I can't imagine a life without my dogs, and for some reason, they seem unable to imagine a life without me. Everywhere I go on my property--a former cattle ranch in southeastern Arizona--my Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Jambo and Daisy, are sure to pad along behind.
This pleases all three of us. Companion animals give us affection, even when the rest of the world might seem to be a hostile place. Sometimes, I even engage in what I call pet psychotherapy. At the end of the day, I tell all of my problems to one or both of my dogs. They don't say much in return, but sometimes, all we want is ears to listen while we vent.
But the relationship is mutual. Animals in the wild forage for their food, but domestic animals are totally dependent upon us, their caretakers, to do what is right for them. I believe in feeding and caring for my companion animals the way I would any member of my family--with natural products that promote optimum health.
Unfortunately, since the invention of prepackaged pet foods early in the 20th century, dog and cat foods have generally been regarded as a convenient, profitable way to get rid of substandard meat. While the package may be festooned with claims of scientific research or even that the food is all-natural, many of today's pet foods contain suspicious elements, including antibiotics and drug residues, dyes from coal tar derivatives, pesticides, herbicides, heavy metal contaminants and even fecal-contaminated waste. When whole animals are used for pet foods, in some cases they can be the ones classified 4-D, meaning that they arrived at the slaughterhouse dead, dying, diseased, or "down", unable to walk.
How can you know what's in your current pet food? Read the label, and know what the terms on it really mean.
A simple word like "by-products" should be a huge red flag. This term can encompass a host of objectionable animal parts, including chicken heads, feet, viscera, even brain tissue. These kinds of things have no place in a human's diet, and the same applies to the animals that we care for. A good pet food will contain a pure protein sources listed simply as chicken, beef meal, lamb meal or fish meal as additional protein sources. The label should state explicitly that it contains "no animal by-products".
Other substances of concern in some commercial pet foods are listed in the ingredients as "tallow", a hard, white fat that most animals find difficult to digest, and "carbohydrates", which are, of course, essential for energy, but in pet food may consist of simple sugars or corn syrup, which are no better for animals than they are for human beings. Quality pet foods contain whole-grain-based complex carbohydrates.
Even the very best pet foods on the shelves may share the same problems as the foods their owners eat. Modern farming practices often involve the use of antibiotics and growth hormones. Once you educate yourself about the deleterious effects of these substances in meats, you won't want to bring them home to your family, including the canine and feline members. If a product doesn't claim right out front that it has "no added growth hormones" or "no rendered meats", then it's a good be thtat the manufacturers simply cannot make that claim.
It's important to me to choose pet foods that meet the standards I uphold for my own health and that of my family and friends. At times, the only part of my dogs' diet in which I had total confidence was the occasional organic fruit or vegetable, grown in my garden, that I would sneak into their bowls. But those were just occasional treats. Dogs and cats need abundantmeat-based protein to survive.
Today, quality natural foods are easier to find, and I only buy pet food from companies that share my philosophy of never using animal by-products or ground-up "meat meals". I insist that all of the company's growers refrain from the use of antibiotics or growth hormones. I make sure that my dry and canned foods contain no rendered meats or fats and no brain tissue. Perhaps most importantly, the manufacturer must know where their products come from; I think they should form relationships with ethically minded ranchers and growers committed to raising quality meats and farming in a sustainable manner.
Still, what loving parent would feed a child a food he hates? Luckily, natural pet food has come through on the taste/appeal score as well--the dogs absolutely wolf it down. Of course, they've never been particularly picky eaters, but I can safely say they love their natural food--maybe even more than they love the treats from my garden.
Dr. Andrew Weil is the founder of the Program in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona. A world-renowned leader in the field of integrative medicine, he is also a best-selling author whose books include Spontaneous Healing, and 8 Weeks to Optimum Health.
--Reprinted from Wild Oats Marketplace Magazine, May/June 2007.
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