Status: U X-UIDL: 1051390240.1514_0.relay01.roc.frontiernet.net,S=23524 Received: (qmail 1452 invoked from network); 26 Apr 2003 20:50:35 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO Sandy) ([170.215.188.125]) (envelope-sender ) by relay01.roc.frontiernet.net (FrontierMTA 2.3.2) with SMTP for ; 26 Apr 2003 20:50:35 -0000 Message-ID: <058301c30c35$78628b70$5db9d7aa@Sandy> From: "Sandy Ayer" To: "Sandy Ayer" Subject: Dog Eat Dog Meat Meals pg1 Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 16:50:21 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; type="multipart/alternative"; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_057E_01C30C13.ECB71800" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2600.0000 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2600.0000 X-Spam-Status: No, hits=0.0 required=10.0 tests=none version=2.43 X-Spam-Level: This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_057E_01C30C13.ECB71800 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_001_057F_01C30C13.ECB71800" ------=_NextPart_001_057F_01C30C13.ECB71800 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable There' ----- Original Message -----=20 From: Sandy Ayer=20 To: Sandy Ayer=20 Sent: Saturday, April 26, 2003 4:47 PM Subject: Dog Eat Dog pg1 Go to.... Home Breeders ________________________ Doggie Daycare = Groomers Handlers Trainers Pet Boarding Pet Sitters Shelters Clubs and = Rescue ________________________ Art and Gifts Retailers and Supplies = ________________________ Show Information Health Issues = ________________________ Advertising Rates =20 DOG EAT DOG - What's Inside the Foods We Feed by: Carol Gravestock There's a retail boom going on in North America. While consumer spending = is down in many areas, savvy companies have learned that there is very = little the doting owner can deny their pet. The result is a virtual = explosion of products, toys and pet foods. In fact, one of the most = profitable items on the shelf at your local grocer's is not steak - it's = dog food. Today's better educated owners are growing increasingly picky about what = they feed their pet, and manufacturers have been quick to respond with a = wide range of foods geared towards this market. Phrases such as = "balanced", "complete" and "all natural" clutter the labels of cans that = a few short years ago were more likely to say "Tasty" - or the old stand = by "Dogs Love It". But how much more do we really know about what we're feeding our dogs? = The language employed on labels is less than clear - and the reasons for = this may be more sinister than you think. Most of the major dog food = companies are divisions of giant food conglomerates - conglomerates that = produce tons of offal and by products from the manufacture of human = foods every day. Using this material that would otherwise be garbage may = be good business sense, but is it good for your pet? In the last few years, articles have quietly appeared that illustrate a = more disturbing aspect of these cost cutting measures. They paint a = picture of a billion dollar industry that is almost entirely self = policing, and willing to go to almost any lengths to increase bottom = line profits. GRISLY END It's the worst moment in every pet owner's life - that final, painful = trip to the vet's with your treasured companion. You make the difficult = decision to let your vet dispose of your beloved pet's remains, = confident that he'll ensure the disposal is handled in a sensitive = matter. In actuality, many vet clinics now use a pick up service to = collect the bodies of euthanised animals, and what can happen to these = pets from the time they are picked up is nothing short of shocking. "Dogs and cats euthanised at clinics, pounds and shelters are sold to = rendering plants, rendered with other material and sold to the pet food = industry. One small rendering plant in Quebec was rendering 10 tonnes = (11 tons) of dogs and cats per week from Ontario. The Ministry of = Agriculture in Quebec, where a number of these plants are located, = advised me that "The fur is not removed from dogs and cats." and that = "Dead animals are cooked together with viscera, bones and fats in 115 C = (236 F) for twenty minutes." One large pet food company in the U.S., = with extensive research facilities, used rendered dogs and cats in their = food for years and when the information came to light "claimed no = knowledge of it." - Ann Martin, Natural Pet Magazine Difficult as it may be to believe, millions of these dead American dogs = and cats are processed each year at plants across North America. Eileen = Layne of the California Veterinary Medical Association states "When you = read pet-food labels and it says meat meal or bone meal, that's what it = is - cooked and converted animals, including dogs and cats." Road kill, slaughter house rejects, animals that die on their way to = meat packing plants - all are acceptable ingredients for pet food under = the "4D" rule - diseased, disabled, dead and dying. Steroids, growth = hormones and chemicals used to treat cattle for infestations - including = insecticide patches - again end up mixed into the final product. Meat = from grocery stores past its final due date is also added to the mix, as = are the Styrofoam trays and plastic wrap they were packed in. CHEMICAL COCKTAIL The addition of euthanised pets goes beyond morally repugnant - it also = introduces a host of chemicals not listed on pet food labels. At the = rendering plant, time cannot be spared to remove even the green plastic = bags the pets came wrapped in, let alone the insecticide laden flea and = tick collars they were wearing. Even the very chemicals used to put = these pets to death also find their way into the final product.=20 "Facts of Sodium Pentobarbital in Rendered Products", a University of = Minnesota research paper, stated that sodium pentobarbital, the = barbiturate which is most commonly used to euthanize small = animals,"survived rendering without undergoing degradation." When = ingested, sodium pentobarbital has been shown to cause liver and kidney = damage and renal failure. The pet food companies claim these chemicals = are found in such low doses as to be harmless, but make no mention of = what the cumulative effects of years of ingesting them may be. Before the meat even arrived at the rendering plants, it has already = been saturated with chemicals. To comply with government regulations, = all meat rejected by slaughter houses must be "denatured" - a procedure = designed to make it unpalatable to humans, thus ensuring it cannot be = resold as human grade meat. In Canada, the chemical used to "denature" is Birkolene b. In Natural = Pet Magazine, Ann Martin writes "According to the Department of = Agriculture, Animal Plant and Health, the composition of this chemical = cannot be disclosed." In the US, there are a variety of other methods = that can be used: "In my time as a veterinary meat inspector, we denatured with carbolic = acid (phenol, a potentially corrosive disinfectant) and/or creosote = (used to preserve wood or as a disinfectant). Phenol is derived from the = distillation of coal tar, creosote from the distillation of wood. Both = substances are very toxic. Creosote was used for many years as a = preservative for wood power poles. Its effect on the environment proved = to be so negative that it is no longer used for that purpose. According = to federal meat inspection regulations, fuel oil, kerosene, crude = carbolic acid, and citronella (an insect repellent made from lemon = grass) are the approved denaturing materials." Dr Wendell Belfield, DVM, former USDA Vet, "Let's Live" Magazine The chemical cocktail does not end there, either. To prevent rancidity, = a fat stabiliser is added to the finished product. Dr. Belfield writes = "The common chemicals used are BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT = (butylated hydroxytolulene), both known to cause liver and kidney = dysfunction. Some European countries prohibit the use and importation of = these preservatives. Another fat stabiliser often used is Ethoxyquin, = suspected of being a cancer-causing agent. Most vets agree that food allergies and toxic conditions are on the rise = in modern day pets. When asked, many blame such possible causes as = "environmental pollution" and "the stress of living in cities". It's an = unfortunate fact that at many North American Veterinary schools, pet = nutrition is touched on only briefly, usually during lectures that are = presented by the major pet food companies. In a lecture to the New = Zealand School of Veterinary Medicine, Tom Lonsdale, DVM, said "The = problem is in the main unrecognised and undefined by the veterinary = profession. Veterinarians gain legitimacy and privileges as guardians of = the public welfare in respect to animal health. The profession has = failed badly in its duties." Little wonder that so many vets remain = painfully unaware of the possible toxins our pets ingest every day, not = from their environment, but from the very food we shop so diligently = for. *PAGE 2 & LINKS*HOME* ------=_NextPart_001_057F_01C30C13.ECB71800 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable There'
 
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Sandy=20 Ayer
Sent: Saturday, April 26, 2003 4:47 PM
Subject: Dog Eat Dog pg1

 

DOG EAT = DOG - = What's Inside=20 the Foods We Feed
by: = Carol=20 Gravestock

There's a retail boom going on in North = America.=20 While consumer spending is down in many areas, savvy companies have = learned that=20 there is very little the doting owner can deny their pet. The result is = a=20 virtual explosion of products, toys and pet foods. In fact, one of the = most=20 profitable items on the shelf at your local grocer's is not steak - it's = dog=20 food.

Today's better educated owners are = growing=20 increasingly picky about what they feed their pet, and manufacturers = have been=20 quick to respond with a wide range of foods geared towards this market. = Phrases=20 such as "balanced", "complete" and "all natural" clutter the labels of = cans that=20 a few short years ago were more likely to say "Tasty" - or the old stand = by=20 "Dogs Love It".

But how much more do we really know about = what=20 we're feeding our dogs? The language employed on labels is less than = clear - and=20 the reasons for this may be more sinister than you think. Most of the = major dog=20 food companies are divisions of giant food conglomerates - conglomerates = that=20 produce tons of offal and by products from the manufacture of human = foods every=20 day. Using this material that would otherwise be garbage may be good = business=20 sense, but is it good for your pet?

In the last few years, articles have = quietly=20 appeared that illustrate a more disturbing aspect of these cost cutting=20 measures. They paint a picture of a billion dollar industry that is = almost=20 entirely self policing, and willing to go to almost any lengths to = increase=20 bottom line profits.

GRISLY END

It's the worst moment in every pet = owner's life -=20 that final, painful trip to the vet's with your treasured companion. You = make=20 the difficult decision to let your vet dispose of your beloved pet's = remains,=20 confident that he'll ensure the disposal is handled in a sensitive = matter. In=20 actuality, many vet clinics now use a pick up service to collect the = bodies of=20 euthanised animals, and what can happen to these pets from the time they = are=20 picked up is nothing short of shocking.

"Dogs and cats euthanised at clinics, = pounds and=20 shelters are sold to rendering plants, rendered with other material and = sold to=20 the pet food industry. One small rendering plant in Quebec was rendering = 10=20 tonnes (11 tons) of dogs and cats per week from Ontario. The Ministry of = Agriculture in Quebec, where a number of these plants are located, = advised me=20 that "The fur is not removed from dogs and cats." and that "Dead animals = are=20 cooked together with viscera, bones and fats in 115 C (236 F) for twenty = minutes." One large pet food company in the U.S., with extensive = research=20 facilities, used rendered dogs and cats in their food for years and when = the=20 information came to light "claimed no knowledge of it."
- Ann Martin, = Natural=20 Pet Magazine

Difficult as it may be to believe, = millions of=20 these dead American dogs and cats are processed each year at plants = across North=20 America. Eileen Layne of the California Veterinary Medical Association = states=20 "When you read pet-food labels and it says meat meal or bone meal, = that's what=20 it is - cooked and converted animals, including dogs and = cats."

Road kill, slaughter house rejects, = animals that=20 die on their way to meat packing plants - all are acceptable ingredients = for pet=20 food under the "4D" rule - diseased, disabled, dead and dying. Steroids, = growth=20 hormones and chemicals used to treat cattle for infestations - including = insecticide patches - again end up mixed into the final product. Meat = from=20 grocery stores past its final due date is also added to the mix, as are = the=20 Styrofoam trays and plastic wrap they were packed in.

CHEMICAL COCKTAIL

The addition of euthanised pets goes = beyond morally=20 repugnant - it also introduces a host of chemicals not listed on pet = food=20 labels. At the rendering plant, time cannot be spared to remove even the = green=20 plastic bags the pets came wrapped in, let alone the insecticide laden = flea and=20 tick collars they were wearing. Even the very chemicals used to put = these pets=20 to death also find their way into the final product.

"Facts of Sodium Pentobarbital in = Rendered=20 Products", a University of Minnesota research paper, stated that sodium=20 pentobarbital, the barbiturate which is most commonly used to euthanize = small=20 animals,"survived rendering without undergoing degradation." When = ingested,=20 sodium pentobarbital has been shown to cause liver and kidney damage and = renal=20 failure. The pet food companies claim these chemicals are found in such = low=20 doses as to be harmless, but make no mention of what the cumulative = effects of=20 years of ingesting them may be.

Before the meat even arrived at the = rendering=20 plants, it has already been saturated with chemicals. To comply with = government=20 regulations, all meat rejected by slaughter houses must be "denatured" - = a=20 procedure designed to make it unpalatable to humans, thus ensuring it = cannot be=20 resold as human grade meat.

In Canada, the chemical used to = "denature" is=20 Birkolene b. In Natural Pet Magazine, Ann Martin writes "According to = the=20 Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant and Health, the composition of = this=20 chemical cannot be disclosed." In the US, there are a variety of other = methods=20 that can be used:

"In my time as a veterinary meat = inspector, we=20 denatured with carbolic acid (phenol, a potentially corrosive = disinfectant)=20 and/or creosote (used to preserve wood or as a disinfectant). Phenol is = derived=20 from the distillation of coal tar, creosote from the distillation of = wood. Both=20 substances are very toxic. Creosote was used for many years as a = preservative=20 for wood power poles. Its effect on the environment proved to be so = negative=20 that it is no longer used for that purpose. According to federal meat = inspection=20 regulations, fuel oil, kerosene, crude carbolic acid, and citronella (an = insect=20 repellent made from lemon grass) are the approved denaturing = materials."
Dr=20 Wendell Belfield, DVM, former USDA Vet, "Let's Live" Magazine

The chemical cocktail does not end there, = either.=20 To prevent rancidity, a fat stabiliser is added to the finished product. = Dr.=20 Belfield writes "The common chemicals used are BHA (butylated = hydroxyanisole)=20 and BHT (butylated hydroxytolulene), both known to cause liver and = kidney=20 dysfunction. Some European countries prohibit the use and importation of = these=20 preservatives. Another fat stabiliser often used is Ethoxyquin, = suspected of=20 being a cancer-causing agent.

Most vets agree that food allergies and = toxic=20 conditions are on the rise in modern day pets. When asked, many blame = such=20 possible causes as "environmental pollution" and "the stress of living = in=20 cities". It's an unfortunate fact that at many North American Veterinary = schools, pet nutrition is touched on only briefly, usually during = lectures that=20 are presented by the major pet food companies. In a lecture to the New = Zealand=20 School of Veterinary Medicine, Tom Lonsdale, DVM, said "The problem is = in the=20 main unrecognised and undefined by the veterinary profession. = Veterinarians gain=20 legitimacy and privileges as guardians of the public welfare in respect = to=20 animal health. The profession has failed badly in its duties." Little = wonder=20 that so many vets remain painfully unaware of the possible toxins our = pets=20 ingest every day, not from their environment, but from the very food we = shop so=20 diligently for.

*PAGE 2 & LINKS*HOME*

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