Ethoxyquin - Another dangerous chemical commercial dog food companies put in their food.

Ethoxyquin is a chemical preservative regulated by the FDA as a
pesticide . It is also a suspected carcinogenic. While ethoxyquin cannot
be used in human foods, it, too, continues to be used in many pet food
brands.

Ethoxyquin has been found to promote:
- kidney carcinogenesis
- stomach tumors and
- enhanced bladder carcinogesis

Carcinogenesis (KAR-sin-oh-JEN-eh-sis) is, quite simply, the process
by which normal cells turn into cancer cells.

There are also reports linking ethoxyquin with:
- allergic reactions,
- skin problems,
- major organ failure and
- behavior problems

In 1997, the CVM made a request to manufacturers of
ethoxyquin and the pet food industry to voluntarily lower ethoxyquin
residue in pet foods to 75 parts per million (ppm), from the currently
allowed amount of 150 ppm.

To date, there is still no mandatory requirement to meet the voluntary
request.

This is a controversial preservative because no conclusive,
reliable research exists to prove or disprove its safety for use in pet
foods.

The FDA chooses to err on the side of big business.

What do you think? Scary?!

Its no wonder our dogs are dying.

Discover how to protect because
no one else is going to do it for you.
68 Dog Food Ingrdients to Die For

Do you want to make sure your best friend never has to deal with this toxin and many others that commercial dog foods have in them? Then I suggest you start learning a few homemade dog food recipes. A great starting point is this book by John Miller, Healthy Food For Dogs: Homemade Recipes

One deadly dog food ingredient you should know about...

Yellow Dye #6

This sunset yellow dye lags only slightly behind Yellow Dye #5 in
annual use, with 4,156,408 pounds certified by the FDA in 2005. It is
used mainly in beverages (including, hot chocolate), candy, desserts
and sausage.

Like its lemon yellow cohort, Yellow Dye #6 is known to cause
- allergic reactions
- intolerance reactions
- gastric upset
- vomiting
- hives
- and skin swelling.

Yellow Dye #6 is one of the colorants that the Hyperactive
Children's Support Group (HACSG) recommends eliminating from the
diet of children.

The Public Citizen Health Research Group lists
- allergies
- kidney tumors
- and chromosomal damage

..among the toxicity findings for Yellow Dye #6.

This coloring additive is currently banned in both Norway and
Sweden, 2 of the most-forward thinking countries in the world.

There are 67 more ingredients that you should be aware of that your dog could be ingesting. You just read about one of the many ingredients your dog food probably contains. I sure don't want my dog eating any of the ingredients he may be getting in most commercial dog foods, and it making her deathly ill. Do you want that to happen to your dog? Check out 68 Dog Food Ingredients to Die For! A great companion book to this is Healthy Food For Dogs: Homemade Recipes by John Miller. It contains over 240+ homemade dog food recipes that can help your dog become stronger, healthier, and more lively than ever before!

Dogs Die from Toxic Dog Food

Article Source - Cornell University

Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine develops protein tests to accurately detect pet food-poisoned dogs

Even though Diamond, Country Value and Professional brand dog foods have been recalled for containing highly toxic aflatoxins, they have caused at least 100 dog deaths in recent weeks, say Cornell University veterinarians, who are growing increasingly alarmed. Some kennels and consumers around the nation and possibly in more than two dozen other countries remain unaware of the tainted food, and as a result, they continue to give dogs food containing a lethal toxin.

To better screen affected dogs so they can be treated as soon as possible, Cornell veterinarians report that they now have a new test, adapted from one used in humans, to accurately assess aflatoxin poisoning in dogs. Currently, about two-thirds of dogs that show symptoms after eating the tainted food die.

"Entire kennels have been wiped out, and because of the holiday these past few weeks, the dispersal of recall information was disrupted," says Sharon Center, a professor of veterinary medicine who specializes in liver function and disease at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell, which is emerging as a central clearinghouse for information about the dog food poisoning.

The Cornell Vet College is continually updating its Web site (http://www.vet.cornell.edu ) to keep the public and veterinarians informed as new information on the poisonings emerge. Cornell's Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC) is analyzing blood and liver samples from sick dogs around the country, testing suspected dog food, conducting autopsies and collecting as many livers as possible from dead dogs to confirm cause of death, tracking dogs that have died and following up on the health of dogs that survive the food poisoning. The AHDC has information for veterinarians on its Web site http://diaglab.vet.cornell.edu/news.asp.

"We suspect that dogs have been dying since November, perhaps even October, but it took the perfect storm of circumstances to get the diagnosis," said Karyn Bischoff, the veterinary toxicologist at Cornell who first identified aflatoxin as the culprit in the recent wave of deaths.

Trying to save dogs
Over the recent holiday weeks, Center and her staff worked around-the-clock to try to save the 17 poisoned dogs admitted to Cornell's Hospital for Animals. "I've been working with liver disease in dogs for 30 years, and I've never seen such miserably ill dogs," said Center, noting that severely affected dogs suffer from intractable vomiting and internal bleeding. "Despite our understanding of this complex toxin, we have no direct antidote for this poisoning. This has been an immensely sad holiday and one that will leave an indelible mark on the owners that lost their cherished family members."

Of those 17 dogs, Center euthanized 12 when it became clear they could not survive; five are still being treated. Dogs that have survived had consumed a smaller amount of the food than dogs that died, Center said. "Some dogs were stealing food from the kitchen counter. Others just stopped eating the food and begged for treats. Unfortunately, some owners used gravy and other mixers to entice their dogs to consume what they thought were safe, quality dog food."

"It's devastating to dog owners who feel responsible for poisoning their beloved dogs," said Bischoff.

Although only about two dozen animal deaths have been officially linked to the tainted pet food, Center and Bischoff know that many more have died or become ill from the tainted food, based on their many communications with veterinarians as far south as Georgia.

"Every day, we're hearing reports from veterinarians in the East and Southeast who have treated dogs that have died from liver damage this past month or so," said Center. "We're also concerned about the long-term health of dogs that survive as well as dogs that have eaten the tainted food but show no clinical signs." She suspects that surviving dogs may develop chronic liver disease, perhaps liver cancer, and that many dogs that ate the tainted food appear healthy are nevertheless victims of liver damage.

Yet many dog and kennel owners remain unaware that some 19 brands of Diamond, Country Value and Professional dog foods have been recalled.

"About half of our clients bringing in sick dogs this past week say that they were not aware of the contaminated dog food problem," said Sara Sanders, one of the veterinarians at Mendon Valley Animal Hospital near Rochester -- the sort of ground zero for the epidemic that resulted in the recall. She first realized that several dogs she was treating for liver problems in December were all eating Diamond food, and she sent food and tissue samples to Cornell, her alma mater, for testing.

Screening ill dogs
Early signs that a dog has been poisoned by afltoxin include lethargy, loss of appetite and vomiting and, later, orange-colored urine and jaundice (a yellowing of the eyes, gums and nonpigmented skin that reflects substantial liver injury). Severely affected dogs produce a blood-tinged vomit and bloody or blackened stools. "Since dogs can take several days to three weeks to exhibit serious signs of illness, all animals that consumed recalled lots of food should be examined by a veterinarian as early as possible," Center said. "Physical exams and blood tests are necessary to differentiate dogs that have been poisoned from those that have not. Unfortunately, the latent onset of signs may require that an individual dog be evaluated several times."

Cornell veterinarians have verified diagnostic tests enabling detection of seriously poisoned dogs. Aflatoxin curtails the production of cholesterol and many proteins that profoundly affect blood clotting. A minimum screening profile should assess the liver enzyme ALT to detect damage to the liver, serum cholesterol, total bilirubin concentration and the activity of the anticoagulant proteins antithrombin III (ATIII) and protein C. The coagulation protein tests, which have been adapted for dogs by Cornell researchers, have high value in detecting affected dogs but require collection of a special blood sample (citrated plasma sample) and an assessment by Cornell's Animal Health Diagnostic Center.

Any dog suspected of aflatoxin poisoning should also have a liver specimen sent to Cornell to definitively confirm the pathologic changes in the liver unique for aflatoxin toxicity, such as fatty degeneration of individual cells.

"Even if dogs show no signs of illness, if they have eaten the affected food, they should have blood tests submitted to detect liver injury," Center stressed. "Dogs that show positive results on any of the above tests should be prescribed liver protectants for two months." For more details, veterinarians should check the Cornell Vet College Web site.

Owners also should take cats that might have eaten contaminated dog food to a vet. Two cats that may have eaten the tainted dog food have died, but no cause of death was determined.

My thoughts:

This story got attention because these innocent dogs died so fast.

Every day, thousands die from unexplainable reasons. The vast majority of them die from toxic levels of poisons that have built over the years of eating commercial dog food, which is slowly destroying their vital organs.

That means that they will die a slower, more agonizing death, rather than a rapid one.

My recommendation:

Dog Food Secrets, written by Andrew Lewis, teaches you how to avoid this happening to your own dog, act now while your dog is still healthy. Also, you will want to get this excellent book written by John Miller called Healthy Food for Dogs: Homemade Dog Food Recipes. It has over 200+ recipes included it in!

Tips on how to tell if your dog is overweight

Consulting a vet will help you establish whether your dog is at a healthy weight or if he is starting towards an unhealthy weight. You should discuss all diet related concerns with your vet prior to any major changes in your dog’s diet area. You can, of course, do this before your next vet visit as an assessment of your dog’s general body condition and weight. It won’t be as precise as having a professional check him out, though.

• Can the ribs be easily felt with slight fat cover, or are they difficult to feel under moderate or thick fat cover?
• From the side view, do you see an abdominal tuck?
• Is there thickening at the tail base?
• From the overhead view, is there a well-proportioned waist?
• Or, from the overhead view, does she have a marked hourglass shape? (an indicator of being underweight)
• Or, from the overhead view, is the back slightly or markedly broadened at the waist? (indicators of being moderately to severely overweight)
• Is your dog slow to rise or move around?
• Is she reluctant to exercise, or does she tire easily with activity?

Of course, this doesn’t mean that you must measure and weigh every meal you prepare. Once you do it a few times, you’ll get the hang of it.

The ideal solution, once you’ve determined your dog’s caloric needs, is to prepare meals at home. This gives you total control of the nutritional side and the caloric side of the content.

Dog Food Secrets teaches you how to easily keep your dog's weight under control and prevent it from becoming sick from obesity --> the number 1 cause of canine health problems. As long as they keep eating commercial dog food, you are fighting an uphill battle.

Pet Recipes #7

Peanut Butter Cookies

2 ½ cups whole wheat flour

¼ cup white flour

¼ cup oatmeal

1¼Tbsp baking powder

1 Tbsp honey

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup milk

Combine flour, oatmeal, and baking powder. Combine milk, peanut butter, and honey in a separate bowl and mix well. Stir peanut butter mixture into flour/oatmeal mixture. Knead dough and roll-out on floured surface to a quarter inch thickness. Cut out treats using a cookie cutter. Place aluminum foil on cookie sheet and bake in a 400 degree oven for approximately 15 minutes.

Do you want even more healthy recipes like this one for you dog? Then you should check out Healthy Food for Dogs: Homemade Recipes.

This is a great guide with recipes for your dog that will provide you with EXCELLENT recipes and instructions on making the recipes.

Pet Recipes #6

Garlic Wheat Patties

3 Jars Baby Food – (1 carrot, 2 meat)

1/3 cup Wheat Germ

1/4 cup powdered milk

½ tsp garlic powder

Mix ingredients well and then press into small “patties”. Bake in 350 oven for about 15 minutes.

When you make it yourself, you know what goes into it. When cooking for your dog, always remember that chocolate and onions are dangerous for dogs to eat.

Pet Recipes #5

Rolled Oats and Yogurt

1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup vegetables(carrots, celery, spinach, broccoli, etc.), shredded, steamed or pureed
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Soak the rolled oats in yogurt overnight. Then mix all the ingredients together, and serve to your patient and loyal friend

Soup

4 small parsnip
2 whole yellow squash, cubed
2 whole sweet potates, peeled and cubed
2 whole zucchini, cubed
5 whole tomatoes
15 oz. chick peas(garbanzo beans)
1/2 cup couscous
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups of water or chicken stock

Combine the above ingredients in a saucpan, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender. This usually takes about 30 minutes. This can be served over brown rice or barley.

Pet Recipe #4

STEW

Combine 1/2 pound stewing veal, 1 cup canned tomatoes, 1 cup water, 1 chicken bouillon cube, 1/2 onion (chopped), parsley and a dash of garlic powder in a pot and simmer.

When the meat is tender, remove all the bones.

For dogs, cut the meat in chunks, and mix stew with kibble or some other grain; for cats, grind the stew in blender, adding a tablespoon of wheat germ or 1/2 slice of whole wheat bread.

Pet Recipe #3

SAUTEED LIVER

Heat 1 teaspoon corn oil in a pan.

Add 1/4 pound beef liver and fry on both sides until cooked but not dry inside.

Add 1/2 cup water to the pan and mix it up with all the brown bits.

For dogs, cut the liver into pieces and serve; for cats, grind the liver in a blender, using the pan juices.

Common Pet Food Allergy Culprits

There are many ingredients in pet food that are likely to cause food allergies. The most common, in order, are beef, dairy products, chicken, wheat, chicken eggs, corn, and soy. Do those look like familiar ingredients? They should because they are the most common ingredients put in dog foods.

To combat this, pet food companies started producing a diet made of lamb and rice. Of course, there’s nothing special about lamb and rice diets except that they were not normally present in pet foods. Animals had not developed an allergy to it, yet.

So, if the main ingredient used was lamb and rice, then it would be reasonable to say that the most common problem foods could become lamb and rice. The structure and size of the glycoprotein, a complex protein in which the non-protein part is a carbohydrate, determines whether a food is likely to cause a food allergy. Many lamb and rice foods contain other ingredients, should the animal have a food allergy to any of the other ingredients then the lamb and rice will do nothing to help the allergy.

Preservatives and flavorings have been blamed as a cause of food allergies. There have been studies that have shown that they are not the causes. Preservatives should not cause concerns about health as food allergies have not been linked to them.

Want to know how you can prevent food allergies in your pets? Healthy Food For Dogs: Homemade Recipes

"Why Is the Pet Food Industry Killing Our Pets?"

Read this very informative article on how the recent HUGE pet food recall affects you and your pets!

"...condemned material from slaughterhouses, road-kill, zoo animals and even euthanized companion animals." This is what your so-called "premium" dog food might contain! That's GROSS even for a dog to eat.

Read the article here