5 Risky Health Myths That Even Your Vet Believes

Some popular folklore about pet care seems to hang on well past its expiration date. And then there are traditions that persist because experts in the veterinary industry promote them.

These are myths about how to properly care for dogs and cats, sometimes fueled by special interest groups in the veterinary industry.

5 Pet Care Myths Debunked

How many of the following pet care myths have you heard of or fallen for?

Myth 1: Chemical Parasite Prevention Is Necessary Year Round

Many conventional veterinarians advise their clients to keep pets on a year-round schedule of chemical pest preventives.

This is the case regardless of where an animal lives, when pest season starts and ends, whether a given disease is prevalent in a given species, and in apparent ignorance of the fact that pests, in particular ticks, have developed resistance to pesticides thanks to decades of overuse.

Dr. Becker has seen patients with both heartworm disease and active Lyme infections who acquired these illnesses while taking a monthly, year-round chemical heartworm preventive AND a spot-on flea/tick preventive. 

In the vast majority of cases, a monthly year-round regimen is completely unnecessary, costly, and risky in terms of the potential for adverse side effects, including increasing your pet’s toxic load.

RELATED: Dangers: Pet Vacinations

There are only a few areas in the US in which giving a heartworm preventive year-round might be advisable. Those areas are in south Texas, south Florida, and a few other locations along the Gulf coast. The rest of the US ranges from 3 to 7 months of high exposure risk. The majority of states are at 6 months or less

Myth 2: Neutering Is a Harmless Procedure

There is a purpose for each organ in your pet’s body, and organ systems are interdependent. Therefore, it is inevitable that removing any organ, including the organs of reproduction, will have health consequences.

There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that desexing dogs (spaying or neutering), especially at an early age, can create health and behavior problems. 

Diseases and disorders linked to spaying/neutering include:

• Shortened lifespan 
• Atypical Cushing’s disease 
• Cardiac tumors 
• Hypothyroidism
• Higher risk for vaccine adverse reactions
• Abnormal bone growth and development
• Higher rate of cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) ruptures
• Hip dysplasia
• Urinary incontinence
• Higher risk for infectious disease
• Increased incidence of behavior problems and noise phobias

Dr. Becker: “My approach to sterilizing dogs is to work with each individual pet owner to make decisions that will provide the most health benefits for the dog. Whenever possible, I prefer to leave dogs intact. However, this approach requires a highly responsible pet guardian who is fully committed to and capable of preventing the dog from mating (unless the owner is a responsible breeder and that’s the goal).

My second choice is to sterilize without desexing. This means performing a procedure that will prevent pregnancy while sparing the testes or ovaries so that they continue to produce hormones essential for the dog’s health and well-being.

This typically involves a vasectomy for male dogs, and either a tubal ligation or modified spay for females. The modified spay removes the uterus while preserving the hormone-producing ovaries.”

Myth 3: Cats That Eliminate Outside the Litterbox Are Just ‘Acting Out’

A good rule to live by for cat guardians: any change in a kitty’s behavior, including litter box behavior, should be assumed to be a health problem until proven otherwise.

Typically cats urinate and/or defecate outside the litterbox for one of four reasons:

1. A medical condition 
2. Urine marking
3. Litterbox aversion
4. De-clawed cats often find that the litter hurts their paws

So the first thing you should do if your cat suddenly starts peeing in inappropriate places is make an appointment with your veterinarian to investigate for disorders known to cause the behavior.

Urinary tract infections, cystitis or feline lower urinary tract diseases (FLUTD) are all very common reasons why kitties urinate outside the litter box.

Some cats will urine mark or spray a certain area (outside the litter box) in order to communicate with other cats, or because they are stressed. 

Marking and spraying are different – a cat marks in a squatting position, urinating onto a flat surface. Spraying is done by backing up to a vertical surface like a wall and urinating while standing.

Litterbox aversion is a situation in which your cat doesn’t like the dirty condition of the box, or the location, or the litter, or a combination. 

Litterbox aversion can usually be resolved by:

• Determining the type of litter and litter box your kitty prefers 
• Using the right amount of litter (four inches, minimum, at all times) 
• Keeping the boxes scooped (scoop at least once, and preferably twice a day), and doing a thorough cleaning at least every two weeks 
• Having enough boxes and locating them in safe, easy-to-access locations

Myth 4: It’s Not Really Important to Brush Your Pet’s Teeth

Raw-fed pets generally have healthier teeth and gums than dogs and cats fed processed pet food, but regardless of the diet you feed, or how often you offer raw bones, you won’t completely prevent plaque accumulation without brushing.

Dr. Becker recommends you brush your animal companion’s teeth daily, or several times a week at a minimum, if you want to prevent the need for veterinary dentistry services.

One of the secrets to successful tooth brushing is to progress slowly and gently, allowing your pet to adapt at his own pace. Start with your finger rather than a toothbrush and get your pet familiar with having your finger in his mouth.

Once your pet is accepting of the presence of your finger in his mouth, wrap a very thin damp cloth or piece of gauze around your fingertip and rub the teeth. You’ll probably be amazed by the amount of gunk you wipe off with just a piece of gauze.

The next step is to use a safe, natural pet dental cleaning product and apply a small amount to the gauze before you rub your pet’s teeth. Once your pet gets used to this, you can progress to either a finger brush or a soft toothbrush the right size for your dog’s or cat’s mouth.

If your pet is highly resistant to having his teeth rubbed or brushed, there are products available that when applied to the teeth go to work to break down plaque and tartar without brushing. 

However, the more rubbing and brushing your pet will allow, the more quickly you’ll see results, and the easier it will be to maintain your pet’s oral health.

Myth 5: Food and Treats Are a Good Substitute for Exercise

Sadly, this myth has created a pet obesity epidemic in the US, and doomed millions of dogs and cats to a shortened lifespan, a host of obesity-related diseases, and a diminished quality of life. We are all tired when we get home from work and instead of moving with our pets, we tend to eat too much on the couch together.

Here are three essential steps to keeping your pet at a healthy weight and in good physical condition: 

1. Feed a balanced, species-appropriate diet. Be aware that many low-calorie or “diet” pet foods are filled with grains that may add to your pet’s weight problem. A high-quality raw food diet is an excellent choice for most pets in need of weight loss.

2. Practice portion control – usually a morning and evening meal, carefully measured. A high-protein, low-carb diet with the right amount of calories for weight loss, controlled through the portions you feed, is what will take the weight off your dog or cat. And don’t forget to factor in any calories from treats.

3. Regularly exercise your pet. Daily exercise, including at least 20 minutes of consistent aerobic activity, will help your pet burn fat and increase muscle tone. 

If you’re unable to provide your pet with this level of exercise (and some pets may need even more), you might consider joining a pet sports club or at least a doggy daycare that gets your pet moving. Another option is to hire a dog walker (or a cat walker).

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Avoid This Unnecessary Trauma At The Pet Groomers

In grooming schools during the ‘40s and ‘50s (and even some “old school” programs today), groomers were taught to clean the dogs’ ears, trim the dogs’
and cats’ nails, brush their teeth and express the anal glands.

Emptying the anal sacs was considered to be a courtesy, but the downside is that pets were never meant to have those anal glands recurrently expressed.

Anal glands are little sacs that sit right inside of dogs’ and cats’ rectums. They sit about 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock just inside of the anus, and they’re designed to secrete really stinky material that contains pheromones.

Pheromones are chemical messengers that help identify “who’s who” in the pack. That’s why dogs sniff each other’s butts, as the scent provides a lot of biochemical information that dogs need to communicate with one another — kitties, too.

For thousands of years, dogs and cats have existed with their anal glands with no problems. Adam in the Garden of Eden didn’t squeeze his dog’s butt. Cavemen in caves didn’t put their cats up on rocks and express their anal glands.

Dogs and cats have existed in harmony with their anal glands for quite some time. So the question is, to those of you who have anal gland issues with your pets, ‘What’s going on?’

One of the main reasons pets have recurrent problems with their anal glands is unnecessary trauma. If every single day I told you to wake up and squeeze your sub-mandibular lymph nodes or glands to express them, you could end up having glandular trauma. Or, if I told you to squeeze your salivary glands every single time you eat, you could end up with soft tissue trauma.

The two tiny glands inside your pets’ rectum have a tiny duct that leads out to the anus. When animals poop, feces come into the rectum and as the colon expands, these glands squeeze a little of this stinky material on the feces, which provides biochemical markers for other animals.

This is why your dog insists on stopping to smell poop when you’re out on a walk. They’re picking up on the anal gland material, which contains a lot of information on the dog that was there last.

All of these systems are meant to work in harmony, however, if that little duct that drains the anal gland becomes swollen shut, all heck can break loose. The area can become very irritated and inflamed, and if those glands swell up and pinch off the outflow tract, there will be no porthole for the material to be secreted.

So, what happens is that when groomers get in there in an attempt to provide a service to you, it can actually create unnecessary trauma. Veterinarians who express your dog’s anal glands can cause unnecessary trauma as well.

 
Unnecessary Trauma Through Recurrent Expression of the Anal Glands

Unnecessary trauma is a major reason why animals have recurrent anal gland problems, so if your pets don’t have anal gland problems right now, tell your vets and groomers to please leave them alone.

Do not automatically express your pet’s anal glands.

However, if there’s an underlying inflammatory condition or low-grade infection that’s already in the anal gland, sometimes gentle manipulation by a veterinarian who’s capable of recognizing how much pressure to apply can be helpful.

It’s very important that your vet knows when to stop squeezing, as the goal is to help the anal gland retrain its muscle tone so that the body can do its job on its own.

Dr. Becker says that one of the biggest issues she sees practice, is that groomers have recurrently expressed anal glands once a month or so, whether the pet needs the service or not. When this is done, the muscle around the anal gland that naturally has good tone ends up losing muscle tone.

It’s kind of like a balloon. When you buy a balloon it’s small and tight but when you blow it up and let the air out, the balloon never goes back to its original taut, small size.

When your pet’s body becomes dependent on groomers and veterinarians expressing those anal glands, oftentimes muscle tone is lost and the body ends up not being able to do its job on its own.

So, if muscle tone is lost through recurrent expression, please do not have your veterinarian or groomer automatically express the glands.

Instead, your vet can check the glands on a regular basis and determine whether the glands are normal-sized, not too full, and whether the duct is working properly. In that case, the best choice is to leave them alone.

Inflammation of the GI Tract and Other Organs

The second major reason why we often see recurrent anal gland issues is inflammation of the GI tract. Keep in mind that the rectum in the anus or the very last part of the gastrointestinal tract and any underlying disease or disease cascade that can influence the gastrointestinal tract can also influence the anal glands.

So, for instance, inflammatory bowel disease. If you’ve got inflammation of the colon, the anal glands can be infected. If your pet has allergies, allergic gastritis or allergic colitis, that can also cause inflammation of the anal glands.

And most importantly, anything that can cause soft stools, such as parasites, medications, and antibiotics, are also major risk factors for causing anal gland issues

This is because part of healthy anal glands is based on firm stool. When feces pass out of the rectum, it’s the pressure of the firm stool against the colon wall that effectively expresses the anal glands. If your pet’s stools are recurrently soft or if they’re having diarrhea often, that’s really a major metabolic reason why recurrent anal gland issues can become a problem.

The underlying cause that must be addressed in that case is whatever is causing the soft stool.

Allergies Can Also Irritate Your Pet’s Anal Glands

If your pet is sensitive to ragweeds, grasses, pollens, molds or other allergens in their environment, this can be a problem for their anal glands. All it takes is your pet sitting down outside for those allergens to transfer to the anus and cause overwhelming itching.

So your dog may start to scoot, itch, become red and irritated, and even chew at its rectum, which can create the anal gland problem. So if you’ve got an allergenic pet, addressing the root cause of the allergies is a great way to secondarily address the anal gland problem.

Anal Glands can Also be in the Wrong Spot

Some animals have anal glands that are placed deep and low inside of the rectum. In this case, even though there is healthy stool being passed out of the rectum, there’s not enough pressure to the wayward anal glands to effectively empty their contents during a bowel movement. 

Very rarely in those situations, those animals have to have anal gland expression performed because they’re not capable of doing it on their own.

In extreme circumstances, sometimes the anal glands have to be surgically removed but you need to know, in my opinion, this is the very last choice. 

Surgical removal of anal glands falls under the surgical definition of a “salvage procedure”, which means it can carry with it a whole host of complications. 

If Your Pet’s Anal Glands are Healthy, Don’t Express!

I want you to remember that if your pets don’t have an underlying anal gland problem, leave them alone! 

Do not squeeze the anal glands. If your pets do have anal gland problems, identify if it’s an inflammatory response, an allergic response, or a soft stool issue. Addressing the underlying root cause of why your pets are dealing with the recurrent anal gland problem is the best choice to deal with this problem.

This informative and crucially important article was written by Dr. Karen Becker

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RECALL – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Frozen Raw Cat Food

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — August 10, 2015 — Burlington, WA — Northwest Farm Food Cooperative of Burlington, WA, is voluntarily recalling frozen raw Cat Food due to their potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products.

Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some, or all, of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever.

Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Pets with Salmonella infections may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected, but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. 

If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

No pet or consumer illnesses from this product have been reported to date. However, because of their commitment to safety and quality, Northwest Farm Food Cooperative is conducting a voluntary recall of this product.

The potentially affected lots of frozen raw Cat Food were sold from our facility 1370 S. Anacortes Street Burlington, WA 98233.

The affected products are sold in 50 pound blocks and cases of six 10 pound chubs; packaged in a white plastic bag labeled Cat Food. The products affected by this recall have the production code Jul12015B and have no UPC code. The production code can be found on the outside of the case (box).

The recall was the result of a sampling done by the Food and Drug Administration which revealed that the finished product contained the bacteria. 

The company has ceased the production and distribution of the product as FDA and the company continues their investigation as to what caused the problem.

This recall is being made with the knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Consumers who have purchased the above lots of frozen raw Cat Food are urged to stop feeding them and return product to place of purchase for a full refund or dispose of them immediately. 

For further information about the recall please call (360) 757-4225 Monday through Friday from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm PST.

NATIONWIDE RECALL – Dog Food

We have an important dog food recall going on right now. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the recall was issued after they conducted a routine sample test and determined that the products contained Salmonella bacteria.

What’s Being Recalled?

Nature’s Variety has announced a NATIONWIDE recall of select lots of its Instinct Raw Chicken Formula for Dogs.

The affected products appear to share the same “Best By” date and are limited to the Instinct Raw Chicken Formula Frozen Diets packaged in the following forms:

Instinct Raw Chicken Formula Bites for Dogs
UPC# 769949611431
4 pound package
Best By date 04/27/16

Instinct Raw Chicken Formula Bites for Dogs
UPC# 769949611448
7 pound package
Best By date 04/27/16

Instinct Raw Chicken Formula Patties for Dogs
UPC# 769949611486
6 pound package
Best By date 04/27/16

The “Best By” date is located on the back of the package below the seal. The affected product was distributed through retail stores in the United States and limited distribution in Canada.

What Caused the Recall?

Nature’s Variety  became aware of a potential issue after receiving notification from the FDA that a routine surveillance sample of seven pound Instinct Raw Chicken Bites for dogs tested positive for Salmonella.

Recent Announcement from the FDA: They have launched a campaign to collect and test RAW pet foods for Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria. To read the official announcement…click here

About Salmonella

Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.

Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: 

• nausea
• vomiting
• diarrhea or bloody diarrhea
• abdominal cramping 
• fever

Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments including: 

• arterial infections
• endocarditis
• arthritis
• muscle pain
• eye irritation
• urinary tract symptoms

Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers.

Pets with Salmonella infections may be:

• lethargic 
• have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea
• fever
• vomiting

Some pets will have only decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain.

Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans.

If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has the symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

What to Do?

Consumers feeding the affected product should discontinue use and monitor their pet’s health, and contact their veterinarian if they have concerns.

Consumers who have purchased one of the above products can obtain a full refund or exchange by either returning the product in its original packaging or bringing a proof of purchase back to their retailer.

Consumers with additional questions can call the company’s Consumer Relations team at 888-519-7387 from 8 am to 7 pm CT, 7 days a week during the recall.

Or, consumers can email Nature’s Variety directly viacservice@naturesvariety.com

U.S. citizens can report complaints about FDA-regulated pet food products by calling the consumer complaint coordinator in your area.

Or go to http://www.fda.gov/petfoodcomplaints.

Canadians can report any health or safety incidents related to the use of this product by filling out the Consumer Product Incident Report Form.

Pet Food Guide – Avoid The Hype

Premium, gourmet or natural… are these words you can trust on a dog food label? Or are they simply exaggerated claims designed to influence your purchase decision?

Each and every day, agricultural waste declared unfit for human consumption finds its way into commercial pet food.

Take a look at these dreadful yet perfectly legal ingredients:

• Spoiled supermarket meats 
• Contaminated grain middlings
• Slaughterhouse waste (organs, heads, hooves, beaks, feet) 
• Bread and cereal rejects (hulls, stalks, mill sweepings) 
• Dying, diseased and disabled farm animals 
• Road kill (deer, skunks, and raccoons) 
• Distiller fermentation waste 
• Euthanized cats and dogs
• Restaurant grease
• Dead zoo animals 

Obviously, pet food companies know that raw materials like these couldn’t possibly help sell their products. Can you imagine buying a product called…

“Slaughterhouse Waste Pet Food” 

Wouldn’t sell very well, would it? Yet that’s precisely why some pet food companies invest millions of dollars each year creating misleading packaging… packaging intentionally designed to deceive you. To distract you from what’s really in their products.

That’s why it’s crucial to not allow yourself to be tricked by pet food packaging. Or by the extravagant words used to inflate the apparent value of a product. 

Be Wary of the Seductive Words “Premium” or “Gourmet”

For most of us, when shopping for any food product, it’s difficult to resist one labeled “premium” or “gourmet”.

Well, pet food companies know this. So, they intentionally use words like these to dupe us into believing their product is superior to other competing brands.

“Products labeled as premium or gourmet are not required to contain any different or higher quality ingredients, nor are they held up to any higher nutritional standards than are any other complete and balanced products.”

You’ll be shocked to discover the FDA has NO regulations or guidelines to protect consumers from misleading claims of  superiority like these.

But What About “Natural” Pet Food?

OK, so you think the word “natural” might be an exception? Right? Well, think again.

The word “natural” actually has no official meaning. “The term ‘natural’ is often used on pet food labels, although that term does not have an official definition either.” 

Many marketing claims about pet food have little to do with nutritional quality. There is no scientific basis to differentiate between “synthetic” vs. “natural” preservatives for health reasons.

However, the FDA does recognize the decisive AAFCO definition of ‘natural’ by elaborating… “For the most part, ‘natural’ can be construed as equivalent to a lack of artificial flavors, artificial colors, or artificial preservatives in the product.” 

And What About “Organic” Foods on the Label?

Similarly, while “organic” conveys something useful about how some ingredients in a product were grow grown, it is not a certification that was intended to apply to pet foods, and need not mean that all components of a product were produced according to organic standards.

At the moment, “organic” means something for human food – it does not mean much for pet food. 

We worry that the USDA doesn’t think pet foods are important enough to care what is said on their labels. 

This may be a good situation for unscrupulous marketers, but we do not think it is good for pet food companies, buyers of pet foods or the organic industry itself.

 
There are companies calling themselves organic when their foods do not contain a single organic ingredient. They get away with this because the USDA, unlike the FDA, doesn’t regulate company names.

If products are labeled organic, they should follow the rules for organic certification…ALL of them. If they do not, the organic standards won’t mean much.

Categories of  USDA-Certified Organic Foods for HUMANS

Label statement and USDA requirements for organic certification of human foods*

• 100% Organic

Can be labeled “100% organic” and display a Certified Organic seal on the front of the package.

• Organic

Must be 95% to 99% organic ingredients; can display the Certified Organic seal on the front of the package.

• Made with Organic Ingredients

Must be 70% to 94% organic, can say “made with organic ingredients” and can list up to three such ingredients on the front, but cannot display the organic seal anywhere on the package.

• Less than 70% Organic

Can list organic ingredients on the information panel, but cannot use the word “organic” on the front of the package or display the organic seal.

Source: USDA National Organic Program

What’s Holistic Pet Food?

Is the word ‘Holistic’ a marketing hype when it comes to pet food?

The short answer is that it can be. There is no legal definition for the term ‘Holistic’ so companies can use it as they wish. 

What you need to do is read into the label and past the title to find out what holistic means for that particular product.

What people want in a Holistic pet food is:

• Only natural ingredients are used. No chemicals or artificial anything. No antibiotics, hormones, pesticides or dyes.
• The pet food uses whole grains, fruits and vegetables. No processed parts or by-products of ingredients.
• The ingredients chosen for the recipe are selected to benefit the animal. They are not there to make the food more appealing to the pet owner or to entice your pet to eat something they normally would not.
• The food contains enhanced vitamins and chelated/proteinated minerals.

Make sure to read the label and not just go for the best sounding name or prettiest bag!

Where to Find the Only Information You Can Reliably Trust

On a pet food package, the legal truth can be found in one place. And one place only. The government regulated portion of the label. And nowhere else.

For this reason, never blindly trust the pictures on the bag… or the words premium, gourmet, organic or natural.

Remember that pet food advertising is designed to attract human purchasers.

Just because an ingredient seems less appetizing to a person doesn’t mean that it doesn’t provide valuable nutrients for a pet — in a way that can be both available and tasty.

The pet food industry often relies on by-products and wastes generated from making human food.

The words “complete and balanced” or “100% nutritious” indicate only that the product can be used as the sole source of nutrition. Products that don’t use this language should be used only as supplements, such as treats.

Buying Guide: The Issues

Pet owners want their pets to lead healthy lives, but it’s difficult to obtain information about the nutritional value of different pet foods or on the environmental and social reputations of different pet food brands.

Transparency about ingredients, ingredient sources, and processing methods beyond the minimum of what is legally required is generally difficult to come by in the pet food industry.

Many different brands use the same ingredient providers and manufacture products at the same processing facilities.

Pet food ingredients are combined to achieve specific nutritional benchmarks, so consumers can assume that most products on the market meet a basic standard for nutritional adequacy.

While pet goods attempt to differentiate themselves with various marketing claims about their ingredients, there is considerable scientific debate about the importance that should be assigned to specific ingredients compared to the overall nutritional profile of a pet food.

We now know a lot more about what contributes to a healthy diet for our pets, and which ingredients to seek or avoid with human food compared to pet food.

Read the labels…don’t fall for pet food advertising…it’s a hype.

Give your pet the “quality of life” he deserves. Most kids enjoy junk food and so does our pet, which has been proven to be a host for many illnesses. Our pets are our kids…so…let’s give them the best food available for a long and healthy life.

RELATED ARTICLES:

• Dirty Little Lies Exposed About The Pet Food Industry
• CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT: Purina Pet Food
• 10 Top Dangerous Myths About Pet Food and Nutrition That People Believe
• Pet Food Recalls: Is Your Pets Brand on This List?

Pet With The Longest Memory: Cat? Dog?

While the US can certainly be described as a pet-loving nation, there is at least a slight bias toward dogs. Who do you think is the smartest pet and who has the longest memory? Dogs or cats?

There’s been several studies conducted and this is their conclusion’ – Who’s Smarter (Who Did You Pick?)

How long is a cat ‘s memory span?

A cat’s brain functioning has been compared to that of a two to three year old child and, when compared to a dog, a cat’s memory is almost 200 times more retentive. Without repeated and reinforced training, a dog’s memory span is about 5 minutes.

How many neurons does a dog have?

A cat’s cerebral cortex contains about twice as many neurons as that of dogs. Cats have 300 million neurons, whereas dogs have about 160 million. In fact, cats have more nerve cells in the visual areas of their brain, a part of cerebral cortex, than humans and most other mammals.

Is a dog smarter than a cat?

While pet owners may have loads of anecdotal data to show that cats are smarter than dogs or vice versa, there’s little scientific evidence to back up those claims. Simply looking at the structure of the animals’ brains only reveals so much about their intelligence.

If you’d like to experience all of this (and more) for yourself, take a trip to your local animal shelter, which will likely have dozens of unique kitties waiting to claim your heart as their own. 

As VetStreet noted:
“…the next time you hear someone say they don’t like cats, ask them if they’ve ever lived with one of these fascinating, funny felines. Chances are, they have no idea what they’re missing!”

CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT: Purina Pet Food

Purina fights lawsuit claiming Beneful makes dogs deathly ill. Some pet owners claim their dogs have gotten sick — and a few even died, according to the lawsuit.

Virginia Burgardt blames Nestlé Purina PetCare, the second largest selling pet food maker behind Mars Petcare, for nearly killing her Great Dane earlier this year.

“Skye was vomiting, had diarrhea and losing weight,” said the 54-year-old from Wichita, Kansas, who explained that she has fed two-year-old Skye Purina’s Beneful products for most of the dog’s life.

“Over time, she kept getting sicker and sicker and finally wouldn’t eat,” Burgardt said. “I thought she was going to die.” It was soon after taking Skye to her veterinarian and having tests that according to Burgardt, show traces of antifreeze in the dog’s system.

And so Burgardt joined a lawsuit against Purina PetCare. Her dog, she says, “is alive but not well. It’s been very upsetting. I know it was all because of Beneful.”

The lawsuit, originally filed last February by Frank Lucido of California and then amended in June, alleged Purina failed to disclose that Beneful contains dangerous substances, such as mycotoxins and industrial-grade glycols, which are found in some antifreeze products and in human food.

Nestle’s Purina blasted the lawsuit as “false” and “unsubstantiated,” and stated that the products don’t contain “industrial grade glycol.” “There are no quality issues with Beneful,” the company said.

Beneful has been on pet store shelves since 2001. Purina PetCare, which recently bought organic pet food maker Merrick Pet Care, has more than $11 “billion” in annual revenues. The suit seeks $5 million in damages.

According to the lawsuit, in the past four years, there have been more than 3,000 complaints online by people saying that feeding their dogs Beneful products resulted in sickness or death. 

The site, ConsumerAffairs.com, contains more than a 1,000 consumer reviews of Beneful, many of them claiming their dogs were made gravely ill after eating the product.

In June, the lawsuit was amended to include 26 additional plaintiffs. “We want the people who were hurt by feeding Beneful to their pets to receive some compensation for their loss,” said Jeffrey Cereghino, a partner at Ram, Olson, Cereghino & Kopczynski and one of the plaintiffs’ lawyers.

He’s filed a motion to have the lawsuit be a class-action case.

Purina contends the lawsuit is without merit and their products are completely safe. Last month, the company launched a national campaign to defend Beneful, which is called, “I stand behind Beneful.” “Beneful is a safe, nutritious, high-quality dog food,” the company said, adding it looks forward to proving the case in court.

Pet food recalls

Purina isn’t the only pet food maker under fire. Last Friday, Nature’s Variety announced it’s voluntarily recalling its Instinct Raw Chicken Formula for dogs with a “Best By” date of 04/27/16 due to possible Salmonella contamination.

Pet owners feeding the affected product to their animals are urged to discontinue use and monitor their pet’s health.

The Federal Drug Administration regulates pet food and FDA spokesperson JuliAnn Putnam said “it must be safe and properly labeled.”

But there is no requirement that pet food products have pre-market approval by the FDA, according to the agency’s website. And critics claim food labeled as safe is really not because the FDA doesn’t really do much inspection.

“A lot of so called feed can be hideous animal waste,” said Susan Thixton, a pet food consumer advocate with a group called Association for Truth in Pet Food (ATPF).

One of the most recent and biggest episodes of dog and cat food poisoning was in 2007 when two Chinese companies and an American importer, ChemNutra were indicted on charges of using tainted wheat gluten as a pet food ingredient.

Thousands of animals got sick and dozens reportedly died.

Some pet owners claim their dogs have gotten sick — and a few even died, according to the lawsuit.

The company pled guilty to the charges in 2010 and paid $25,000 in fines while two ChemNutra officials were sentenced to three years probation along with $5,000 in fines for each.

This led to the to the biggest pet food recall in history, involving names such as Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Mars Inc., Del Monte Pet Nutrition, Mars Inc., Del Monte Pet Products, as well as Purina, The Iams Co. and Procter & Gamble, as well as dozens of retailers, including Wal-Mart, Target, PetSmart, Petco and Costco. 

The majority of products came from Menu Foods, a Canadian company contracted to manufacture numerous brand-name and private label pet foods.that manufactured pet food using the tainted ingredients.

By 2011, more than $12 million was paid on 20,229 claims from the United States and Canada as a result of the case.

The ingredients in Beneful dog foods: Harmful or not?

At the heart of this Purina case is what goes into the various Beneful dog foods and the levels of these elements in the food.

Beneful products contain a colorless liquid chemical called propylene glycol that is used as a preservative and to keep foods moist; the lawsuit filed in February contends this ingredient is one of the main reasons that plaintiffs’ pets became ill or died, though that ingredient was no longer listed in the amended complaint.

The amended complaint, instead of listing propylene glycol as a food ingredient, says Purina failed to disclose that Beneful contains Industrial Grade Glycols (IGG), a more dangerous chemical. Purina flatly denied using that ingredient in products.

“We don’t have IGG’s in our products,” said Purina’s Vlieks.

As for propylene glycol, it is used in many forms of animal feed and veterinary medicine and found in human food like butter, cake mixes and sodas. But it can also be found in non-food products like antifreeze or in a solvent. And propylene glycolis used to reduce moisture in food, among other reasons.

Dr. Bruce Levitzke, director of the Veterinary Emergency and Referral Group in Brooklyn, New York said propylene glycol is generally safe for use in dog food and human foods. But it’s not good for cats, which can’t metabolize it.

“Even in small amounts, propylene glycol can cause destruction of red blood cells in cats,” explained Levitzke, who said he had no professional relationship with Purina or any other pet food maker.

The lawsuit also raises the possibility that dogs’ illness and death are due to the presence of mycotoxins in Beneful products. Toxins produced by mold, mycotoxins can contaminate grains used in pet food. The toxins can target an animal’s liver, which could lead to death.

The FDA’s Putnam said the agency has established regulatory levels of mycotoxins that are considered safe for animals, and Beneful products meet this standard.

But the ATPF said it conducted independent testing of pet foods and found Beneful Original Dog Food Dry contained very high levels of mycotoxins that were harmful to pets.

The Pet Food Institute, a trade group, has countered that claim and includes links to veterinarians’ and researchers’ articles that refer to the group’s testing as “pseudo science” and “junk science.”

So is it propylene glycol, mycotoxins, IGG, or a combination that’s harming or even killing the dogs? Or is it something altogether different — and totally unconnected to the dog food?

The plaintiffs’ lawyer Cereghino claim “independent” tests of Beneful have found enough concerning evidence that some veterinarians advise owners not to feed Beneful to their dogs. But Cereghino didn’t disclose details about these independent tests.

Purina’s Vlieks said her company’s veterinarians vigorously test for mycotoxins as well as measure which amount of propylene glycol is safe for dogs. Vlieks said Beneful is made according to high-quality human food-grade levels when it comes to measuring amounts of propylene glycol.

What about other dog food makers?

Mars Petcare wouldn’t disclose the ingredients in its products.

In response to Fortune’s queries, a company spokesperson sent an email, saying, “We hold our finished products until test results confirm our quality standards are met.”

The third largest pet food maker, Hill Pet Nutrition did not respond to requests for comment.

Products are required to have ingredient labels, but one study last year found that there was a high rate of mislabeling among pet food.

Owners want answers and there’s a lot of misinformation out there,” he said. “There’s not much out there to substantiate the claims against Purina. The nation’s dog food supply is safe.”

But there’s a wrinkle of sorts to the case. The amended lawsuit filed in June charges that Purina offered cash settlements with non-disclosure agreements to some of the plaintiffs.

As for the alleged cash settlements, Vlieks said that it’s common for Purina to reach out to help customers who have complaints. She said that Purina had heard from four of the plaintiffs but no contact resulted in paid claims.

Cereghino said the case is still in the discovery phase and could that could take months. But Purina could have legal precedence on its side.

A previous class action lawsuit filed in U.S district court in Missouri claimed Purina’s Beneful dog food caused severe harm and death to dogs was dismissed in January of 2014 for insufficient proof that Purina misrepresented their dog food.

Purina, meanwhile, says it is confident it will disprove this lawsuit in court. “We stand behind Beneful, which is a safe, nutritious, high quality food that millions of dogs enjoy every day,” a Purina spokesperson told Fortune. “Cases likes this cheapen the true pursuit of pet health and nutrition by stoking social media hysteria.”

But Purina is facing another legal challenge over alleged mislabeling of bacon dog treats.

The class action suit contends the treats were advertised as being made mostly of real bacon, when in fact the meat is only a miniscule portion of the pet treats.

“It says on package, ‘dog’s don’t know it’s not bacon’ and we want dogs to think it is bacon, but it’s not bacon,” said Vlieks. “We’re not misleading anybody.”

Original article by Mark Koba – a freelance journalist living in New Jersey.

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Dog Food Brands: Ratings, Reviews and Comments

As dog owners, we have a huge responsibility. Just like little babies, our furry friends are totally reliant and trusting in us. Their health largely depends on our ability to make the best dog food choices.

Choosing the right food for your pet can be very confusing.

There are many different brands of pet foods available…All dog foods claim to be “premium” and  “all natural,” but, with very few regulations on what it takes to meet these qualifications, many of these claims are little more than flashy marketing gimmicks and false advertising.

Consumer Affairs compared these dog foods by using ratings and consumer reviews in their official Consumer Affairs buyers guide.

Below are brands of dog food with ratings, comments from the manufacturer and literally thousands of comments from customers. 

Canidae features dry and wet dog food made from lamb, salmon, bison or duck. All kibbles are finished with HealthPLUS Solutions: a mixture of probiotics, antioxidants and healthy omega oils for optimal health and nutrition.

Read 740 Reviews  ★★★★★

(866) 270-4413 Click Here to shop our Pet Products Natural Balance features a wide range of dog foods, from the high-protein Wild Pursuit range that combines three sources of meat, to the vegetarian range created from a plethora of nutritional grain and vegetables.

Read 274 Reviews ★★

Nutro pet foods were developed for cats and dogs using all-natural ingredients. Dog and cat food brands manufactured by Nutro include Greenies, Max Cat, Perfect Portions, Rotations and Farm’s Harvest.

Read 1824 Reviews ★

Beneful dog food is available in dry, wet, or treat forms. Kibble is made with beef or chicken, while the wet Chopped Blends formulas are made with beef, chicken, lamb, turkey, salmon or chicken liver.

Read 1636 Reviews ★

Blue Buffalo pet foods are made for both cats and dogs in all-natural formulas. Dry kibble, wet canned foods and treat pouches are available in a variety of special lines, such as Freedom-Grain-Free, and Wilderness-Meat-Rich.

Read 1267 Reviews ★

Purina pet foods are distributed through a variety of brands, including Purina ONE, Friskies, Fancy Feast, Cat Chow, Kitten Chow, and Beneful. These dry foods, wet foods and treats are for dogs and cats.

Read 1070 Reviews ★

Pedigree makes a range of dog food that is categorized by life stage, size and age. Their dry foods, wet foods and treats are specially formulated to help ease hip and joint pain, oral problems, weight issues and food allergies.

Read 725 Reviews ★

Iams features a supply of dog foods appropriate for all life stages. Varieties include Grain Free Naturals, Healthy Naturals and Adult Chunks with beef. Several wet and dry blends are formulated for special needs dogs.

Read 545 Reviews ★

Ol Roy pet foods are formulated to give dogs a complete, balanced and nutritious meal. The meaty flavor of the kibble is enticing, while the 23 vitamins work to keep dogs healthy and full of energy.

Read 390 Reviews ★

Kirkland Signature Pet Foods are made with either chicken or lamb or brown rice and vegetables. Dry foods have a guaranteed minimum of 26-32% protein, except for weight loss formulas which contain less to keep calories low.

Read 346 Reviews ★

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Shocking Ingredients That Are Put Into Pet Food

Television commercials and magazine advertisements for pet food would have us believe that the meats, grains, and fats used in these foods could grace our dining tables. Chicken, beef, lamb, whole grains, and quality fats are supposedly the composition of dog and cat food.

When we purchase these bags and cans of commercial food, we are in most cases purchasing garbage.

Let’s start with what usually appears as the protein source and the primary ingredient in pet food.

The well-known phrase “meat byproducts” is a misnomer since these byproducts contain little, if any, meat. These are the parts of the animal left over after the meat has been stripped away from the bone.

Chicken and Meat Byproducts

These byproducts include head, feet, entrails, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, liver, stomach, bones, blood, intestines, and any other part of the carcass not fit for human consumption,” writes Henry Pasternak in Healing Animals with Nature’s Cures.

Corn

Research Confirms Shocking Health Risks of GM (Genetically Modified) Corn Fed to Rats Cause Cancer, Tumors and Organ Failure. “The animals on the GM diet suffered mammary tumors, as well as severe liver and kidney damage.

Findings from the study

Here are some of the shocking findings from the study:

• Up to 50% of males and 70% of females suffered premature death.
• Rats that drank trace amounts of Roundup (at levels legally allowed in the water supply) had a 200% to 300% increase in large tumors. (The pesticide Roundup is sprayed on corn and can be found in the water supply in the U.S.) 
• Rats fed GM corn and traces of Roundup suffered severe organ damage including liver damage and kidney damage.

The study fed these rats NK603, the Monsanto variety of GM corn that’s grown across North America and widely fed to animals and humans.

This is the same corn that’s in your corn-based breakfast cereal, corn tortillas and corn snack chips. Corn is usually the first ingredient listed in the majority of pet foods, which poses many health risks and extreme dangers to your pet

Meat and Chicken Meal

 Meat meal can contain the boiled down flesh of animals we would find unacceptable for consumption. This can include zoo animals, road kill, and 4-D (dead, diseased, disabled, dying) livestock.

Most shockingly, this also can include dogs and cats. Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser writes, “Although leading American manufacturers promise never to put rendered pets into their pet food, it is still legal to do so”.

A Canadian company, Sanimal Inc., was putting 40,000 pounds of dead dogs and dead cats into its dog and cat food every week, until discontinuing the practice in June 2001.

 “This food is healthy and good,” said the company’s vice president of procurement, responding to critics, ”but some people don’t like to see meat meal that contains any pets.”

Spoiled Grocery Meats

 Every day, out-of-date supermarket meats as well as spoiled fish and poultry arrive by the truckload, right in their original Styrofoam trays and shrink wrap. There’s simply no time for the tedious task of unwrapping each individual package of the many thousands of rejected products.

RELATED: “Dirty Little Secrets” Exposed About The Pet Food Industry

Plastic cattle ID lags, pesticide patches and even the green waste disposal bags containing pets from veterinarians are tossed directly into the pit. As you can see, literally all of it (plastic, paper, cardboard, and whatever) goes right into the rendering machine.

By now, you must be starting to figure it all out. Much of what goes into cat and dog food is simply what’s left over after the processing of human food. It’s what’s commonly classified as “unfit for human consumption”.

For years, PETA has pressed Iams to stop conducting and funding experiments on animals and to adopt 100 percent humane testing methods. Iams has made some progress, but MANY animals are still suffering for its products.

Read the story here

Unfit for Humans – Legal for Pet Food

Here’s a short list of some of the unsavory raw materials I’ve already mentioned, plus a few others. All of the following ingredients are appalling, yet each can be lawfully used to make cat and dog food:

• Slaughterhouse waste (organs, heads, hooves, beaks, feet) 
• Bread and cereal rejects (cobs, stalks, mill sweepings) 
• Contaminated grain middlings 
• Dying, diseased and disabled farm animals 
• Road kill (deer, skunks, and raccoons) 
• Distiller fermentation waste 
• Spoiled supermarket food 
• Dead zoo animals 
• Restaurant grease 
• Euthanized cats and dogs

This list doesn’t include the endless amounts of chemicals added to pet foods used to sustain a longer “shelf life”.The pet food industry can be, at least in part, a sinister waste disposal vehicle for the human food manufacturers and a way to profit from its own garbage.

Many companies practice legal witchcraft by magically turning their trash – into cash.

RELATED: Dangers of Commercial Pet Food

         February, 2015

To see the full story click here

To avoid these “killer” ingredients in your pets food, we recommend feeding your dogs and cats a natural pet food. PLEASE READ THE LABEL!  (Bring your magnifying glass.) If you can’t pronounce an ingredient, don’t buy the food. It’s either a preservative (toxin) or a toxic chemical that will harm or even kill your pet.

Another added feature of feeding your pets natural food products, is that they eat less. When pets eat “junk food” they eat more often to try to get the nutrition they require. When  we go to a fast food restaurant, aren’t you hungry a couple of hours later?

Some pet food producers will substitute ingredients and not change the label to truthfully reflect what you’re buying.

Price and availability of raw ingredients change from day to day, the less ethical producer will then substitute one ingredient for another in order to keep production costs to a minimum.

They want to make that food as cheaply as possible! And changing the label to reflect the ingredient change is not required to be done immediately.

NOTE: I recommend the following NATURAL Food Supplements for your dogs and cats. This will provide essential nutrients for your pet, as commercial foods lack a sufficient amount of. I’ve been using this product for many years, and am proud to say, my pets never get sick! (Knock on wood)

Natural Supplements For Your Pets

Dogs

NUPRO All Natural Dog Supplement was researched and developed by a nutrition doctor. It is a totally holistic product that replaces the vitamins, minerals, and digestive enzymes that a dog does not get from his processed food.

In other words, Nupro is replacing with natural ingredients what a dog would normally have gotten in the wild. It is excellent for all breeds and all ages from puppies to geriatric.

NUPRO is made using fresh premium quality health food ingredients and contains a full range of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids, and essential omega fatty acids – All in their natural raw forms.

Whether you use commercial diets or cook for your animals, NUPRO should be a fundamental part of your pet’s daily nutritional program.

Cats

NUPRO  Health Nuggets for Cats is a superior supplement that provides the raw vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino and fatty acids that are lacking in commercially processed foods.

Nupro was designed to boost your cat’s typical diet with whole, fresh and nutrient-rich ingredients.

It’s also great if you have a cat that has “hairballs”. I adopted a senior cat, long haired sweetie who was throwing up everyday, sometimes two to three times daily.

Approximately two weeks after giving her Nupro for cats, everyday, it stopped considerably, which even amazed me! I still give it to her, and she still throws up, however, it’s only two or three times a month. Quite an improvement.

Health Benefits

• Gives cats shiny coats 
• Eliminates dry, itchy skin 
• Reduces amount of hairballs 
• Can be used for kittens and older cats 
• Relieves joint stiffness 
• Aids in digestion 
• Recommended by veterinarians 
• Boosts the immune system 
• Fights against allergies

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Eating This Could Poison Your Dog Fast

Get to your vet immediately if your dog gets his paws on this – even if he shows no symptoms. He might seem completely normal for 4 to 5 hours after the fact, but this food could potentially kill him. Not all survive even with immediate care.

Dogs are more often the victims of chocolate poisoning than cats, because dogs like sweet-tasting things, and they are indiscriminate eaters to begin with.

RELATED: List Of  Toxic Foods For Pets

Studies have shown that dogs are especially sensitive to theobromine compared to other domestic animals. This is because dogs metabolize the substance very slowly, which means it stays in their bloodstream for an unusually long time. 

This may also be true of cats, but because kitties don’t commonly overdose on chocolate, there isn’t a lot of research on feline chocolate toxicosis.

How Much Chocolate Is Too Much? 

Even small amounts of chocolate can cause adverse reactions in pets.

Baker’s chocolate and dark chocolate are the most common culprits, but other sources include chewable flavored multivitamins, baked goods, chocolate-covered espresso beans, and cocoa bean mulch. 

Though not commonly seen, the worst of the worst is dry cocoa powder, which contains the highest amount of theobromine per ounce – 800 milligrams per ounce versus Baker’s chocolate at 450 milligrams per ounce. 

Symptoms of Chocolate Toxicosis 

Clinical signs of chocolate poisoning may not appear for several hours after ingestion. However, the onset of symptoms usually occurs within 4 to 5 hours, and continues for 12 to 36 hours. 

The signs of chocolate poisoning usually progress rapidly. Death from respiratory and/or cardiac failure can occur up to several days after the chocolate was consumed. 

A dose of 250 to 500 milligrams of theobromine per kilogram of bodyweight is considered a potentially lethal dose for dogs; the lethal dose in cats starts at about 200 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight.

 
Symptoms can include vomiting, diarrhea, elevated body temperature, increased reflex responses, rigid muscles, rapid breathing, increased heart rate, a drop in blood pressure, and seizures. 

In very serious cases, there can be weakness, coma, cardiac failure, and death. 

Diagnosing Chocolate Toxicity 

Your veterinarian will want to perform a physical exam and order a chemical blood profile, an electrolyte panel, and a urinalysis – all of which can help determine if there is a chocolate or caffeine overdose. 

Your pet’s blood can also be tested for theobromine concentrations, and an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) should be performed to check for heart rhythm abnormalities. 

If you suspect your pet has ingested chocolate, you should get him to a veterinarian immediately. En route, try to keep him calm and quiet to prevent symptoms from escalating too quickly. 

Treatment Options 

Your vet or emergency clinic staff will probably induce vomiting right away if the chocolate was recently ingested. Activated charcoal may also be given to prevent or limit absorption into the bloodstream. 

The goal of treatment beyond preventing further absorption of theobromine is supportive in nature.

Necessary medications and other care will be given depending on the patient’s symptoms, which may include seizures, respiratory distress, and/or heart abnormalities. Intravenous (IV) fluids can speed up excretion of theobromine in urine. In addition, it will keep your pet hydrated through this crisis. 

Even with immediate veterinary intervention, it can take pets several days to recover from chocolate poisoning. 

And sadly, not all of them survive, which is why it’s so important to keep all forms of chocolate and products containing chocolate carefully stashed away in households with pets. 

A Toxic ‘Chocolate’ Hiding in Your Garden

While most dog parents are aware of the dangers of chocolate, many people don’t realize that cocoa bean mulch used for gardening can be fatally toxic as well. 

Cocoa bean mulch can be purchased at most garden centers. It has a sweet smell, which is probably what attracts dogs. 

The mulch is made from the shells of cocoa beans, which contain the same stimulant substances found in chocolate: theobromine and caffeine. 

Signs of Cocoa Bean Mulch Toxicity 

Symptoms of cocoa bean mulch poisoning in dogs include abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, rapid heart rate, muscle tremors, seizures, and ultimately, death. 

The risk to your dog depends on her size, how much mulch she swallowed, and the level of theobromine in the mulch, which varies widely by brand. 

Puppies and small-breed dogs are at highest risk. 

As an example, if your 50-pound dog eats 2 ounces of cocoa bean mulch, he’ll probably experience some GI upset such as abdominal pain, vomiting, or diarrhea.

If he eats 4 ounces, his heart rate will speed up. 

At 5.5 ounces, he could develop seizures, and ingestion of 9 ounces or more can prove fatal. 

If you know or suspect your dog has eaten cocoa bean mulch, take her to your vet’s office or the nearest emergency animal clinic immediately. Once there, she will likely receive doses of activated charcoal, IV support, tremor control, and cardiac monitoring. 

Treatment will vary depending on how much mulch she ingested, when it was eaten, and her symptoms. Fortunately, most dogs make a complete recovery with appropriate treatment. 

Since in addition to its stimulant toxicity cocoa bean mulch is frequently treated with pesticides and mycotoxin-producing mold, I recommend skipping this type of mulch altogether. Opt instead for a completely safe mulch like a cedar-based product.

Source: Dr. Karen Becker