TruthaboutPetFood.com

Not only all that, but nearly all of Canola Oil is GMO (genetically modified) which in preliminary studies have caused infertility and cancer in rats, and also hair growing inside hamster's mouths. My family avoids Canola oil like the plague.

This country is in big trouble. 

They use canola oil because it's cheap.

If the pet food is NOT ORGANIC and it has canola oil, then this canola oil is coming from MONSANTO Mafia, meaning it's GMO (genetically modified organisms). And GMO should be avoided as much as possible.

So, every time you do shopping for yourself or for your pet, every item you pick up any item, check the label for canola oil, soy oil, corn(any). ALL these are GMO, and all of them are grown mostly in USA, forced on farmers by Monsanto. Some is coming from S.America, where Monsanto threatening local farmers.

But if the product ALL ORGANIC Certified, then it's ok: soy,canola, corn should be organic non-GMO.

Most of the organic food for pets don't have not soy, not canola, and not corn. But double check.

another thing I want to suggest..

If you want your pet be healthy, use ONLY Organic food. 

Second thing is a supplement to support the Immune System. These supplements are also act as antioxidants. best of them should have CTM(chinese traditional medicine) mushrooms like shiitake, maitake, reishi...and more, at least 3-4 of them. Some of these supplements have 7-9 mushrooms.

And third supplement - enzymes.

It's my understanding that the fatty acid composition of Canola oil is most similar (among vegetable derived oils) to animal fat. That's why a pet food manufacturer chooses Canola vs. other oils. When Canola is the primary fat source I consider the food less than optional. When I once asked one manufacturer why Canola was used in their dog foods vs. chicken fat the reply in an email was that they use Canola as an option for people who don't want to feed animal fat to their dogs. I'm guessing that's not the whole story. There are tales of rancidity in animal fat on the web. When we look far enough we'll see bad info on just about everything that goes into pet foods! Still, I don’t believe that’s the whole story. ($$$)

Canola does not contain arachoidonic acid, which is an essential fatty acid for cats; so we see Canola used much more widely in dog foods than in cat foods.

Kudos once again to you, Susan, for not only putting out information pet parents need to know, but also for not being afraid to re-examine your position on any given ingredient (not that it was warranted where Canola is concerned; it's just the principle of the thing).

I'm glad it's not only me who notices this disturbing trend!  I have refused to buy any dog food with Canola oil as an ingredient since I became educated about pet food several years ago.  The only two top brands I found that met my ingredient criteria were Orijen and Evo.  Since P&G bought Evo, I stopped buying it.  Looking for another quality brand to rotation feed with has left me shaking my head in dismay..."Canola, Canola, Canola!"  This is very unfortunate because I have no option but to give ALL my business to Orijen/Acana; I was willing to 'spread the wealth' around a bit but I guess none of the other high-end dog food companies want my business.   Oh well, their loss.

There is a glimmer of light to this dark picture, though--they're forcing me to save up enough money to buy a big freezer and locally raised beef, chicken and turkey so I can switch my four guys to a raw diet.  If I've finally had it 'up to here'...how many other disgruntled pet parents are, or are going to eventually be, in the same boat?  That's a question pet food manufacturers ought to be asking themselves.

Thanks for letting me rant.  :)

Susan,
I noticed that you removed the link to what you feed your pets.  Did you quit feeding Life's Abundance because it contains Canola Oil?  I looked at the list of ingredients for the dog food and yup...its in there.

Organic canola is never GMO as a paper trail of tests must be provided to insure this.  As for it not being fed to babies... well, you're not supposed to feed honey to babies either, so is that something that should be considered a red flag ingredient, too?

First off, let me state that I am not a "pet parent" and my dogs and cats are not my "fur children". They are beautiful beings just as they are: dogs and cats:-)

And if I had wanted to have genetic children, I would have. Now, onto the subject matter:

I concur with Chris and the analogy to honey. There are some things you don't feed to babies, but are safe for adults. Some things you can't feed to birds, but are OK for other animals. Dogs, but not cats. Etc.

Because research shows that ingredient "A" is unsafe for rats, doesn't prove that it is also unsafe for dogs, or llamas, or fish.

I'm not defending canola oil, but I also need to see more scientific proof that it is unsafe to feed DOGS specifically.

My mind is 100% open to this information; if it weren't, I wouldn't be on this mailing list or this board.

I currently feed Taste of The Wild (yes, it contains canola oil, I checked) as a base diet, with raw meat and bones, as well as cooked fish, fish oil capsules, and 1 teaspoon of Nupro powder. The kibble amount is approximately 1/2 cup twice daily, my dogs are Samoyeds. They are female and weigh approximately 38 to 42# and are 19 3/4" and 20 1/2" at the withers. Both are in excellent physical shape and are well-muscled, with no skin, coat or other issues. One will be 13 this month, the other is 3 1/2.

My cats are two neutered indoor males: one is a Maine Coon, the other is a grey & white shorthair moggie. They also receive the TOTW kibble with various meats and cooked fish and supplements.

Again, my mind is very open to suggestions and ongoing education, but I need to see some absolute scientific proof that canola oil is unhealthy for dogs, and when I see that, then I will be all for getting a movement on board to have it removed from dog food.

And what about cats? Any info about cats?

And while we're at it..is there any way to get rid of the proliferation of PEAS being used in dog food? Peas are REALLY bad news for diabetics, and yet there they are in most dog foods. What about people who have diabetics, or borderline diabetics?

To Clu, Taste Of The Wild duck formula uses chicken fat; the other 2 (fish & lamb - they call it bison) use canola.  Those who feel it's done because it's cheap are right on in my book.  To Zal, don't put all of your organic eggs in one basket.  Themz GMO seeds are blowin' in the wind.  I think if you research the subject a little deeper you will find that even organic soy (or any other organic crop) are likely contaminated with GMO stock.  If you don't grow it yourself, even organic ain't what it's cracked up to be...any more.  One of this forum's followers took me to task a couple of months ago because I suggested the reason for making the change from chicken fat to canola oil was 'cause it's cheap.  I still believe that, more than ever after reading this column today.  That follower in no uncertain terms told me the reason the particular company we were discussing (Wellness) used canola oil in non-chicken protein based formula for those pets who have allergy to chicken.  But, he apparently didn't have an answer when I asked him why their chicken formula didn't use chicken fat, but canola oil.  Gee, could it be because canola is cheaper?  The author of the article Susan cited & published a few months ago said it succinctly:  Canola oil amounts to pay-ola for the manufacturers & con-ola for the consumer.  By the way, one of the few points I've consistently disagreed with Susan on was her preference for Life's Abundance.  I find the company (& their literally dozens of links that force you to them under many different food names) severely lacking in character.  But, I believe they used to use chicken fat.  If what a reader above says is true, that they are now using canola oil, I pretty much rest my case on that company & know without a doubt that's it's the $$$.

Our cat cannot tolerate any food with canola in it.  She gets diarrhea if she eats anything with canola. 

@ Susan Thixton, at any point in your piles of information did you ever read that canola oil may cause blindness in the cornea of animals and humans. I read an article some time ago but my computer crashed and I was never able to locate  the article again..

The food grade Canola oil is made from plants that don't produce the toxic compounds that the wild types do. They use the hybridized varieties not the GMO type for food grade.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canola
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blcanola.htm?once=true& (BE SURE TO READ PAGES 2 and 3)
http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/canola.asp
http://tinyurl.com/255ocjn
http://web.archive.org/web/20010809065733/www.cansa.co.za/facts_myths_diet_canola.asp

Regardless of whether or not the Canola oil is "organic", it is derived from the rapeseed plant, in it's natural form it is extremely bitter tasting (it was known as the poor man's oil in ancient China).  To remove the bitter taste...it has to be HIGHLY PROCESSED.  I don't eat processed food, wolves don't eat processed food, why would I want to feed it to my dogs?  I understand the convenience factor for most people, but I am feeding 7 dogs, all but one are rescues and they are all quite large, I began feeding a raw diet 3 mos ago, it is working wonderfully, dogs are happy and shiny and have solid, minimal stools that turn white and crumble into the soil after a good rain...just like nature intended.

The Truth… Canola Oil

How safe is Canola Oil? We asked impartial professionals in the fields of nutrition, biology and food science to answer questions. So here’s their answers.
 
Q: What is canola oil?
 
A: Canola oil is the healthiest of all commonly used cooking oils. It is lowest in saturated fat, high in cholesterol-lowering mono-unsaturated fat and the best source of omega-3 fats of all popular oils.
Canola oil comes from pressed canola seed harvested from pods that are formed after the beautiful yellow flowers you’ve probably seen in the summer fade away. North American farmers have been growing canola seed for over 30 years.
 
Canola is not rapeseed. It looks the same on the outside but it’s different on the inside. In the late 1960s, plant scientists used traditional plant breeding methods to get rid of rapeseed’s undesirable qualities – erucic acid and glucosinolates. That means canola oil and meal are different from rapeseed oil and meal.
 
Q: Have human studies been conducted on the consumption of canola oil?
 
A: Yes. Clinical studies conducted over the past 20 years examined the role of canola oil in lowering blood cholesterol levels and reducing risk of coronary heart disease, cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure.
 
The studies confirmed that when used as part of a balanced diet, canola oil has been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels and have a beneficial effect on clot formation, thereby decreasing risk of heart disease and stroke.
 
Canola oil contains 7% saturated fat compared to, for example, 15% for olive oil, 19% from peanut oil and 12% for sunflower oil.
 
Q: Is canola oil safe for animals and humans?
 
A: Yes. Before being approved for food use, canola oil was required to go through stringent animal feeding trials to ensure it was a safe edible oil.
 
Q: Was canola developed using genetic engineering?
 
A: Canola was developed using traditional plant breeding techniques, so it was not developed using biotechnology. However, about 80% of the canola grown in Canada has now been modified using biotechnology to make it tolerant to some herbicides. Using these specific herbicides has reduced the amount of chemicals needed for weed control in the fields.
 
Remember, the canola plant has been modified, not the oil. So canola oil from the herbicide tolerant plant is exactly the same, safe and healthy oil as canola oil from conventional plants. The modification has been made to only one canola gene and it is a protein. Processing removes all proteins from canola oil. That means canola oil made from GM seed is conventional canola oil.
 
Q: Are canola oil and rapeseed oil poisonous to living things?
 
A: No. Canola oil has been thoroughly tested and is guaranteed safe and beneficial for humans.
Hydrogenated rapeseed oil is also safe and is in fact approved by Canadian and US food regulatory agencies for use as a food product emulsifier. When rapeseed oil is fully hydrogenated, its erucic acid becomes behenic acid; a natural saturated fatty acid found in peanuts and peanut butter. Some peanut butter brands contain very small amounts of hydrogenated rapeseed oil to prevent the peanut oil from separating from the peanut butter.
 
Rapeseed is grown on very limited acreages in North America under contract between the grower and the buyer. It doesn’t get into the regular grain handling system.
 
Q: Can canola oil and rapeseed be used as lubricants, penetrating oils, fuel, soap, paints, etc?
 
A: Yes. Any plant sourced oil such as olive, corn, soybean and flax can be used industrially to make lubricants, oils, fuel, soaps, paints, plastics, cosmetics or inks. In fact, any organic hydrocarbon (including ALL vegetable oils) can be processed and denatured to make industrial chemicals. Proteins in milk can be used to make glue. Wheat and canola can be used to make ethanol, an ingredient in “gasohol” and canola seed can be used to produce bio-diesel.
 
But just because you can do this doesn’t make the approved food canola oil or corn oil, for example that you buy at the grocery store somehow poisonous or harmful!
 
Q: Does canola form “latex-like substances which agglutinate red blood corpuscles”? 

A: No. In fact, canola oil has good effects on your blood. Canola oil is a good source of alpha-linolenic acid or ALA, for short. ALA is an essential omega-3 fatty acid required in the human diet because our bodies cannot make it.
 
Animal and human clinical studies show ALA has many of beneficial effects on blood clotting, platelet aggregation and the vascular system as omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel.
 
Q: Does canola oil cause emphysema, respiratory distress, anemia, constipation, irritability, and blindness in animals and humans?
 
A: No. After extensive animal and human testing, canola oil has been proven to be absolutely safe to consume and will not produce these or any other diseases or conditions.
 
Q: Does canola oil turn rancid quickly?
 
A: No. Canola oil’s shelf life stored at room temperature is about one year. Except for flaxseed oil, the shelf life of other vegetable oils stored at room temperature is similar. Flaxseed oil should be stored in the refrigerator.
 
Q: Does canola contain cyanide?
  
A: No, canola does not contain cyanide. Canola contains compounds that sound a little like that - isothiocyanates, compounds found naturally in many foods, especially in cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, turnips and canola.
 
Isothiocyanates are sulphur-containing compounds that have anti-cancer properties. In rats and mice, isothiocyanates inhibit the development of tumors in esophagus, mammary and lung tissue. Isothiocyanates appear to act by interfering with the metabolism of cancer agents and increasing their removal from the body. The cancer-fighting properties of cabbage, cauliflower and the other members of the mustard family are likely due to their isothiocyanate content.
 
Q: Is canola made of a “very long chain fatty acid oil (c22)” that can cause a degenerative disease?
 
A: No. Canola oil’s fatty acid profile consists predominantly (over 90%) of the 18 carbon unsaturated fatty acids oleic acid, linoleic acid and linolenic acid. Canola does not cause or contribute to any disease and in fact, it can improve health. The positive effects of canola’s unsaturated fatty acids on certain health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, are well documented.
 
Q: Do the glycosides in canola suppress the immune system?
 
A: No. There is no evidence that canola oil depresses the immune system.

People PLEASE educate your selves!!

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/canola.asp

Regardless of the use of canola oil in and of itself -- the truth of the matter is that canola is a GM product. I don't care if it is processed into oil -- it still comes from a GM product. Processing does not change this fact at all...

Meo, you're wrong.  Canola was NOT developed through GM means, but through old school methods of plant selection.  It's the same methodology that is used by farmers today to select the tomato plants with the most vigor, the spinach plants that are most cold hardy, etc.  What everyone here lacks is a chat with a farmer.

Lisa, you're wrong, too.  You need to understand the history of canola before you talk about it needing to be highly processed to remove the bitterness.  That's why it was developed as it was.  I use a cold pressed, unfiltered, non-GMO canola oil myself.  It's got a taste that's vastly different from chemically processed canola oils with a sweet, nutty flavor that's unsurpassed by any oils.  yum.

I know nothing about Canola but I have been thinking about it recently because reading Dr. Greg's Dog Dish Diet and he recommded use of Canola to improve Omaga-3 and Omega-6 intake in dog food. Thaks everyone for your input. This is a very interesting topic.