TruthaboutPetFood.com

Offline I have yet to meat someone who even reads the list of ingredients. They buy whatever is on sale, has a cute picture on the front, or doesn't make the cat throw up continuously.  That's what always makes me lose it completely when I constantly hear/read everybody talking about their cats vomiting day in day out. My raw fed cats vomit once or twice a year. Usually because something they ate was little "past due" or they gulped something down too fast that was still half frozen.

Most consider aflatoxins extremely dangerous and suggest that in human food is only acceptable with no detectable concentration. The maximum allowable concentration of aflatoxins set by the United States FDA is 20 parts per billion (ppb). Foreign markets usually reject grains with concentrations of 4 to 15 ppb. Acceptable levels of aflatoxins for animal consumption are up to 100 ppb. Because of the strict regulations regarding the permissible concentration of aflatoxin, exporting countries often reserve contaminated grains for consumption within their own country. Because Aspergillus spp. is usually colorless and does not break down during cooking, it is difficult to know whether or not people are consuming contaminated food. 

Aflatoxin has potential to lead to liver disease in dogs; however, not all dogs exposed to aflatoxin will develop liver disease. As with any toxic exposure, development of aflatoxicosis is a dose-related occurrence. Some dogs that develop liver disease will recover; those exposed to large doses for extended periods may not.

Low levels of aflatoxin exposure require continuous consumption for several weeks to months in order for signs of liver dysfunction to appear.^[9] Some articles have suggested the toxic level in dog food is 100-300 ppb and requires continuous exposure/consumption for a few weeks to months to develop aflatoxicosis.^[10] No information is available to suggest that recovered dogs will later succumb to an aflatoxin-induced disease.

There is no specific antidote for aflatoxicosis. Symptomatic and supportive care tailored to the severity of the liver disease may include intravenous fluids with dextrose, active vitamin K, B vitamins, and a restricted but high-quality protein diet with adequate carbohydrate content.

As a precautionary measure, both human and pet food recalls have occurred, casting a wide safety net to prevent exposure to potentially unsafe food. Recalled food products are subsequently sampled and tested for aflatoxin.

Hey Kasey

You mentioned that your pup has a sensitive stomach, and we've found that often indicates that either the puppy has frequent loose stools or sometimes throws up, both of which are very common for puppies.  So, I wanted to offer some of what we've learned in working with hundreds of dog owners over the past few years.

There probably won't be a single solution to feeding your puppy.  As your pup ages, his or her immune system is developing, too.  Along with this, your puppy's intestinal tract should be in the process of populating with beneficial bacteria.   You can assist your puppy in developing beneficial colonies of intestinal bacteria by providing plain low-fat, or non-fat yogurt (unsweetened, and absolutely NO artificial sweetners, please) to his or her food.  You may also try Kefir (a cultured beverage chock full of good bacteria colonies.)

Also, your dog may be seeking out (scavenging) grasses or plants in your yard, if they're around.  This is probably the result of a search for enzymes that your dog wants to eat.   Not every source agrees about why these are important, but we think it has a lot to do with improving digestion and populating the intestinal tract with healthy probiotics.

Lastly, try giving your puppy a carrot or apple slices for treats.  The extra fiber may help firm stools, if that's the problem.  Also, if you can, try to include as much UNPROCESSED whole food as you can.  No living thing was designed to eat processed foods.

Hope this helps. 

Larry - for starters - no more name calling; you are welcome to your opinion however it must be said without harsh comments towards other pet owners.

There is a wealth of evidence that some grains are not optional for dogs and cats.  Here is a link to a study on mycotoxins in pet foods and the health damages they cause: http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/more-than-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-mycotoxins.html

Because 80% of corn and soy are GMO in the United States, there are also numerous studies that link GM ingredients to internal organ damage.  Do a google search - you'll find many.

Hi Larry

Gotta love your passion.  So, when I read your post, I wanted to help direct you to a starting point for scholarly work about how the changes induced in canine diets for the past 40-60 years influence things that may not seem apparent to people who aren't veterinarians, nutritionists, or who don't have a vested interest in keeping today's common ingredients in pet food.

The problem is that so many of the scholarly works are tedious and nobody really reads them for understanding.  So, finding easily understandable scholarly works can be challenging.

But, here's a fairly easily accessible and readable article by a Veterinary Surgeon, Dr. Roger DeHaan, DVM, that contains  a comment by Dr. John Symes, DVM.  His article talks about a side effect of highly processed grain-based diets, which both doctors agree is at the root of an increase in cruciate ligament injuries and other joint injuries in canines that continue to increase.  Of the four reasons that Dr. DeHaan provides to explain the underlying causes of injuries he sees, the first is the major shift in canine diet from natural foods to processed grains.  He goes on to explain that other reasons are also diet-related.  Sulfur depletion, and the pro-inflammatory effect of high-carbohydrate diets all factor into the health issues he sees.

Hopefully, this is a starting point to get to a place where it's possible to see that there are clinical reasons why so many veterinarians, nutritionists and pet lovers see greater benefit in removing grains from dog (and cat!) diets than in leaving grains in their diets.  But, a word of caution, consider the source when reading even scholarly works.  "Research" is often sponsored by pet food companies, agricultural trade associations and other entities with agendas.   Sometimes, this "research" is less than complete and the "findings" are virtually foregone conclusions before any lab work starts.

http://www.journalofprolotherapy.com/free_issue_01/JOP_vol_1_issue_1_feb_2009.pdf#page=56