The Perils Of Pet Food Update: March 29, 2010 We now recognize that we are playing Russian Roulette with our pets' lives with every serving of commercial dog and cat food. It takes longer to read the list of recalled foods than it does to whip up a batch of homemade dog food or put down raw turkey or chicken meat from a plastic package for cats. It doesn't matter if the products claim to have "natural, organic or wholesome ingredients" because dogs and cats have not evolved enough to flourish on artificial nutrients and you can't put real food in a bag, can or pouch. We know that the pet food manufacturers are self-regulated, we know that they are using substandard and nonfood products, we know that they have to add artificial nutrition and chemical flavor enhancers and we know that every year, 50% of all the dogs and cats in the USA die from cancer! The facts are in. Read about the brave whistle blowers and help me spread the word to all the dog and cat owners in the world so that we can force the pet food manufacturers to produce real food products. They would all have to be frozen and there wouldn't be any more bags of dry kibble -- I'm dreaming, aren't I? Some dogs and cats beat the odds and live a happy, full life. I had a kitty who beat the odds and lived to 22 but studies have shown us that cats are genetically programed to live to 25. For the most part, we see our pets dying too young and having the following problems that we take for granted: allergies -- high levels of artificial additives trigger imbalance arthritis -- from the high build up of artificial calcium deposits cancer -- Colorado State University states: Cancer is the number one natural cause of death in geriatric cats and dogs, and it accounts for nearly 50 percent of pet deaths each year. bladder problems -- from high toxicity dental problems -- the mouth is an indicator of bad diet diarrhea -- a symptom of unwanted toxins passing through the large intestine diabetes -- too much sugar in the pet foods causes pancreatic problems digestive problems -- a dog or cat can't drink enough water to compensate for eating dry processed food; their systems aren't designed to consume high amounts of grains, husks and foreign matter such as saw dust, beaks, feathers, feces which causes problems in the stomach, liver, kidneys and intestines gastric bloat -- caused by commercial kibble expanding in the dog's stomach often causing the stomach to flip which is gastric torsion hyperthyroidism/hypothyroidism -- caused by elevated levels of liver and adrenal enzymes kidney problems -- can be caused by artificial phosphorus and proteins in commercial foods liver problems -- the liver is the body's main detoxifier and bears the brunt of low-grade food, synthetic drugs and environmental pollutants obesity -- caused by high sugar and carbohydrate levels in commercial foods skin problems -- the first place the body tries to reject toxins is through the skin Just One Of The Perils Of Commercial Cat Foods Cats are susceptible to Eosinophilic Granuloma Complex (EGC), a group of skin lesions that can be caused by an allergic reaction to food. EGC is commonly called Lick Granuloma. This is a recent disorder that began shortly after we started feeding our cats imitation food out of bags and low-quality cooked food from cans. Read more about it at PetPlace.com . Cats MUST eat raw meat to be healthy and they can't get that out of a bag or a can. Only from raw meat can they naturally process the amino acid, taurine, that is essential to their system. Artificial taurine is added to virtually every commercial cat food ever since 1976 when Science Diet discovered that cats were getting sick from eating their food. Artificial taurine is starting to cause more problems with the skin and eyes. My beloved Mrs. McGillykitty has had funny lumps in her mouth since she was a kitten and we thought at first that she was getting stung by bees in the yard. She started having tooth and gum decay at a very young age but that's what happened to all my cats and I thought it was "normal". Gilly frequently had her teeth cleaned under full anesthesia and has had most of her teeth removed. I have always bought the most expensive, veterinarian-recommended, so-called 'organic' dry cat food and spent a fortune in vet bills for kidney, skin and dental problems. My head was in the sand... In this photo of Gilly's mouth, you can see that her chin is distended and swollen and her throat has festering sores. She only has 3½ teeth but can eat raw, ground turkey easily. The best way to prevent Lick Granuloma is to feed cats RAW food. This is also the only way to prevent kidney problems, skin irritations, diabetes, cancer, hairballs, and dental problems. I started homefeeding all my kitties raw, ground turkey (see CATS) more than three years ago and within minutes I saw improvement in their physical and mental health, especially Gilly's. However, I've discovered, the hard way, that you can't poison a cat for 9 years and expect them to be cured even when you start feeding them correctly. (As of April 15, 2007, I can say that Gilly has been in remission for more than a year without serious flairups.) My newest cat, Popoki, has never been fed commercial cat food. He has a hard body like panther, a coat so glossy that he glows in the moonlight, perfect teeth and an amazing attitude. Cats who are fed a raw diet are not as susceptible to fleas, ear mites or other pesky parasites. They have a better chance of living a longer life according to their genetic code. Questions we don't want to know the answers to... Q: Who built Colorado State University a new Animal Cancer Center? A: Hills Prescription/Science Diet Q: Who built University of California Davis a new veterinary facility? A: Science Diet Q: Who teaches nutrition to our veterinarians? A: Science Diet, Hill's Prescription Diet, Purina, Eukanuba, Iams Q: Who controls the pet food industry? A: They are self-regulating and not under any obligation to the FDA. Q: Who sponsors conferences, including airfare, accommodations, and entertainment for our veterinarians? A: In 2000 Eukaneuba hosted a veterinary conference on Maui, Hawaii 101710