Keeping Your Pet Healthy Naturally (Defending Man's Best Friends)

There is an undeniable push for consumers to eschew chemical-laden foods and personal care products, and opt for healthier, natural options. Unfortunately, in man’s quest for full-body health, man’s best friends are oftentimes left sitting in a corner, munching on pet food of questionable origins.

Just as humans can benefit from dietary supplements and nutrient-rich foods, so can animals. “While it is true that dogs are omnivores and cats are strict carnivores, both animals are susceptible to nutrient deficiencies, and can benefit immensely from the simple addition of natural and organically-grown superfoods to the diet,” explained Christopher Daniels, director of sales, marketing and product development, Greens Plus.

Unfortunately, many mainstream pet foods include ingredients that can cause health problems. “As many pet guardians have discovered, there is a huge quality gap among pet food products,” noted Jean Hofve, DVM, consultant to Nordic Naturals. Indeed, last year’s pet food recall shocked many owners. “The recalls highlighted the dangers of substituting cheap plant proteins, such as wheat gluten, for better quality—but more expensive—meat proteins. Past recalls have similarly resulted from use of inexpensive bulk ingredients like corn, which is highly susceptible to mold, and some molds have proven to be extremely toxic,” added Hofve.

The Cat’s Me-Ouch

The quality of ingredients in mass-market pet foods often leaves something to be desired. “Typically, pet food ingredients are discarded by-products from the human meat, poultry and grain industries,” explained William Barnett, DVM, president and CEO of Innovative Pet Nutrition LLC. “The process of cooking these ingredients at high temperatures further destroys much of the potential, natural goodness of pet food. The resulting dry nuggets or canned foods are then highly preserved so they can withstand the months that follow before the food finally reaches your pet’s food bowl,” he added.

Hofve agreed, adding that approximately 50 percent of every animal food is not used for human consumption, there are plenty of non-meat “by-products” available, which make up the bulk of the animal protein in low- and mid-priced products. “Carnivores are designed to eat prey animals, including what we would call by-products, or meat- and bone-meal, along with the meat,” she said. “However, feeding only by-products with little or no meat doesn’t provide equivalent nutrition, so deficiencies occur.” Consider the case of taurine, an amino acid found in meat, which Hofve noted is essential for cats. In the 1980’s, when pet food manufacturers began substituting grain products, like corn gluten meal, for meat, thousands of cats developed heart failure and died due to the lack of taurine in their diets. Taurine deficiencies are now being detected in dogs, because grain proteins are increasingly being used as inexpensive substitutes for meat.

Contamination is also a huge problem with mass-market products. “Probably the greatest hazard from using mass market products is the likelihood of greater loss of quality control, resulting in an overall loss of connection to your customers,” said Guinevere Lynn, director of operations, Sun Chlorella USA. “This commonly occurs when companies outsource a portion of the manufacturing process, resulting in a lack of quality assurance, as well as compromising high-quality ingredients for cheaper ones that are lacking in nutrients,” she explained.

Hofve echoed Lynn’s statement, adding that corn, another source of cheap calories, was blamed for much of last year’s pet recall fiasco due to contamination with aflatoxin-producing mold.

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