World's smallest working dog

کام کرنے والادنیا کا سب سے چھو ٹاکتا ’لوسی‘

واشنگٹن…این جی ٹی…امریکی ریا ست نیو جر سی کے لو سی نامی کتے کو دنیاکا سب سے چھو ٹا کام کرنے والا کتا تسلیم کرلیا گیا ہے ۔ڈھائی پونڈ وزن کے حامل لوسی کا قد صرف5اعشاریہ7انچ ہے جو ایک اسپتال میں معذور مریضوں کے لیے بحیثیت تھراپسٹ کام کرتاہے۔Leashes Of Loveنامی پروگرام کے تحت مختلف اسکولز،اسپتالوں اور نرسنگ ہوم میں کام کرنے والے تین سالہ لوسی کا نام دنیا کے سب سے کم وزن و پست قامت کام کرنے والے کتے کی حیثیت سے گینز بک آف ورلڈ ریکارڈ کا حصہ بنایا گیا ہے۔ 

Horrors of pet food

The true horrors of pet food revealed: Prepare to be shocked by what goes into dog food and cat food


If you check the labels on grocery store foods, you've probably already begun to see that the list of ingredients doesn't always tell the whole truth about what's in your food. The same goes for your pets' food. Behind innocent-sounding words like "meat byproducts" and "meat meal" are horrific manufacturing practices that would turn your stomach. The nutritional considerations of pet foods go beyond the sources of meat in them. Pet food manufacturers add dangerous preservatives and vitamin fortifications that actually make your pets' food lesshealthy.

What mysterious "meatbyproducts" really are

Let's start with what usually appears as theproteinsource and the primary ingredient inpet food: Meat byproducts or meat meal. Both are euphemisms for the parts ofanimalsthat wouldn't be considered meat by any smart consumer. 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 thebone. "Chicken by-products include head, feet, entrails,lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain,liver, stomach, bones, blood,intestines, and any other part of the carcass not fit for humanconsumption," writes Henry Pasternak inHealing Animals with Nature's Cures.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 includedogsand cats. That's right,yourpetscould be cannibals.Fast Food Nationauthor Eric Schlosser writes, "Although leading American manufacturers promise never to put rendered pets into their petfood, 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 andcat foodevery 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."

How roadkill ends up in Fido's food bowl

The process that turns these animals and animal parts into pet food is also disgusting. After all, it takes a lot to turn roadkill into something owners feel good about pouring into their pets' bowls. Ann M. Martin describes the process inFood Pets Die For: "At the rendering plant a machine slowly grinds the entire mess in huge vats. Then this product is cooked at temperatures between 220 degrees Fahrenheit and 270 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes to one hour. The mixture is centrifuged (spun at a high speed) and the grease (or tallow) rises to the top and it is removed from the mixture. The grease becomes the source of animal fat in most petfoods. Oftentimes, when you open a standard can ofdog food, you will see a top layer offat. The centrifuged product is the source of that fat, which is meant to entice a hungrydogor cat. After the grease is removed in the rendering process, the remaining material is dried. Meat meal, and meat and bone meal are the end product of this process. This dried material is usually found in dry pet food."

Chemical dangers lurk in commercial pet food

Rendering practices aren't just gross; they're also dangerous for your pets. Thechemicalsused to euthanize zoo animals, dogs and cats can survive thecookingprocess, which means these chemicals end up in pet food, and ultimately, in your pet. Martin writes, "Euthanized cats and dogs often end up in rendering vats along with other questionable material to make meat meal, and meat and bone meal. This can be problematic becausesodiumpentobarbital can withstand the heat from rendering. For years, someveterinariansand animal advocates have known about the potentialdangerof sodium pentobarbital residue in commercial pet food, yet the danger has not been alleviated." In short, that meansthe poisons designed to kill pets are the same ones being fed to them.Now that you know petfood manufacturerswill seemingly go to any length to fill their foods with the cheapest sources of protein they can find, you probably won't be surprised to find out that the otheringredientsin pet foods aren't much better. Cheap grain fillers, cellulose to bulk up the food, preservatives and poorly monitored vitamin and mineral supplements round out the recipe. InHealing Pets with Nature's Miracle Cures, Henry Pasternak writes, "Remember, pet foods are primarily processed, grain-based diets. These foods are 'fortified' with synthetic B vitamins, which can cause a subclinical B vitamindeficiency." Martin mentions inFood Pets Die Forthat one bag of dog food was overloaded with so muchzincthat she had to take her dog to the vet because he became ill. She took the bag of food to an independent lab to verify that the zinc content of the food was 20 times the recommended daily allowance for dogs.
Preservatives in dog and cat foods keep the foods seemingly fresh for long periods of time: "Unfortunately, harmful chemical preservatives and other artificial additives are the norm in most pet foods. Some are intentionally added by the manufacturer, while others come from the herbicides,insecticides, and pesticides used byfarmersto boost crop yields," Pasternak writes. While some petfood companieshave decided to use less harmful preservatives andnaturalpreservatives, most pet foodcompaniesdon't find these ingredients to be cost effective.
So what should you do with thisinformation? Many pet owners are discovering there are more natural alternatives to commercial pet food. Naturalhealthfood stores usually stock a few varieties of organic or all-natural pet foods. There are other owners who go even further and prepare their pets' foods from real, whole ingredients. Though this might not be for everyone, some owners say it's worth the peace of mind, and it helps them feel closer to their animal companions. Be aware though, that once your pet finds out what real,whole foodstake like, they may not want to go back: "I used to feed my cat canned or dry pet food, but now I prepare her food from fresh ingredients. She thrives on raw meat," writes Debra Lynn Dadd inHome Safe Home. "She will eat canned or dry food if it is a natural brand, but if I give her pet food from the supermarket, she paws around it like she's trying to cover up something in her litter box."
The experts speak on pet food processing:
Most veterinarians acquire their only knowledge on petnutritionin elective classes in veterinary school. These classes may only last a few weeks and are often taught by representatives from pet food companies. Hill's, lams, and Purina are the largest contributors for these courses. In addition, pet food companies even donate food to the vet students for their own companion animals. This practice has become so widespread among pet food companies that the veterinary school at Colorado State University made this an agenda item for an Executive Committee meeting in 2000. "Discussion was held on how to handle dealing with pet food companies and their donations of pet food to the university," according to the Executive
Food Pets Die For by Ann N Martin, page 21
Dry food has its advantages. In fact, the dry pet food you buy in the supermarket is manufactured for your convenience as much as Fifi's and Fluffy's health. It's the nibble-at -will, no-can-opening, no-greasy-spoon, no-smelly-bowl, no-budget-busting pet food. It has lower levels of fat than canned meat because the fat seeps through thepaperbags (you don't want that greasy bag on yourcarupholstery or in your kitchen cabinet). Fifi and Fluffy get to eat more for your money, thus getting pleasantly full tummies, while less protein, fat and digestibility keep their figures from becoming unbecomingly porcine.
Everyday Health Tips by Prevention Magazine, page 346
Fats are necessary for good health and diseaseprevention. Here again, fats should be raw or unrefined—not processed. Meat, fish,eggs, or milk in their natural states are the best sources of fat. The petfood industryprepares some pet foods with high levels ofomega-3 fatty acidsthat are claimed to be effective for treating various inflammatory diseases. However, omega-3fatty acidsare quite sensitive to heat and are destroyed and easily become rancid during processing. Cod liveroilcan be added to pet foods. It is a good source ofomega-3fatty acids as well asvitamin A. Proteins
Healing Pets With Nature's Miracle Cures By Henry Pasternak DVM CVA, page 77
They don't need "special" diets. Your typical pet will do nicely on typical pet food. "There are a lot of marketing gimmicks in the pet foodindustrythat aren't necessarily in the best interest of the dog," says Dr. Donoghue. It's not always a good idea, for example, to reduce protein in thedietof a healthy old dog.
Everyday Health Tips by Prevention Magazine, page 348
Sodium Pentobarbital:
As I discuss elsewhere, euthanized cats and dogs often end up in rendering vats along with other questionable material to make meat meal, and meat and bone meal. This can be problematic because sodium pentobarbital can withstand the heat from rendering. For years, some veterinarians and animal advocates have known about the potential danger of sodium pentobarbital residue in commercial pet food, yet the danger has not been alleviated. The "Report of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Panel on Euthanasia," states, "In euthanasia of animals intended for human or animal food, chemical agents that result in tissue residue cannot be used."
Food Pets Die For by Ann N Martin, page 57
Another staple of the Tenderer's diet, in addition to farm animals, is euthanized pets-the six or seven million dogs and cats that are killed in animal shelters every year. The city of Los Angeles alone, for example, sends some two hundred tons of euthanized cats and dogs to a rendering plant every month. Added to the blend are the euthanized catch of animal control agencies, and roadkill. (Roadkill is not collected daily, and in the summer, the better roadkill collection crews can generally smell it before they can see it) When this gruesome mix is ground and steam-cooked, the lighter, fatty material floating to the top gets refined for use in suchproductsas cosmetics, lubricants, soaps, candles, and waxes. The heavier protein material is dried and pulverized into a brown powder—about a quarter of which consists of fecal material. The powder is used as an additive to almost all pet food as well as to livestock feed. Farmers call it "protein concentrates." In 1995, five million tons of processedslaughterhouseleftovers were sold for animal feed in theUnited States. I used to feed tons of the stuff to my own livestock. It never concerned me that I was feedingcattleto cattle.
Mad Cowboy By Howard F Lyman, page 12
Pet owners are horrified to learn that rendered cats and dogs can be legally recycled back into pet food. At times, this outrage leadsconsumersto seek change. One case in point is Valley Protein, a rendering company that operates in twenty-two states in the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and Southwest regions of the United States. In the first edition of Food Pets Die For, I wrote about the Baltimore City Paper reporter Van Smith who described what he observed at the Valley Protein Rendering Plant in 1995. His article was replete with photos of barrels of dead dogs and cats about to be rendered. Smith reported that there are "thousands of dead dogs, cats, raccoons, possums, deer, foxes, snakes, and the rest that local animal shelters and roadkill patrols must dispose of each month." In that same article, Smith observed, "In a gruesomely ironic twist, most inedible dead animal parts, including dead pets, end up in feed used to fatten future generations of their kind."
Food Pets Die For by Ann N Martin, page 147
Pets used in Pet Food:
While researching and writing, there were times that I was absolutely horrified with what I discovered. There were other times when I was extremely frustrated with the run-around I received fromgovernmentagencies, organizations involved with the pet food industry, the rendering industry, and at times, veterinaryresearchcenters. What has kept me going is the hope thatpet ownerswill read my findings and be convinced that their pets' health is directly related to what they eat—and that most commercial pet foods are garbage. The most objectionable source of protein for pet food is euthanized cats and dogs. It is not uncommon for thousands of euthanized dogs and cats to be delivered to rendering plants, daily, and thrown into the rendering vat—collars, I.D. tags, and plastic bags—to become part of this material called "meat meal."
Food Pets Die For by Ann N Martin, page 153
Extensive records had to be kept on the disposition of various animalproteins, and feeds that were now prohibited for cattle had to be clearly labeled as such. There were no new restrictions, however, on what could be fed topoultry, hogs, zoo animals, or pets. Indeed, the Grocery Manufacturers ofAmerica, the National Food Processors Association, and the pet food Institute successfully lobbied against any new labeling requirement for pet foods. These industry groups rightly worried that the FDA's proposed warning label — "Do not feed to ruminants" — might alarm consumers about what their pets were actually being fed.
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, page 275
The currentFDAfeed rules are primarily concerned with efficiency and utility, not public health. They allow cattle to be fed pigs, pigs to be fed cattle, cattle to be fed poultry, and poultry to be fed cattle. They allow dogs and cats to be fed dogs and cats. 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."
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, page 288Ingredients in Pet Food:

One of the dirty little secrets kept by the pet food industry is that some by-products also contain substances such as abscesses and cancerous material. In my opinion, feeding slaughterhouse wastes to animals increases their chances of gettingcancerand other degenerative diseases. Some meat, especially glandular tissue, may contain high levels ofhormones, which may also cause serious health problems including cancer. Unlike bacteria and viruses, these hormones are not destroyed by the high temperatures or pressure cooking used in the manufacture of pet food. Cats seem to be most adversely affected by high hormone levels.
Healing Pets With Nature's Miracle Cures By Henry Pasternak DVM CVA, page 11
PET CARE Many pet foods claim to be " 100% nutritionally complete and balanced." This claim legally can be made and printed on commercial products based on information studies using isolatednutrientsand not whole foods, or by feeding the complete pet food to animals for several weeks to determine whether it prevents obviousdiseaseor malnutrition. Although motivated by an interest to assure quality for the consumer, these tests ignore important nutritional issues and give both producer and consumer a false sense of knowledge and security. Measuring a food's merit by levels of isolated nutrients tells only a partial story. There are more than forty known, essential nutrients, and more than fifty other nutrients are under investigation. Thus, making sure a food contains appropriate amounts of only a dozen of these nutrients can't possibly assure that a food is "complete."
Home Safe Home by Debra Lynn Dadd, page 413
Harmful components (and ingredients) found in Pet food:

Unfortunately, harmful chemical preservatives and other artificial additives are the norm in most pet foods. Some are intentionally added by the manufacturer, while others come from theherbicides, insecticides, andpesticidesused by farmers to boost crop yields. Many pet foods advertised as "preservative-free" do, in fact, contain preservatives. As the law is currently written, manufacturers don't have to list preservatives that they themselves did not add. Many preservatives make their way into pet food at rendering plants before the meat is even sent to the manufacturer. An analysis of several pet foods labeled "chemical free" or "all natural ingredients" found syntheticantioxidantsin all samples. With continued use, low levels of these synthetic antioxidants may build up in the tissues; inges-tion of small doses over time may be just astoxicas a single large dose. About 60 percent of all herbicides, 90 percent of all fungicides, and 30 percent of all insecticides are considered to be cancer causing in and of themselves.6-7
Healing Pets With Nature's Miracle Cures By Henry Pasternak DVM CVA, page 11
Under AAFCO guidelines, acceptable meat by-product can include animal lungs, spleens, kidneys, brains, livers,blood, bones, low-temperature fatty tissue, and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents. Livers can be infested with worms (liver flukes) or diseased with cirrhosis. Lungs can be filled with pneumonia. If an animal is diseased and declared unfit for human consumption, the carcass is acceptable for pet food. Even parts of animals, such as "stick marks,"—the area of thebodywhere animals have been injected with antibiotics, hormones, or other drugs—are cut from the carcasses intended for human consumption and used for meat by-product for pet food.
Food Pets Die For by Ann N Martin, page 153
Commission warned that a series of mysterious dog ailments at kennels in Michigan may be the result of fluoride contamination of pet foods. They noticed a high incidence of deformed puppies and pointed out that chronic effects of fluoride poisoning may not be noticeable for a long time.
Fluoride The Aging Factor by John Yiamouyiannis, page 16
After 45 weeks of producing fertile eggs plagued by hunger, debeaking, detoeing, decombing, toxic ammonia, and diseases, these breederchickensare "liquidated" and turned into human animal "food" and nonhuman animal "feed" and pet food products.
Prisoned Chickens Poisoned Eggs by Karen Davis PhD, page 93
She sees the problem all the time in older canines and felines, "usually those eight years or older." She blames the commercial pet foods and owners' irresponsibility for most of it. "There is just too muchsugarin everything. You can't buy a decent brand of [pet] food anymore without there being some kind of sugar in it. An animal's system will rebel just like the human body does when excess sugar is taken into it. The same autoimmunedisorderthat attacks human pancreatic cells that makeinsulindestroys the insulin-producing capabilities in our dogs and cats."
Natural Pet Cures by Dr John Heinerman, page 87
Just as products for kids carry the same dangers as I their adult counterparts, products for pets have the same I hazards as their human counterparts—pet food contains the same carcinogenicpesticideresidues, and the pesticides used in flea collars are as toxic as the pesticides used to kill any other insects. And just as babies and children are more susceptible to the effects of toxic exposures than adults, so too are animals more susceptible to the effects of toxic exposures than humans.
Home Safe Home by Debra Lynn Dadd, page 341
Slaughterhouses also provide renderers with the leftovers from slaughtered animals not fit for human consumption. Before these animal parts and by-product used for pet food are shipped from the slaughterhouse to the rendering plant, the by-product is "denatured." This means that crude carbolic acid, cresylic disinfectant, or citronella, is sprayed on the product. In the case of a whole beef or swine carcass that has been condemned, the denaturing product is injected into the entire carcass. If meat inspectors condemn only parts of an animal, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires that "before an approved denaturing agent is applied, the product must be freely slashed so that pieces are less than 4" in diameter. This allows the denaturant to contact all parts of the product."
Food Pets Die For by Ann N Martin, page 18
Both animal-care professionals weren't at all reticent about vocalizing their strong opinions about this matter. Dr. Tejinder: "There are way too many chemicals in pet food that no one knows theside effectsof. And the rancid fat that is used to cook a lot of this food that pets eat only complicates things more." Dr. Stefanatos: "The pesticides, preservatives, and additives in pet food reprogram the organs so their functions behave differently. No one knows the full extent of the problem, but it's there, nevertheless." The Nature of Animal Diabetes
Natural Pet Cures by Dr John Heinerman, page 88
Mad Cow and Other diseases:
Those of us who are intimately acquainted with what goes into commercial pet foods have no problem discerning where a good majority of liver disorders originate. In their January 1998 newsletter, Love of Animals, Dr. Bob Goldstein and his wife, Susan, featured an interesting article entitled, "The Truth About Canned Dog and Cat Foods." They note that many so-called "naturally preserved" pet foods contain meat by-products that usually come "from diseased cows or sick chickens." "These are terrible foods" they warn their readers. And the fact that they contain chemical preservatives (to keep the high fat content from going rancid) and artificial coloring agents and dyes (for eye appeal of pet owners), not to mention appetite stimulants (salt, sugar, glucose, sucrose, fructose, phosphoric acid) only makes their impact upon the average animal liver that much more deadly.
Natural Pet Cures by Dr John Heinerman, page 204
Cattle—dead, diseased, dying and disabled (4-D)—can legally be rendered and used in pet foods in the United States and in Canada. Rendering will not eradicate any of the TSEs, including the chronic wasting disease in deer, elk, and roadkill, which can also be rendered for use in pet food. The U.S. government believes it is safe to render diseased cattle for use in pet foods because this practice does not affect humans since we don't eat dogs and cats. But rendering diseased cattle into pet food does potentially endanger our animal companions. This is already happening in Europe. If dogs and cats succumb to a TSE disease, would their owners know the actual cause?
Food Pets Die For by Ann N Martin, page 100
Although you won't see it on the label, since it is often added at the rendering plant and not by the manufacturer, ethoxyquin (EQ) is used to preserve most dry pet food. First used as a rubber stabilizer, EQ is the most powerful of all preservatives and may be the most toxic. Originally, it was permitted in livestock food. So since pet food is consideredanimal feed, the use of EQ is also permitted in pet food. Thefishindustry uses high levels of EQ; factory workers exposed to it exhibited side effects similar to those of agent orange: a dramatic rise in liver or kidney damage, cancerous skin lesions, hair loss, blindness, leukemia, fetal abnormalities, and chronic diarrhea. In animals, EQ has been linked to immune deficiency syndrome; spleen,stomach, and liver cancers; and a host of allergies.
Healing Pets With Nature's Miracle Cures By Henry Pasternak DVM CVA, page 11
In Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats (Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, Inc., 1995), the author, a renowned veterinarian, lists a number of other factors that could expose a family dog or cat to possible carcinogens. "These include," he writes, "… consuming pet foods high in organ meats and meat meal (concentrators of pesticides, and growth hormones used to fatten cattle, which can promote cancer growth) as well as in preservatives and artificial colors known to cause cancer in lab animals."
Natural Pet Cures by Dr John Heinerman, page 78


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Horrors of Commercial Pet Food

The Horrors of Commercial Pet Food

(NaturalNews) The global commercial pet food industry is astonishingly profitable and continues to grow (sadly) by leaps and bounds. Let's define commercial pet food, for our purposes, as anything that is packaged in cans or bags, even if labeled holistic or natural. Hundreds of generations of pet guardians have fed their animals successfully without the use of bagged, canned and processed pet foods, but that fact has been virtually covered up by "Big Pet Food," and consequently forgotten by consumers.

Conventional thinking causes us to pose the question, "How can we trust the feeding of our beloved companions to anindustrydriven by profit?" Keeping prices competitive requires the use of cheapingredientsand fillers. To make these inferior ingredients and fillers appeal to pets, artificialcolors, flavors and flavor enhancers are added. The consumer saves some money on bagged and cannedpet food, instead of an optimal, species specific homemade, carnivorediet, in the short run
but, ultimately, will incur enormous veterinary bills to treat problems that could have been prevented with propernutrition.

Many commercial petfood companieslabel their products misleadingly. Processed wood chips are called "powdered cellulose," and a ground-up array of disease-ridden tissue and unwanted animal parts -- often containing high levels ofhormones, antibiotics, and pesticides -- are labeled as "meatand bone meal."

The percentages of protein, fat, and carbohydrates listed on thelabelsprovide little or no usefulinformationon whether or not the ingredients are bioavailable -- that is, can ourpetsdigest and use them in their bodies?

If our cats keeled over and died after they ate a bowl of kibble or a single can of commercialfood-- as unfortunately many did in the massive worldwide 2007 pet foodrecall, and there have been dozens of recalls before and since then -- there would be no doubt about its danger. However, since it takes years to developcancerand other degenerative diseases, most allopathic veterinarians never make the connection between diet and chronicdisease. Put bluntly, commercial petfoodsmay marginally sustainlife, but they don't promotehealth.

Here are some basic facts about commercialpet food ingredientsand labeling.

BY-PRODUCTS

Even on "premium" and "super-premium" brand labels, one of the major ingredients listed is by-products of some sort. By-products are used primarily in canned pet foods. By-products are basically "parts other than meat." The term "Pink Slime" has come into vogue lately, as garbage such as what is discussed here, was most often sent to petfood manufacturers, however it has now crossed the line into ground meat for humanconsumption, specifically, our schools, and low end,fast foodrestaurants. These horrific by-products, may include internal organs not commonly eaten by humans: such as lungs, spleens, and intestines; other parts such as cow udders, and uteri; and in the case ofpoultryby-products, undeveloped eggs, beaks, and feet, etc. While it's true that a cat would eat by-products in itsnaturaldiet when it consumes an entire bird or mouse, these entrails should not be relied on to the exclusion of meat.

RENDERED PRODUCTS

Rendering (basically a slow-cooking process) produces two significant ingredients: animal fat or tallow and a processed "meal" product. The latter may be called meat meal, meat-and-bone meal, or by-product meal depending on its composition. Due to historical quirks in naming, the term "by-product meal" refers to poultry, while the equivalent mammalian product is called "meat and bone meal." Renderedproductsare found primarily in dry pet foods.

Animals that are dead, dying, diseased, or disabled prior to reaching theslaughterhouseare known as "downers" or "4D"animals. These are usually condemned, in whole or in part, for human consumption, and they are generally sent for rendering along with other by-products, parts and items that are unwanted or unsuitable for human use: such as, out-of-date supermarket meats (including their plastic wrappers), cut-away cancerous tissue, and fetal tissue (which is very high in hormones).

Rendered ingredients vary greatly in quality. A few rendering facilities are closely associated with slaughterhouses, which are in turn connected with feedlots or poultry farms. These "captive" renderingplants, which do not accept outside materials, are more likely to produce
single-species meat meal. Suchmealsare typically designated with the name of the source animal, such as "chicken meal."

Manyconsumersare now aware of what "meat andbonemeal" indicates on a pet food label. As a result, some manufacturers are now calling this ingredient "beefand bone meal" and similarly euphemistic terms, which are deliberately coined to mislead you.

"COMPLETE AND BALANCED" CLAIMS

A food may be labeled as "complete and balanced" if it meets the standards set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials. These standards were formulated in the early 1990s by panels of canine and feline nutritionexperts. State Feed Control Officials (or equivalent authorities) are then responsible for enforcement; though, in many cases, enforcement is negligible. The standards set only minimums and maximums, not optimums. The danger of conventional thinking is that minimums are good enough for our pets' health, instead of optimal levels, which would, in turn cost them more and affect "their" bottom line.

ADDITIVES AND PRESERVATIVES

Virtually every commercial pet food contains additives and preservatives. Dry foods and soft-moist foods contain additives to produce the colors, shapes, and textures of the food. Canned foods typically contain coloring and flavoring agents. These coloring agents when applied, trick you, the animals companion into thinking you are feeding real meat instead of connective tissue!

Some of the worst preservatives, found primarily in dry foods, include Bbutylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), propyl gallate, and ethoxyquin. Ethoxyquin is banned from nearly all humanfood products(except certain spices) due to its cancer-causing properties. Warning: Be sure to read labels on everything that goes into your companion animal's mouth. For instance, the preservativesodiumbenzoate, which is added to some food products, as well as many brands of aloe verajuice, is known to be exceptionally poisonous to cats. Look for brands of products in all categories free of this dangerous preservative. It is advisable to eliminate it from everyone and everythings diet, and check for it in your supplements, especially if in liquid form, this includes the super fruit juices, as well.

FACT OR FICTION: PETS IN PET FOOD?

Over the years, there have been numerous reports of euthanized cats anddogsbeing processed into pet food. The Center for Veterinary Medicine, a branch of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), admits that dead dogs and cats are commonly rendered, and although there is no legal prohibition against using dogs and cats in pet food, they do not condone the practice. They managed for years to let this horrendous practice slip through the cracks just as it has been done in large animal feed! We all know the horrors of mammalian tissue when it is found in cattle feed.

The allegation of euthanized cats and dogs in pet food was undoubtedly true, but today all "reputable" pet food manufacturers in the U.S certify that they do not allow such materials in their products. Whether or not the renderers who supply the pet foodcompaniesare complying is unknown. Renderers would be extremely foolish to jeopardize profitable pet food contracts when these materials can be put to many other uses.

Animal remains can be turned intofertilizer, industrial lubricants, cosmetics, soaps, tires, asphalt, glue, film, or any of hundreds of other products. However, as fertilizer, this material can be introduced into the human food supply, the by-products of which become pet food. Something very troublesome, indeed to vegetarians and vegans is the practice of our carrots being fertilized with the euthanized remains of our pets and road-kill.

The FDA received so much concern from animal companions over this issue that they were pushed to conduct a study to determine whether or not the "pets in pet food" story was true. They searched for theeuthanasiadrug sodium pentobarbital in drydogfoods -- the most likely foods to contain it. They found plenty of it, primarily in foods containing meat and bone meal, animal fat, beef and bone meal, and animal digest. However,the FDAattributed the presence of thedrugto euthanized livestock. The FDA claims that the amounts are too low to cause a problem; however, the long-term health implications of consuming this drug are completely unknown. One might pose the question, that if there is nosafedosage for radiation it would follow that there is then no safe dosage for euthanasiadrugsin our pets food. Just how muchpoisoncan we living things tolerate?

The FDA further used a test it developed to check for dog and cat DNA in the foods, and found none. One might also wonder about the reports of diseased circus animals, elephants in particular and even human body parts ending up in pet food, could have ever been proven by the FDA. But we can be reasonably certain they were not. Is there smoke behind these "urban myths?" So, although it is certain that many pet foods did contain these cannibalistic materials, the industry does appear to have cleaned up its act a bit, in this regard, at least at the time these tests were conducted. Does that mean that we can trust that never happens again or is even happening now? No, and the pet food makers cannot guarantee it, since they are relying on the trustworthiness of the notoriously, untrustworthy, and secretive rendering industry.

Ultimately, we all should ask ourselves, "Why trust "Big Pet Food" to make our pets' food, when it is so easy to do it ourselves and insure the ingredients used meet our own holistic standards?" We now can avail ourselves of recipes for properly prepared raw meat and raw bone, species-specificdietsthat can be properly supplemented and made athomein the safety of our own kitchens. (Remember many different pet food companies products go through the extruding equipment where kibble is made. This was how many brands were involved in the recall horror as there are only a few of these plants around the country. When the machinery is not properly cleaned between runs you may be getting traces of ingredients from other companies kibble!

Today, thankfully, we all have access to pasture-raised, organic, free range meats and poultry and can do a fine job ourselves of preparing homemade meals for our pets, without relying on this profit driven, unscrupulous industry to do it for us. Even if the meat you select at the super market is less than optimal it is far better than what went in to the can or bag! The "Big Pet Food" companies track record has been unacceptable through the years and has caused many animals to die needlessly because they either forgot about the need for taurine or some other nutrient or amino acid that was destroyed in the cooking process; that is why their formulations change with the weather, and we find "buzz words" on their labels everywhere we look, extolling the virtues of having added some popular nutrient they found on the front pages of industry publications. What ever the ingredient is, it is simply added to the same basic "pink slime" they have always used.

What on earth is holistic and natural about "kibble?" There are no "Kibble" bushes in the wild for our carnivores to graze on! Even if "Big Pet Food" begins with New Zealand Spring Lamb and vegetables-- once is it canned, preserved, kibbled, bagged and packaged-- you have nothing but dead, lifeless "packing material" designed only to sustain your animal companion's life at best, not enhance it and offer he/she the possibility foranti-aging. This "burger joint," "Pink Slime," fast food approach to feeding out pets offers our animal companions a fast track to the grave, exactly the same as it offers us!

CONTAMINANTS

To add further insult to injury, we find thatpesticideresidues, antibiotics, and molds are often found in petfood ingredients. Meat from downer animals may be loaded with drugs, some of which are known to pass unchanged through all the processing done to create a finished pet food.

Grain products, such as,wheat, corn, and soy, have no place in the diets of carnivores (such as dogs) and/or obligate carnivores (such as cats)-- and are usually condemned for human consumption due to excessive pesticide residue-- can be used without limit in food intended for animals.

There are also deliberate contaminants, such asmelaminein wheat gluten andriceprotein from China that was implicated in the deaths of tens of thousands of pets in 2007. The use of melamine to falsely elevate the protein levels in many food products is a widespread practice in China despite its illegality. Since 2007, melamine has been found in dozens of Chinese-made human food products around the world, such as infant formula and milk chocolate. Have you ever heard of any living thing that has ever been diagnosed as having aglutendeficiency? So why was it ever added in the first place? It always relates back to "Big Pet Foods" bottom line.

As decent quality ingredients become scarcer and far more expensive, look for more problems from imported foods -- including "Big Pet Food" brands manufactured far from the company's home office. The simple truth is, dry pet foods are the likeliest to contain unwanted ingredients and contaminants that have no place in our companion animals diet. If you take only one piece of advice in this article, please let it be to stop feeding any and all dry food. Better yet, avail yourself of the research done by people who have been feeding raw meat and rawbonesover multiple generations, instead of listening to the claims of profit driven commercial pet food companies whose idea of a feeding trial is to take 6 beagles over 6 weeks and examine their excrement. The animals used in these feeding trials are most often euthanized at the end of the trial period-- even though we, the consumers, are led to believe they have been sent off to loving homes.

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR PET'S REMAINS

In this spirit, to insure that your humanely euthanized pet may rest in peace where you deem appropriate after a long illness or catastrophiceventand does not become processed at a rendering plant, you must make arrangements with your veterinarian to take control of your pet's remains.

Your vet may recommend a reliable cremation or pet burial facility, if local laws prohibit pet burial on your own property.

It is also important to know that if your vet sends your animals' remains to a facility, such as a veterinary college or university, to be necropsied, you can pay a little extra to have your pet's remains cremated after necropsy, and the ashes sent back to you. Otherwise, the remains will more than likely be picked up by disposal trucks and taken to rendering plants.

In summery, your animal companion is a member of your family and you are responsible for its health, happiness, and welfare! They are as much what they eat as we are! Your own veterinarian probably knows very little about cat and dog nutrition as their information comes from "Big Pet Food" companies. Their business thrives on selling you those prescription bags and cans out of their clinic.

Consult with holistic nutritionists and experts well versed in species specific diets to guide you through the process of meal preparation for you dogs and or cats, as there is nothing better than a properly prepared homemade, raw meat and raw bone diet, but also nothing worse than an improperly prepared homemade diet. Take a few extra minutes and learn the rules and the tools to properly prepare andsupplementhomemade raw meat and or poultry with raw bones and organ meats and then after you prepare it, in bulk, simply freeze it up, in appropriate serving proportions.

A little extra time in food preparation and a little study on the myriad ofholistic healthcare options, available today, can save you the heartbreak of loosing your pet to a devastating disease that can be easily prevented by feeding a species specific raw carnivore diet!



About the author:
Celeste Yarnall, PhD is a holistic practitioner and nutritionist, specializing in supplementation and the species specific, raw carnivore diet. She is an EFT consultant and member of the prestiious Tapping Solution's, Insider's Club. She also consults on Non-Verbal communication, visualization techniques, grief counseling and anti-aging for both people and pets. She is a Reiki Master, medical intuitive and author of 4 books on holistic health care for dogs and cats. Her latest book, The Complete Guide to Holistic Cat Care, chronicles her 11 generations of Tonkinese Cats reared on the principles in her books and is the recipient of the 2010 CWA Muse Medallion Award. The co-author of The Complete Guide to Holistic Cat Care, is Jean Hofve, DVM. It is the firstanti-agingbook ever written forpets. Celeste and her husband, Nazim Artist have formed the Art of Wellness Collection and live and work in Westlake Village, CA.

She can be reached through her website,www.Celestialpets.com.

Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/032830_pet_food_ingredients.html#ixzz1vKmJtBFo

Loved by pet

How to be Loved by your Pets and Become Popular

My pets love me, at least that is what I conclude from their over all behavior all day. My lucky cat is a cute yet aggressive creature who never quits loving. I call her “kinky” I don’t know why just it was revealed or I was blessed by this name the moment I saw her. It was one dreadful night and my neighbors were having a late night party. I walked alone in my garden, on soft grass, unintentionally hearing the “hee haa” coming from adjacent wall. Indeed, the night was dreadful for me and my loneliness and wonderfully excited for my neighbors. At that particle moment , when I was seriously thinking about all troubles the life has given me and still giving , my always infuriated boss , my forever angry wife , My unhappy kids and what else my monotonous, dull ,weary and boring life ; It all prompted me to seriously think of suicide , scary enough of getting death by your own , I trembled heavily for just thinking about suicide . I closed my eyes and shouted “lord lord! Help me lord”



The answer came instantly “mee—AAA –ooo” I was shocked to hear such reply; I hurriedly opened my eyes to see a “little cat “looking like an angel wrapped in fur, just beneath my shoe. Yeah, I mistakenly put my heavy shoe on her soft tail. But I took it as a sign, a sign from HIM; yeah she came just to help me out of this misery. I took “kinky” in my arms, softness I felt and softened my heart became, and she was cute, small, shy, beautiful, and a cat. I felt her love instantly, I lamented over cruel men not caring for creature not termed as “human beings”.

I felt I would make me an example for all those who treat such cute animals with tyranny and indifference and I felt… “Ouch” I shouted, she bit my finger and cut my thoughts in to pain. However, to forgive is divine… I took kinky inside, in my home and in my heart and in my life.
The next day was a new beginning, the boss was happy since I was so up to the mark miraculously that day. My wife was glad as I looked romantic and loving that day, My kids were excited as I appeared to them a father who would take them to park with no arguments at all and above all my loneliness and solitude was replaced by socially encircled and happiness . What else I could wish for, I may sound dumb, but “kinky’s coming” made me popular in home, outside and everywhere and this popularity is ever increasing. Now I have 10 pets and my family includes humans and animals. From this wonderful experience I made the following guide instantly.

•Every man/woman/gay/lesbian must have at least one pet.
•Be a part of a pet community club, if there isn’t any in your area, start your own.
•Don’t be indifferent with your pets
•Don’t discourage them, they have hearts and feelings.
•Pets are blessings of lord, be blessed.
•Any will do , cat, dog or cats and dogs etc
•Get loved be popular and have a good life by just getting one pet
•Love them to get their love, check food manually, their sleep timings, their home, their fundamental rights of shelter, food, freedom within home etc.

One cat changed my life, there are billions out there waiting for you.

Source: ArticlesGratuits.com - Free Articles

Bengal Cats

Bengal cats are a new breed, cross-bred with a wildcat. Their spotted or marbled coat is soft and thick, they have a large, sleek muscular build, rounded slighted long face, oval eyes and thick tail. They have an enviable, exotic appearance without the wild temperament of their much larger untamed ancestors.

Characteristics

Bengal came from the taxonomic name of the Asian Leopard Cats (ALC) and not from the more widely known Bengal Tiger species, which is unrelated to the Bengal Cats ancestry. These cats have a series of horizontal stripes on their faces, known as mascara, which extend along the eye to the back of the neck. Their back and sides are marked with spots like those of a jaguar, and the rest of the body, legs and tail, are marked with symmetrical stripes. The spots sometimes have a marbled appearance and are generally made up of two colors. The following colors and patterns are recognized as Bengal Cats and therefore eligible for competition; Brown Spotted Tabby, Brown Marbled Tabby, Seal Mink Spotted Tabby, Seal Mink Marbled Tabby, Seal Sepia Spotted Tabby, Seal Sepia Marbled Tabby, Seal Spotted Lynx Point, and Seal Marbled Lynx Point. These pets are the only variety that sometimes have a pearl or gold dusting, sometimes called glitter, and the texture of their fur is rich and silky-smooth. Bengal Cats even have a different sound in their voice and tend to be very vocal.

Temperament

Originally some of the Bengal Cats inherited the unpredictable temperament of the wildcat, but breeding programs concentrated on breeding a gentler nature. The domestic feline is very lively and active, but also quite self-contained and quiet.

Brief History

As the story goes, Jean Sugden Mills, around 1982 bred a domestic cat with a feral Indian Mau. At about the same time, Greg and Elizabeth Kent started their own breed of Bengal Cats using an Egyptian Mau. Both Jean Mills the Kents worked hard to popularize the this breed, and in 1986, The International Cat Association adopted the first written breed standard. Today Bengal Cats are the most popular registered cat breed.

Care and grooming of Bengal Cats ought to be kept up as any other housecat; frequent combing of fur, good nutrition, regular play and veterinary visits. For more information on the care and feeding of our favorite furry pets, visit: [http://lovefatcats.com]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elsa_Albro

facts about cats

Interesting Facts About Cats!

Did you know?

All cats are born blind. The ability to see comes during the first couple of weeks after birth!
Cats have rudimentary nonfunctional collar bones that allow them to squeeze themselves through tight spaces and helps them in their balance and stride!

Cats often have a third eyelid that is not normally visible to us. If you are seeing it more often - the cat may be ill!

Cat vision is similar to humans in daylight, but they can see six times better than us in dim light - owing to larger pupils and the ability to gather light at the back of the eye owing to a reflective retinal surface!

Field of vision in cats is slightly compromised for a more binocular vision, that grants them greater depth perception and ability to judge their prey's position more precisely for pouncing upon them in high speed pursuits!

Cats' sense of smell is fourteen times stronger than ours - this means they can smell the odour in the litter box much earlier than us!

Cats' hearing is also very good. They are able to hear sounds of higher pitch than us and dogs. Thirty two individual muscles in their ears allow them to pinpoint the exact location of a source of sound!

The individual positioning of whiskers is unique to all cats - they are like finger prints. Whiskers also allow cats to feel their way in extreme dark and since their span, when fully erect, is nearly equal to cats' body width - it allows cats to judge whether a space or passage is too narrow for them! Whiskers also are usually indicative of cat behavior. Erect, forward pointing whiskers indicate that the cat is excited, animated. Whereas laid back whiskers are often seen in resting, defensive conditions!

Cats have sharp pointed teeth that are built for killing prey by suffocation/severing of spine. A cat's teeth are its greatest asset in the wild. In proportion to body size, the elusive Clouded Leopard has the longest canines in the family felidae, whereas the Jaguar has the strongest jaws - I have seen it bite through the shell of turtles in documentaries!

Cats have more spines than us since they also have spines in their tail. Next time you see a kid pulling a cat's tail - stop him - since it hurts. Their vertebrae are also more loosely connected to each other than ours, allowing them great flexibility!

Flexibility of the spine is highlighted in the Cheetah - the fastest land mammals. With big adrenals, flexible spine and a rudder-like tail, Cheetah can out pace everything on African savanna!
Tiger is the largest feline on earth. An adult Siberian tiger may weigh up to eight hundred pounds and is one of the top predators on earth. Tigers are excellent swimmers and are in fact the only cat who seem to enjoy stepping in water (the Jaguar in Americas frequently go into water to hunt baby alligators and anacondas)!

Lion is the only cat that lives in groups, called prides. The only social cat, family life gives lions edge over other felids by virtue of their cooperative hunting!

Leopards are highly secretive and are perhaps the best tree climbers and individual hunters amongst big cats. Black leopards are called panthers!

The author is a blogger about cats and an expert on interesting cat facts

Learn more about cats by visiting: http://www.ofcats.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Omer_Ashraf

The camel

Camels As Pets - A Good Idea Or Not?

Thousands of year ago camels were domesticated and utilized in many aspects of our humans lives. Although camels are still used around the world as modes of transportation, milk production, hauling goods, etc... they have also won their way into our lives as pets.

You might be thinking to yourself, 'camels as pets?' Usually when I talk with someone about camels, the first thing they say is "don't they spit?" Well, yes they can I have been told. After years of being around dozens of camels, I have yet to ever see one spit or been spit on by a camel. This is not to say they can't, but most of the camels in the United States have been born in the US and many have been bottle raised, thus making good companions.

A few things to consider when thinking of a camel as a pet. Size... Camels get very large. It is not unusual for an adult male camel to stand more than 8 foot tall. You need to use the same caution you would when being around any large animal such as a horse, cow, or donkey.

You might be asking yourself, what do you feed a camel? Well, camels were built to survive in the harsh climates of the deserts. Thus their bodies are adapted to eating low quality grasses. Camels should be fed a good quality grass hay, careful to avoid certain hays that are very rich in nutrients which can lead to weight problems.

Camels can also be used to pleasure ride. When training is started at a fairly young age, training a camel to lead, cush, and ride is fairly easy. The hardest thing in regards to riding camels is locating a proper fitting camel saddle in the United State.

Provided you have enough room for a horse, you have enough room for a camel. Now days, camels have become more common in the United States than you might think. In some states camels are considered to be an exotic animal and will fall under their exotic animal regulations. If you are considering adding a camel to your family make sure and check your local laws regarding exotic animals and camels.

Camels were introduced into my life over a decade ago and have been a great addition to our farm. A great animal with huge personalities that will always bring a smile to anyone's face.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Hallum

Pet rats

Anyone looking for a new pet wants a pet that is clean, socialized and well trained. Most people don't know that these are all qualities of pet rats!

There are many misconceptions about rats. People think that rats are unclean and carry disease. In fact, rats are quite clean and groom themselves several times a day. These aren't sewer rats we're talking about. These pet rats, or fancy rats as they're called, have been domesticated and bred in captivity for at least 150 years. Pet rats are quite tame after living with humans for so many generations and you'll find that they are nothing like their stereotypes.

Rats are very intelligent animals. Some consider rats to have intelligence close or equal to that of dogs. Rats are capable of learning to come when their names are called. They can even be litter trained just as easily as training a cat.

If you have any experience with other rodents such as hamsters, mice or gerbils you may be afraid of biting. Although biting is common with other rodents, it is almost unheard of with domesticated rats. Unlike their rodent cousins, rats are generally docile creatures. Most of the time rats just like to lay around, especially males. Rats can easily be trained to be good lap or shoulder pets.

In the wild, rats live together in colonies and have a complex social structure. These social instincts carry over to pet rats. Pet rats tend to develop strong bonds with humans and with their cage mates. So much so that it is common for rats to become very depressed when a cage mate passes away.

There are many apartments that won't allow dogs or cats, and it may simply not be practical to have larger pets in some houses. In those situations a pet rat is the perfect solution. Cages for pet rats usually don't consume much room at all, usually just a two foot by two foot space, which makes pet rats great for small apartments.

Rats are friendly and intelligent animals and make great first pets for children. Being clean and easy to care for makes them great companions for the elderly. Go out and get your pet rat today!

Scott McHenry and his wife have had a large number of pets of many different species. They have several years experience with rats and together run [http://www.ratanswers.com] a rat informational web site.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Scott_McHenry