Pet Food Labels - What They Talk About (and What They Don't Talk About)

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Pet Food Labels - What They Talk About (and What They Don't Talk About)
Pet Food Labels - What They Talk About (and What They Don't Talk About)

Video: Pet Food Labels - What They Talk About (and What They Don't Talk About)

Video: Pet Food Labels - What They Talk About (and What They Don't Talk About)
Video: Pet Food Labels (what they mean) 2024, March
Anonim

We all want to be healthy, which is why we consciously choose our daily foods. We want to know what we eat and what our food is made of. We also know that advertising is only advertising; it does not offer us facts. Therefore, we do not believe everything that the product manufacturers tell us.

However, when we choose food for cats and dogs, we often turn to products we know from advertisements. And when a producer shows us colorful pictures of juicy meat and a field full of cereals, while explaining that this particular food is the very thing for our pet, we believe him. Why? Among other things, because product labels are often difficult to read. At first glance, all food looks the same, but only at first glance!

The qualitative differences between cat food are much more significant than in foods consumed by humans.

Cat eats dry food, photo photography
Cat eats dry food, photo photography

Therefore, food for animals must be chosen by us as thoroughly and consciously as for ourselves. This article will be useful for critical consumers when choosing the truly best food for their pets.

Cat food ingredients. Traditionally, cats are considered carnivores, which is not entirely correct. "Predator" is a more accurate definition. In nature, cat food consists of small mammals (mainly rodents), partly birds and even insects. When eating mammals, cats consume not only meat, but also entrails, bones, and at the same time minerals (calcium, phosphorus). In addition, carbohydrates (the stomach of mammals contains cereals and plant parts), blood, and with it mineral salts, fibers in the form of wool and feathers (in small quantities). Therefore, good cat food should meet this composition as closely as possible.

What does this mean in practice?

Good food consists of:

- meat (and it is “meat”, not “meat and animal by-products”). The type of meat should also be indicated. For example, chicken meat or shredded chicken meat. Egg and or cheese.

- a small part of the viscera

- maximum 50% (and preferably 25-30%) cereals and / or vegetables (carbohydrates and fiber)

- a long list of vitamins and minerals

- natural preservatives (antioxidants) that preserve fats in dry food, such as vitamins E and C, herbal oils.

The feed should not contain:

- low quality protein sources, such as questionable "offal", for example, ground beef skin

- chemical preservatives or antioxidants (Ethoxyquin, BHA, BHT, Propylgalate)

- colorants

- sugar, caramel

- empty fillers such as shells nuts, cellulose (indicates that they tried to save money during production: such products make the animal feel full, without supplying substances that can really be used by the body. These are also low-quality forms of the so-called "ballasts" that cause problems with digestion.

The main causes of malnutrition-related illnesses in our cats and dogs are chemicals and low-quality offal in animal feed

a) Chemicals

Dr. Alfred Plechner (veterinarian, researcher and nutritionist specializing in allergies and skin diseases in cats and dogs) believes that artificial antioxidants BHA (E320) and BHT (E321) can cause liver damage, malformation, metabolic stress, as well as cancer. In laboratory tests, animals have also been found to have allergic reactions and brain disorders. For example: the artificial antioxidant Ethoxyquin, which is manufactured by Monsanto in the USA (a manufacturer of various chemicals, pesticides, the questionable sugar substitute Aspartam and soybeans derived from gene manipulation), originally developed to improve the strength of rubber, is used as a remedy to avoid the appearance of brown spots on apples and pears. On a scale of toxicity of substances from 1 to 6 (6 - especially poisonous) Ethoxyquin is rated at 3. Ethoxyquin causes slow-onset depression, seizures, sometimes coma, death, as well as cutaneous neuroses and liver damage. In Europe, the use of Ethoxyquin in human food is prohibited because This substance is toxic (poisonous!) by inhalation, skin contact and swallowing. The use of Ethoxyquina in animal feed is permitted in small quantities. As a fat-soluble substance, Ethoxyquin is deposited in fatty layers and in the liver.

Chemical dyes can cause allergies. For example, the dye E 127 has been proven to cause thyroid cancer; however used in some kitten treats !!!

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