Story Photos
 Photo by Bill Wagner Daily News reporter Amy Fischer's pups, Pepe, left, and Tater, chow down on byproducts, preservatives, corn meal and fillers. |
Bone appetit
Wednesday, May 5, 2004 7:52 AM PDT
By Washington Post
Printable version
E-mail this articleWe are what we eat -- and this is just as true for pets. But if Mr. Whiskers could ask what's for dinner, would you really know? What exactly are byproducts? Yellow No. 5?
While these ingredients are not necessarily dangerous, it's wise to "read the ingredient list and get to understand what the food is actually made of," says author and former pet food company nutritionist Barbara Fougere. You may not go fully organic, but you will know what you're buying. Here's a primer on some of the most common pet food ingredients.
Artificial colors and flavors
These make a bland food look or taste more appealing, or add a flavor it wouldn't otherwise contain. Ann N. Martin, author of two books on the commercial pet food industry, "Food Pets Die For" and "Protect Your Pet" (both by NewSage Press, $11), explains that artificial colors exist "not for the sake of the pet, but for the owners."
Byproducts
The Association of American Feed Control Officials, which sets pet food labeling standards, defines meat byproducts as lungs, blood, bone, intestines -- anything other than actual meat. Poultry byproducts can include chicken heads, feet and undeveloped eggs. Martin warns that byproducts can also contain "cancerous tissue, lungs filled with pneumonia" and parts cut off because they were injection sites for drugs or hormones. This is why Kim Danoff, of the Veterinary Holistic and Rehabilitation Center in Vienna, Va., cautions her clients to "avoid diets that have any type of byproducts." But Stephen Payne, of the Pet Food Institute, which represents pet food manufacturers, disagrees. "Byproducts are not bad," he says. "Byproducts, put simply, are parts of animals raised for food that are not eaten by people."
Fillers
Corn, wheat or soybean meal, middlings, hulls, mill run and flours have little to no nutritional value yet make up the bulk of some foods. "This is a real issue for cats," Fougere warns, because they can't get enough nutrients from a grain-based diet: Too little Vitamin A can cause eye and skin problems, a lack of Vitamin B12 can hurt the nervous system, and taurine deficiency can lead to blindness. Some high-fiber fillers aren't very digestible, either, so dogs that eat them produce more mess to clean up.
Meal
Meat meal, meat and bone meal and the like come from a process called rendering, in which dead animals are put into a vat and cooked at high temperatures. Though Payne stresses that Pet Food Institute members set a higher bar on the rendered material they use, it is legal for condemned (read: diseased, rotten or otherwise unfit for human consumption) animals or animal parts, road kill and even euthanized dogs and cats to be cooked in these vats. Some premium foods almost exclusively use byproducts and rendered material, yet charge you more, coasting on the good reputations they built before they began using these ingredients.
Preservatives
Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), propylene glycol and ethoxyquin are among the most common preservatives in pet foods. They've been linked to ailments from anemia to cancer, but there's no clear ruling on their long-term effects. Fougere says that she believes the preservatives aren't dangerous in small quantities but that she prefers alternatives such as Vitamin E (tocopherols) and rosemary. Danoff errs on the side of caution, counseling clients to avoid ethoxyquin and BHA.
Tasty treats, farm fresh
Amy Fischer
The Daily News
The Farm Dog Bakery on Broadway in Longview sells freshly baked dog biscuits of various flavors, as well as blueberry muffins, apple crunch "pupcakes," "slobber gobbler loaf" (a turkey meatloaf) and "savory scraps" --- bars made of cheese, turkey, parsley, garlic and egg.
The ingredients are all natural and safe for dogs. Honey replaces sugar, and cheese is low fat. Biscuits are baked with whole wheat flour, eggs, margarine, powdered milk, and beef or chicken powdered consomme. Parsley is added to freshen doggie breath.
The nonprofit shop is run by Longview School District's special education students, providing a place for students ages 18 to 21, who learn job skills through the district's Transition Options program.
A half-pound bag of the biscuits, available in garlic chicken, beef and peanut butter flavors, sells for $2, or three bags for $5.
Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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