31st Mar 2009

Recall of Salmonella-Contaminated Pistachios

Salmonella-contaminated pistachios are being recalled in the US. Four different strains of salmonella were found on roasted pistachios shipped for processing in a variety of products. The pistachios are being voluntarily recalled by Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc., in Terra Bella, California (an affiliate of Setton International Foods Inc.).

Posted by Posted by admin under Filed under Pet Food Recalls Comments No Comments »

16th Mar 2009

Emergency Help for Rats with Respiratory Problems

The following is a technique my husband picked up at the Neonatal Care Unit. We have applied it with great success to our rescued rats when they are in respiratory distress or during gasping attacks .

- Take the animal and hold her gently in a comfortable position with one hand.
- Tap with the tips of two (or three) fingers hard (but not too hard) on her ribcage on the
sides of her body, directly above the lungs. You should faintly hear the tapping sounds.
- Alternate tapping on both of her sides.
- Make a short break.
- Repeat for a couple of minutes or until the rat gets restless.
- Reward with kisses, petting and/or a special treat.

Our rats really respond well to this emergency intervention.

We apply this treatment also when acute gasping attacks are not an issue to relieve respiratory distress (i.e., when we hear that fluids have accumulated in the lungs).

You can do this anytime, when you watch a movie, when you sit still, or on your trip to your veterinarian - whenever you have both hands free to help your pet.

This is a temporary solution only; you have to consult your vet to learn how to best resolve the underlying problem.

Aside from being a supportive or an emergency intervention, this simple treatment can help tighten the bond between you and your pet. Our rats usually enjoy it and start licking our hands soon after we start with this procedure. They really don’t seem to get tired of it.

Posted by Posted by admin under Filed under Home Remedies & News Bits Comments No Comments »

16th Mar 2009

Food Safety Modernization Bill

This is a link to a new bill to better protect the safety of our foods:
https://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.875:

This bill is under review by the House and Senate now. The link refers to the House bill.

Posted by Posted by admin under Filed under Food Regulations Comments No Comments »

12th Mar 2009

Complete or Balanced Pet Foods - Does Supplementation Make Them Nutritionally Adequate?

Almost all of the so-called ‘balanced’ or ‘complete’ pet foods are supplemented with isolated nutrients (particularly vitamins, amino acids, and minerals) to achieve measured levels of nutrients mandated for particular species by the National Research Council (NRC). These levels are required if a given manufacturer wishes to display the coveted “Meets AAFCO’s standards” (Association of American Feed Control Officials) claim on marketing materials and product labels.

No one doubts the need to provide pets with ample nutrients to keep them healthy. There is also no doubt that supplementation of pet foods with nutrients is necessary if the natural nutrients in the ingredients are devitalized during the manufacturing process by high heat (e.g., extrusion, canning, cooking) or if the used ingredients are of low nutritional value to begin with. But several problems are associated with the current practice of adding isolated nutrients rather than nutrients that occur naturally in whole foods. Below is a list of some of these problems.

1. Most of the nutrient supplements used by the pet food industry are of questionable quality.
Since most of these supplements are synthesized in chemistry labs, contamination during manufacture can be a problem, and actual potency may be questionable.

2. Isolated nutrients often work differently than their natural food-borne counterparts.
Isolated nutrients may be more or less potent—or bioavailable—or they may simply work differently than nutrients in their natural context. For example, isolated calcium supplements may actually cause health problems if given in excess or in the absence of nutrients that are required for proper calcium absorption or excretion; whereas calcium occurring naturally in food is easily absorbed and can be excreted if consumed in excess.

3. Feeding a ‘balanced’ or ‘complete’ diet that is supplemented with isolated nutrients gives pet owners a false sense of security and comfort—largely unsubstantiated—that this food offers everything that an animal needs to thrive.
Instead of feeding a variety of high quality foods with a wide spectrum of natural nutrients, offering so-called ‘complete’ or ‘balanced’ foods exclusively often leads to nutritional deficiencies or even chronic diseases. As a result, health problems can often appear as early as young [just post-puppy] adulthood.

4. Supplementing low quality ingredients (e.g., ingredients that are potentially allergenic, unhealthy, or devitalized by heat) with isolated nutrients cannot prevent the onset of diseases associated with poor quality and insufficient levels of appropriate basic food ingredients.

5. Despite the fact that most pets in industrialized countries are fed heavily supplemented ‘balanced’ or ‘complete’ diets, the frequency of diet-related disorders has increased considerably among these pet populations.
If the promise of these supplemented ‘complete’ or ‘balanced’ diets were actually being fulfilled, wouldn’t most animals fed these foods be dying of old age, rather than succumbing to one or more of now all-too-common chronic disorders such as arthritis, allergies, cancer, obesity, diabetes, and kidney disease, to name just a few?

So what’s a good alternative to the ubiquitous artificially supplemented ‘complete’ and ‘balanced’ diets?
Well, quite simply, the best diet you can offer your animal companion would include a variety of real whole foods that are known to be compatible with the needs of his or her particular species. Using high quality real whole food ingredients that contain nutrients in their natural context should do the trick.

So, why isn’t this common practice? The answer is obvious; it’s much more costly and time- and labor-intensive to formulate and produce foods from expensive, high-quality, ingredients in a manner that ensures nutrient levels that meet NRC standards.

Posted by Posted by admin under Filed under Commercial Pet Foods Comments No Comments »

10th Mar 2009

Organic Pet Foods

Anyone who considers his or her pet a part of the family knows how hard it is to pick a good pet food from the overstocked displays at their favorite neighborhood or online pet supply store. At first glance, it seems like one has a myriad of great choices—that is, until you actually read the fine print and begin to understand what label terms mean and wonder which claims to trust.

If you’re reading this, you probably know about the benefits of organic products (e.g., healthier, more nutrient-dense, less agricultural and other synthetic chemical residues and toxins), and it’s likely that you restrict your survey of various products to organic pet foods. Nevertheless, it’s probably difficult for you to discriminate between marketing fiction and labeling facts, even in this pet food category. Such confusion is understandable, given the general lack of regulations that allows the abuse of descriptive terms for pet food ingredients in general and organic pet food ingredients in particular.

The law
Currently in the pet food industry, only USDA certified organic claims are regulated and enforced by U.S. law. All other non-certified organic claims are not regulated or enforced by the U.S. government and therefore may or may not be true, as they have not been verified by an unbiased third-party. As a State compliance officer at the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) wrote in 2008: It is buyer beware of any pet food product that does not show that it is certified by one of the National Organic Program (NOP) certification agents.”

At present, USDA organic certification for pet foods follows the NOP standards set for human food products. However, new organic pet food policies are being developed which will likely—and unfortunately— water down these standards to the point where they will be not much better than those set for organic livestock feeds, setting the bar very low indeed.

Specifically, these new standards will probably allow the inclusion of more synthetics in USDA certified organic pet foods than are currently permitted in the so-called ‘National List’ of allowed non-organic ingredients and manufacturing processes (details of may be viewed at (https://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/getfile?dDocName=STELPRDC5068682&acct=nopgeninfo)

The organic certification process
The organic certification process for a given organic pet food manufacturer includes a review of all products made by that company, organic certificates for every ingredient used, and non-GMO (genetically modified organism) statements for every ingredient used, where applicable, as well as regularly scheduled inspections of the production facility.

Organic certification and ingredients
All ingredients included in any USDA certified organic pet food must be fully traceable back to their origins. This is critically important in any cases of pet food recalls that may arise. This requirement automatically prohibits the use of any ill-defined pet food ingredients, such as so-called ‘rendered’ ingredients, fish meals, or generic animal fats which can’t even be traced to individual source species, let alone their origins.

Organic certification verifies pet food claims
Organic certification through an unbiased USDA-accredited certifying agency is also the consumer’s best assurance that all ingredients are fully disclosed and that the manufacturing site is free of the toxic chemicals that are commonly used in both non-certified organic pet food and human food manufacturing facilities alike. In general, this certification is the only credible verification for the claims that are often made by pet food companies (i.e., ‘organic,’ ‘antibiotic-free,’ ‘hormone-free,’ ‘no GMOs,’ ‘no by-products,’ etc.).

The future of the organic certification standards for pet foods
Although some less desirable synthetic ingredients will probably be included in the ‘National List’ that is now being developed in connection with the planned organic pet food policies, both current and future standards will guarantee that claims made about USDA certified organic pet foods are true. Fortunately, pet food manufacturers will be able to choose not to include any synthetic ingredients, even if they will be allowed to do so under the law. Exclusion of such ingredients will certainly be another worthwhile label claim to look out for in the future.

Categories of certified organic pet food products
Use of the USDA organic seal is reserved for certified organic products containing at least 95% of certified organic ingredients; conventional ingredients cannot be used in this class of USDA certified organic products if organic versions are currently available. Pet food products that contain at least 70%, but less than 95%, organic ingredients cannot display the USDA organic seal; however, they can carry the label, ‘made with organic ingredients’ and, as in the case of products containing more than 95% organic ingredients, they must disclose the organic certifier which assured that the listed organic ingredients are indeed organic and that the chosen processing methods comply with current standards, as well as that the products do not contain any GMO ingredients. Among the better known of these organic certifiers are Quality Assurance International (QAI), California Certified Organic Famers (CCOF), and Oregon Tilth (OTCO).

Certified organic pet foods are also ‘green’
USDA certified organic pet foods are not only healthier and intrinsically safer for your pet, they are also the only ones that are currently considered to be ‘green,’ i.e., supportive of sustainable and ecologically balanced manufacturing practices. A Green Seal certifying agent confirmed in May 2008 that, USDA organic certification is the best and most credible label for pet and human food products, also in respect to any green claims.” Green Seal is a third-party certifier that uses stringent processes to verify green claims. Due to the availability of a rigorous organic certification process through the USDA, Green Seal currently does not have any standards, either in place now or planned for the future, to certify food products for both humans and pets.

What does this all mean for consumers and the pet food industry?
So, the next time, you’re looking for a good pet food product for your animal companion, play it safe and choose one that’s USDA certified organic. Not only will you support your pet’s health, you’ll also help protect the health of our environment. Moreover, when you make this choice, you won’t be supporting unethical pet food manufacturers that routinely use false claims to the maximum extent allowed by law to push sales of their inferior products.

P.S.: An OTA (Organic Trade Association) or Green America (formerly ‘Coop America’) membership does not guarantee that a given pet food is either USDA certified organic or green.

P.P.S.: Onesta Organics is the first both certified organic and ‘green approved’ (i.e., approved by Green America, formerly ‘Coop America’) pet food manufacturer in the USA.

Posted by Posted by admin under Filed under Organic and Green Pet Foods Comments No Comments »

11th Feb 2009

Salmonella-Contaminated Peanut Butter Recall

Although the FDA did not yet receive reports on salmonella-contaminated peanut butter affected pets, here is the list of recalled peanut butter containing pet food products as of end of January 2009 (www.FDA.gov)

Grreat Choice pet treats

Happy Tails multi-flavored dog biscuits

Healthy-hide Deli-wrap peanut butter-filled rawhide dog treats

Salix healthy-hide deli-wrap 5″ peanut butter-filled rawhide

Shoppers Valu multi-flavored dog biscuits

Carolina Prime: 2 Pack Hooves Peanut Butter Hooves, 4″ Rawhide Bone Peanut Rawhide, 6″ Beef Shank Peanut Butter Dog Bone, 6″ Rawhide Bone Peanut Butter Rawhide

Carolina Prime Pet: 2pk Hooves Peanut Butter, 4″ Rawhide Bone Peanut Butter, 6″ Beef Shank Peanut Butter, 6″ Rawhide Bone Peanut Butter, 6′ Healthy Hide Beef Shank Peanut Butter

Possible signs of salmonella infection are one or more of the following symptoms: abdominal pain, decreased appetite, fever, lethargy, diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, fever, vomiting.

Salmonella in pet food products can be transferred to humans (e.g., by handling the pet food or by eating contaminated pet food products)

Additional information for pet guardians - Also organic food products for human consumption are affected by this recall:

The manufacturer of the contaminated peanut butter, Peanut Corporation of America, apparently knew about the salmonella contamination and continued to sell their affected products.

Among the organic manufacturers using the contaminated peanut butter are (so far) Archer Farms, Clif Bar, Glorybee, Greenwise, Karma, Genisoy, and Landies.

Posted by Posted by admin under Filed under Pet Food Recalls Comments No Comments »

05th Feb 2009

Caution with Sweeteners

Did you ever check if your pet food contains any sweeteners? Aside form the fact that added sweeteners (including honey!) have no place in your pet’s regular food, these additives can be contaminated as the following summary by Lyn Henshew, MD demonstrates:

Jan. 29, 2009 — Some foods and drinks rich in high-fructose corn syrup contain detectable levels of mercury, a new report shows. The report, published on the web site of the Minneapolis-based
nonprofit Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), shows detectable levels of mercury in 17 out of 55 tested products rich in high-fructose corn syrup. The new report comes from researchers including David Wallinga, MD, director of the IATP’s food and health program. They bought 55
products that list high-fructose corn syrup first or second on their list of ingredients, which means high-fructose corn syrup was a leading ingredient in those products. Wallinga’s team sent samples of those products to a commercial lab, which checked the levels of total mercury in each sample.

“Overall, we found detectable mercury in 17 of 55 samples, or around 31%,” write Wallinga and colleagues.

Here is the list of those products:

Quaker Oatmeal to Go bars
Jack Daniel’s Barbecue Sauce
Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup
Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce
Nutri-Grain Strawberry Cereal Bars
Manwich Gold Sloppy Joe
Market Pantry Grape Jelly
Smucker’s Strawberry Jelly
Pop-Tarts Frosted Blueberry
Hunt’s Tomato Ketchup
Wish-Bone Western Sweet & Smooth Dressing
Coca-Cola Classic: no mercury found on a second test
Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt
Minute Maid Berry Punch
Yoo-hoo Chocolate Drink
Nesquik Chocolate Milk
Kemps Fat Free Chocolate Milk

Posted by Posted by admin under Filed under Home Remedies & News Bits Comments No Comments »

05th Feb 2009

Ozone Treatment

Ozone is a natural gas with short reactive half life time but great therapeutic and sanitary properties.

Ozonated olive oil was recommended to us by Dr. Robert Smatt to treat a facial abscess in one of our rescued rats. After only a few applications of this salve, the abscess was gone for good after less than 12 hours without oozing or uncomfortable heat compressions. We observed the same effect a few months later.

Ozone is a great natural antibiotic and we have used it successfully to treat fungi, viral and bacterial infections.

Dr. Smatt also used ozone gas to treat inoperable cancers as well as arthritic problems in dogs, cats and even one of our rats.

Posted by Posted by admin under Filed under Home Remedies & News Bits Comments No Comments »

21st Dec 2008

Pet Food Claims: Organic Pet Food, Green Pet Food

Currently, only certified organic pet foods are regulated and enforced by the US government. All other (non-certified) organic claims are not regulated or verified by an unbiased 3rd party and may therefore be true or false. Since non-certified organic claims are not enforced by US law, they are frequently abused by pet food manufacturers and pet supply retailers.

Many pet food manufacturers, which omit the most obvious unhealthful pet ‘food ingredients,’ use the term ‘natural’ to describe their products. However, ‘natural’ is another term that is not defined, regulated or enforced by US law.

Lack of regulations has allowed some pet food companies to take their marketing campaigns a few steps beyond the natural claim.

When ‘organic’ became trendy, these companies called their products ‘organic’ even if their products contained at most a small fraction of organic ingredients, if any at all. Organic ingredients are more expensive which explains why organic pet food products are higher-priced than conventional ones. However, if a pet food is not certified organic, one can never be sure if organic claims are true, or if one pays more for a ‘placebo organic’ pet food.

Last year, ‘green’ went main stream because consumers want to do the right thing and are willing to pay more for green products. What is the reaction of several pet food companies? They now call their conventional products ‘green!’ If you are lucky, they might package their conventional pet foods now in recycled boxes - which most likely are imported cheaply from China.

WHY CAN THIS HAPPEN?

1. The government doesn’t do a good job. It doesn’t regulate the terms which consumers use to make buying decisions. This way, consumers can be tricked into buying something they believe to be healthy or sustainable. Lack of government regulation and a stance that the market will regulate itself does not work in the long run, but it inhibits the true organic and green movement.

2. Media are swallowing claims, hook, line, and sinker, from companies with the biggest advertising budgets. Being a zoologist, this always reminds me of a mother bird which feeds the hatchling that opens its mouth the widest most. Some TV programs, newspapers, websites from non-for profit pet organizations, pet magazines, and even some ‘pet food experts,’ spread false information about pet food regulations, products and companies, because they obviously don’t do their research well.

3. Some organic and green organizations, which the public considers as unbiased, list non-certified organic pet food companies along with certified organic pet food companies. Many of these organizations require a membership fee or accept advertising money from pet food companies. Most of these organizations have no or no thorough, screening process for the companies which they accept as members or which they endorse. Indiscriminative listings, where organic/green pretenders are named next to companies which are verifiably (i.e., certified) organic and green, do not support the green or organic movement. However, consumers assume that the companies were carefully screened before being listed in these directories or before being permitted to use these organizations’ seals. Shoppers aren’t aware that non-certified organic and green marketing claims can presently actually be bought by pet food manufacturers which cannot get their products certified organic.

THE FACTS

1. Only certified organic pet food products follow the National Organic Program (NOP) regulations set by the USDA. Currently, organic certification of pet foods follows the NOP regulations exactly as they apply to certified organic foods for human consumption. All other (non-certified) organic pet food claims are unregulated and unsubstantiated.

2. A State compliance officer at CDFA (California Department of Food and Agriculture) stated in an email to me: “It is buyer be ware of any pet food product that does not show that it is certified by one of the NOP certification agents.”

3. Green Seal told me: “USDA organic certification is the best and most credible label for pet and human food products, also in respect to any green claims.”

THE SOLUTION

Until government regulations and reliable information through the media catch up, consumers have to educate themselves. They have to look beyond the flashy headlines and ads in magazines, on TV, and websites which often don’t reflect the true quality of the promoted companies and products.

Quote from a green Austrianopithecus: “Even if a lie is repeated 1000-s of times, it does not make it true.”

Posted by Posted by admin under Filed under Organic Pet Food Standards Comments No Comments »

20th Dec 2008

Advantages of Organic Raw Pet Foods

Depending on the processing methods employed to produce them, commercial pet foods fall into one or the other of the following two categories: heat-treated and raw.

Devitalized pet foods:
So-called ‘heat-treated’ pet foods are processed using all-too-often excessive levels of heat. These foods are baked, cooked (canned), extruded, or heat-dried (often the case with kibble- or pellet-type pet foods). Diets based on such heat-treated pet foods are probably the least desirable in terms of maintaining the health and general well being of most animals.

Heat treatment (canned, baked, most extruded kibble or pellet food):
Heat processing of food destroys all enzymes, many vitamins and antioxidants, and changes the molecular structure of proteins and even fibers. Attempts to replace nutrients that have been destroyed by heat with supplementary—and predominantly synthetic—nutrients can never compare nutritionally with the benefits and quality of natural, minimally treated nutrients. At present, there is no way to replace structurally altered fibers or denatured proteins. These alterations make heat-processed foods and their constituent nutrients less bio-available or beneficial, and certainly less effective in maintaining health, preventing disease, and helping the healing processes that normally follow injury. Structurally altered pet foods may actually contribute to health problems (e.g., food allergies or inflammation).

AAFCO nutrient requirements:
Devitalized pet foods require supplementation with minerals and vitamins to provide at least some nutrients. Mineral and vitamin supplementation is often used to comply with the American Feed Control official standards for balanced or complete diets. However, these standards can’t possibly reflect the actual nutritional requirements of every domestic animal species. Accordingly, Dr. Junger believes that animals should eat a variety of foods that provide a broad spectrum of natural nutrients. If animals are fed a variety of quality foods to begin with, targeted and individualized supplementation with select high quality products can then be used to support good health at different life stages, to prevent age-related deficiencies, or to promote healing after injuries.

Raw pet foods:
Today, with the availability of raw pet food options, consumers and their pets have good diet options. The best raw pet foods are fresh, consisting of raw animal products, plant material, or a combination of the two. Frozen raw pet foods are often a more convenient choice. If fresh or frozen raw foods aren’t available, dehydrated raw foods are a good second choice. The advantage of these dehydrated foods is that they can be stored easily for longer periods of time with little mess and no worry about short-term spoilage.

Dehydrated pet foods:
In terms of nutritional quality, not all dehydrated raw pet food products are the same. Apart from the ingredients used, the quality of this variety of raw pet food depends largely on the temperatures to which their ingredients were exposed during the dehydration process. Dr. Junger’s company, Onesta Organics, uses a truly gentle and slow dehydration process that preserves overall nutritional quality. Customers should be aware that some companies market their pet foods as ‘dehydrated’ or ‘raw’ even if they use a mixture of dehydrated and previously cooked ingredients.

Highest quality raw pet foods:
As with all pet food products, an important determinant of quality is the choice of ingredients used by manufacturers. Onesta Organics uses only human grade ingredients that are certified organic by a USDA-accredited organic certifying agency. This assures that the ingredients used are verifiably organic. USDA organic certification also ensures that Onesta Organics products are free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), hormones, and antibiotics, and that no potentially toxic or otherwise unhealthy synthetics are added to your pet’s food. It also means that all ingredients used are traceable back to their original source. Such sourcing is impossible in the case of conventional pet food manufacturers. Unlike the products of companies which state that their pet food is organic—and, in some cases, might even claim GMO-, hormone-, and antibiotic-free status—only USDA certified organic pet foods are inspected and scrutinized by an independent third party, which assures that all claims made are indeed true. Aside from the fact that Onesta Organics uses healthful, certified organic ingredients in their raw pet foods, unlike other pet food manufacturers, this company sees no point in adding ingredients that are known to be highly allergenic to its pet food products.

Conclusion:
The folks at Onesta Organics believe that USDA certified organic, raw pet foods are among the healthiest choices for your pet. Moreover, it’s critically important for pet owners to provide their animals with a wide variety of food choices. In most cases, such a broad-spectrum feeding approach will minimize, or perhaps even negate, the possibility of the kinds of nutritional deficiencies and chronic diseases in pets we hear about all too often these days.

Posted by Posted by admin under Filed under Organic Pet Food Standards Comments No Comments »