or more types of gram-negative (endotoxin producing) bacteria:

Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Renal LP Modified in Gravy Can Cat Food

Fancy Feast Grilled Chicken Variety Pack Purina Canned Cat Food

Science Diet Adult Hairball Control Minced Chicken Entree Cat Food Can

Meow Mix Tender Centers Salmon & Turkey Flavors Dry

Friskies Grillers Cat Food Dry

Wellness Complete Health Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal & Rice Adult Cat Food Dry

Hill’s Prescription Diet C/D Urinary Tract Health Can

Blue Freedom Grain Free Chicken Recipe Adult Dog Food Dry

Beneful Original Dog Food Dry

Ol’ Roy Dog Food Soft & Moist Beef

And another concern. Synergy: the interaction of elements that when combined produce a total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual elements.

There can be a synergistic effect of endotoxins with other toxins of pet foods and with some ingredients. Mycotoxins are stated to “aggravate exposure to endotoxins”. In a pet food industry/animal feed industry publication, regarding poultry and endotoxin exposure risk, it states that mycotoxins “increase intestinal permeability” to absorb endotoxins.

Recent science (2014) found that propylene glycol – commonly used in pet foods – “increased the mortality rate in sepsis induced by the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide in mice.”

Of the pet foods we tested, the following list of pet foods included gram-negative bacteria that will produce endotoxins, contained levels of mycotoxins and/or the ingredient propylene glycol…

Synergy – Mycotoxins

Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Renal LP Modified in Gravy Can Cat Food

Fancy Feast Grilled Chicken Variety Pack Purina Canned Cat Food

Meow Mix Tender Centers Salmon & Turkey Flavors Dry

Wellness Complete Health Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal & Rice Adult Cat Food Dry

Hill’s Prescription Diet C/D Urinary Tract Health Can

Blue Freedom Grain Free Chicken Recipe Adult Dog Food Dry

Beneful Original Dog Food Dry

Synergy – Propylene Glycol

Beneful Original Dog Food Dry

Hypothesis: a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.

Let’s look again at the symptoms of endotoxemia (the presence of endotoxins in the blood).

Dog Symptoms: “No clinical signs have been found that are pathognomonic for endotoxemia. (pathognomonic: specifically characteristic or indicative of a particular disease or condition) Animals show either signs associated with infection (e.g., purulent vaginal discharge with pyometra, coughing with pneumonia, mastitis) or localizing signs such as inactivity and inappetence. Tachycardia (abnormally rapid heart rate), tachypnea (abnormally rapid breathing), and fever are the clinical hallmarks of SIRS. If a dog is progressing towards severe sepsis or septic shock, signs associated with the GI tract (the canine Shock organ system) can develop, including vomiting or diarrhea, or both.”

And now we look at pet illness symptoms reported by pet owners linked to pet foods. Taken from consumer complaints reported on Consumer Affairs.com…

“Just came back from the Vet with my sick Dachshund. Started giving her Beneful dog food 4 days ago. She suddenly stopped eating and drinking, and started vomiting. After 24 hrs I took her to the Vet because her gums were so pale.”

“My dog ate Beneful and recently started getting very sick. Incontinent of urine and feces, blood in his loose stools, vomiting, and declining appetite.”

Cat Symptoms: “Endotoxemia is rarely reported and poorly described in cats. In a retrospective case series of cats with confirmed severe sepsis (9 of 29 cats had confirmed Escherichia coli or Pseudomonas spp. infections; endotoxin was not assayed), clinical signs included lethargy, pale mucous membranes, weak femoral pulses, tachypnea (abnormally rapid breathing), hypothermia (abnormally low body temperature) or fever, diffuse pain on abdominal palpation, bradycardia (abnormally slow heart action), and icterus (jaundice).”

Taken from consumer complaints reported on Consumer Affairs.com…

“On January 9, I fed my cat Fancy Feast cat food, and within hours, he was lethargic, had a high fever, diarrhea and nausea.”

“My 8 year old, healthy male cat Oliver passed away last night. He was fine all day, but got sick in the evening after eating a can of Fancy Feast Delights Chicken and Cheese in gravy. He threw up about 3 times. The vomit was watery and there was no signs of anything else in it other than the canned food. He also hid under the bed and was panting with a hard stomach, we thought it was just an upset stomach. We woke up the next morning and he was gone.”

My hypothesis: With FDA approval for pet foods to use the most inferior quality ingredients imaginable, certain to be overgrown with dangerous bacteria, and certain to produce an overwhelming level of endotoxins once cooked – endotoxin contamination of pet foods is more than a probable risk. Symptoms reported by consumers are almost an identical match to clinical symptoms of endotoxemia. Are endotoxins the unknown cause to so many pet deaths and illnesses? It certainly is an issue that needs to be investigated.

The following letter was sent to FDA…

Dr. Bernadette Dunham

Dr. Dan McChesney

Dr. William Burkholder

Association for Truth in Pet Food (ATPF) – on behalf of our pet food consumer members – is requesting FDA/CVM to investigate endotoxin levels in pet foods and to establish a safe maximum level for cats and dogs to consume (on a daily basis).

There is a multitude of science discussing the dangers of endotoxins. Science links endotoxins to obesity and diabetes. Science links endotoxins to inflammation and gastrointestinal disease.

Mycotoxins are stated to “aggravate exposure to endotoxins”. In a pet food industry/animal feed industry publication, regarding poultry and endotoxin exposure risk, it states that mycotoxins “increase intestinal permeability” to absorb endotoxins. (Source: http://www.wattagnet.com/articles/23248-poultry-and-endotoxin-exposure-risk)

Recent science (2014) found that propylene glycol – commonly used in pet foods – “increased the mortality rate in sepsis induced by the bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide in mice.” (Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24975968)

Veterinarian and Professor Emeritus, University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine Dr. Donald R. Strombeck states “Endotoxin entering the body is carried to the liver where it is inactivated. Increased endotoxin levels can damage the liver. Moreover, when the amount of endotoxin reaching the liver is normal, the presence of another potential toxin can interact with endotoxin to damage the liver. The other substances are not necessarily toxins. They include vitamin A, copper and iron, and many drugs. Thus, any level of endotoxin can damage the liver. Exposure to endotoxin should be minimized as much as possible.” (Source: http://dogcathomeprepareddiet.com/commercial_pet_food_contaminatio.html)

How many other common toxins of pet food or common pet food ingredients collectively work to increase the absorption of endotoxins into the blood?

Considering the source of feed grade/pet grade ingredients, we can safely assume the bacterial load on commonly used pet food ingredients is massive compared to food grade ingredients. FDA encourages a ‘kill step’ to prevent the risks from live bacteria to pets consuming the food and/or humans handling the food. However FDA does not offer consumers protection from the dangerous endotoxins left after the ‘kill step’. ATPF would like to know why FDA has not addressed this serious concern with pet food?

Science tells us that high levels of endotoxins can be deadly to animals. What is the no observed adverse effect level of endotoxins for cats and dogs consumed in food?

It is truly concerning to read the dog and cat symptoms of endotoxemia from veterinary publications. From Infectious Diseases of the Dog and Cat (3rd Edition), Chapter 38 Endotoxemia:

Dogs: “Animals show either signs associated with infection (e.g., purulent vaginal discharge with pyometra, coughing with pneumonia, mastitis) or localizing signs such as inactivity and inappetence. Tachycardia, tachypnea, and fever are the clinical hallmarks of SIRS. If a dog is progressing towards severe sepsis or septic shock, signs associated with the GI tract (the canine Shock organ system) can develop, including vomiting or diarrhea, or both.”

Cats: “Endotoxemia is rarely reported and poorly described in cats. In a retrospective case series of cats with confirmed severe sepsis (9 of 29 cats had confirmed Escherichia coli or Pseudomonas spp. infections; endotoxin was not assayed), clinical signs included lethargy, pale mucous membranes, weak femoral pulses, tachypnea, hypothermia or fever, diffuse pain on abdominal palpation, bradycardia, and icterus.”

ATPF asks FDA/CVM to compare these symptoms with many of the consumer reported pet food adverse events received. We suspect you will find many consumer reported symptoms match – almost identically – with the clinical symptoms of endotoxemia. Endotoxins levels in the blood of sick pets should be investigated, recorded and compared with the endotoxins levels found in suspect pet foods.

ATPF believes this is a serious concern that deserves immediate attention and investigation by FDA/CVM. Prevention of bacterial contamination in pet food ingredients must be of significant importance to control the level of endotoxins in pet foods. A ‘kill step’ is not the only concern. We await your report on this issue.

Susan Thixton

On behalf of pet food consumer members

Association for Truth in Pet Food

Should FDA respond, it will be shared with all.

I do believe this is a serious situation. The more I read and researched this issue, the worse it got. The FDA/CVM website states: “CVM had no evidence of human or animal disease associated with the feeding of properly rendered and handled animal feed ingredients despite the use of tissues from diseased animals or animals that have died otherwise than by slaughter.” If FDA/CVM is unaware of animal disease associated with rendered feed ingredients…perhaps it is because they have never looked.

The only thing we can do – until FDA establishes a maximum level of endotoxins in pet food that will protect our pets – is to become proactive. Repeating from above…

What can you do to protect your pet?

The most important thing is to provide your pet a food made with ingredients that had minimal bacterial growth in their raw state (prior to manufacturing of the pet food). Talk to your pet food manufacturer – ask them how they prevent bacteria growth.

Human grade ingredients – ingredients that are USDA inspected and approved for human consumption, and transported and warehoused under proper refrigeration is vital. Yes, human grade meats do contain endotoxin producing bacteria. However pet grade or feed grade meats are most often a much lesser quality and have not been transported under refrigeration.

Supplement your pet’s diet with a quality probiotic. It is key to have a healthy balance of bacteria in your pet’s gut. Supplement your pet’s diet with fish oil or cod liver oil (omega-3 fatty acids). Pet food consumers can add (human grade) foods that provide natural sources of omega-3 such as flaxseeds, sardines, and salmon. Please consult your veterinarian for dosage of probiotics, fish oil and/or cod liver oil.

If you suspect your pet has symptoms of endotoxemia, please ask your veterinarian to test for it (level of endotoxins in the blood). If you find high levels of endotoxins in the blood of your pet, you might want to consider having the pet food tested for endotoxin levels; ask your veterinarian to suggest a trusted lab. Also – please report any diagnosis of endotoxemia to FDA (send FDA your pet’s laboratory results). You can do that here: http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/ReportaProblem/ucm182403.htm

For a brief overview of this post, Click Here to view (and share) an info-graphic.

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton

Pet Food Safety Advocate

Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible

TruthaboutPetFood.com

Association for Truth in Pet Food

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