Canine Nutrition

The World's 1st online pet food information, canned, dry, home cooked or raw meat; our nutritional experts make feeding your dog safer and easier.

MANUFACTURED EDIBLES ARE NOT FOOD!

This is a 2021 reminder that the best treats are raw beef bones, chicken wings and other natural delectables for carnivores.

The 2017 update on Greenies digestible dog treats after the lawsuit and since words are tricky, here's quick info on how to protect your pets and family from fake food.

Greenies are now considered safe when eaten but the tragic events were a lesson in manufacturing mistakes.  The fact is that your dog's nutritional needs are not necessarily what your veterinarian was taught in vet school (course materials are often provided by dog food manufacturers!) or what you see on television.

The same is true for human nutrition so for your family's safety and health, here are disturbing facts about food processing, labels, and marketing.

Successful dog breeders become canine nutrition experts through years of first-hand "clinical trials."  They suggest caution and research on what you are led to believe by dog food manufacturers.  Premium dog foods are a big convenience but are best used as a supplement to fresh, raw, unprocessed food.  All breeders read dog food labels but they rely on science, common sense, and knowing what dogs instinctively choose.  They also know that natural nutrition is simple, cheaper than bagged or canned dog food and that's "food for thought."

TheDogPlace.org was the world's first dog-site and as such, recognized the tremendous responsibility of providing unbiased, factual dog food and health information.  So let's look back at a snippet of coverage on the Greenies lawsuit:

Greenies May Be Deadly

(and good advice on other fake foods)

"The 2005 lawsuit was filed in New York State by the owners of a dog that died from swallowing a Greenie. The dog’s name was Burt.  He did not die because he bit off a big piece of the chew treat and choked as was reported.  The dog died because the Greenies were NOT, as was advertised, digestible. They can swell in the intestine and cause a blockage like the one that resulted in Burt's death. The dog's owners created the Burt's Cause website to provide information on the Greenies lawsuit and as a pet treat warning."

TheDogPlace.org agrees with a warning on manufactured treats and pet foods.  As with anything that you don’t grow, slaughter, or peel yourself (good rules to live by) there is risk in commercially prepared foodstuffs.  There was a time when the “hippie generation” and “health food nuts” were considered "far out." Not so today.  More people are opting for organic, raw, or unprocessed foods because we recognize the risks in unnatural “natural" foods.

The same applies to your pets but first, a word of caution: "natural" does not necessarily mean healthy nor does it mean safe.  Examples:  monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a natural substance and today it is in most prepared food products - meaning manufactured edibles. Many people are or will become allergic to MSG which can cause serious reactions requiring hospitalization or doctor visits, often misdiagnosed as “stomach flu.”

So how do you avoid flavor enhancers and risky ingredients in "prepared foods"?  First, don't be taken in by the convenience of manufactured (fake foods) for which you will pay dearly!  Second, shop to the perimeter aisles of a grocery store.  That is where you will find fresh produce, fresh meat and dairy products instead of manufactured foodstuffs.

The center of the store contains frozen, canned, and manufactured items masquerading as food.  You won't find ingredients labels on fresh food but try to stretch the budget for "certified organic" labeling. Packaged and prepared convenience edibles are all laden with chemicals, preservatives, and "spices", a catch-all, nice sounding term for MSG and other troubling ingredients.

Back to your dog's food. Much has been written about human diet and eating habits.  Americans are among the most unhealthy and overweight societies in the world!  Other countries are also obese in direct proportion to the amount of “prepared” foods consumed.  The same thing is happening to our pets and even more staggering, to our children!  Obesity has become a symbol of the American diet! In addition to obesity, TheDogPress.com features an amazing risky "herbs, neurotoxins and addictive ingredients" in today's dog food. See link below.

Like your new rule on how to shop the super market, begin to think about new rules for the way you feed your dog.  No more packaged treats. Save him a piece of dinner meat.  Give him slices of fresh apple, bananas, and other fruits.  Fresh, raw veggies such as tomatoes, green beans, snow peas, or asparagus may develop your dog’s natural instinct for fresh vegetation. There's a reason dogs eat grass, click for instant info ii Why Dogs Eat Grass  Inside toy dogs and cats quickly learn to relish those little “grass gardens” thoughtful owners provide.

Toys?  Has man ever manufactured anything better than a suitable size ball, stick or wait – a BONE!!??

Give your dog a real, raw bone! Not one of those baked, dried, bleached things in shrink wrap.  Better a bull’s you-know-what to chew on than a denatured piece of plastic.  The preservatives in the bullstick are safer than any petroleum-chemicalized toy.  But best of all, regardless of your pet’s size, try a raw knuckle bone or real hambone.  OK, hams are all chemically cured nowadays and a lot of what you think is fresh in the meat case has been dyed, preserved, or chemically tenderized but a hambone once in a while won't hurt your dog nearly as much as de-natured fake bones and edibles.

The next time you pick up a shrink-wrapped package of steak or hamburger, read the label!  It should say nothing other than T-bone, Round, etc. or with hamburger, define the 20% of fat content. If it lists “ingredients” or seasonings, use at your own risk and for goodness sake, don’t give it to your dog!

As you begin to think outside the box (literally!) and the deluge of marketing magic, you'll appreciate having extra knowledge to protect your family and your pets. If you still want manufactured chewies see Greenies - New Formula.  Toss your dog a seedless grape. Don't be misled into giving your pet fake foods and rubber chews instead of nutritious real food. Learn from this Dalmatian owner's veterinary experience when she was told her dog was Poisoned By Grapes.  Lastly, here is the net's first and most detailed list of Inappropriate Dog Food Ingredients.

TheDogPlace.org EST 1998 ©  1512172 https://www.thedogplace.org/Canine-Nutrition/Manufactured-edibles-are-not-food-0512172.asp

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