"Butcherism" And Your Favorite Pet Food

A big thank you to Susan Thixton of Truth About Pet Food for this information.  It was condensed down from an article about our lax and disgusting allowances in pet food ingredients.  It crosses borders between the U. S. and Canada and puts pets from both countries at risk.

"The Animal Welfare Foundation of Canada has published a report on “The Disposal of Spent Laying Hens”. This document outlines the accepted methods of slaughter for spent laying hens, but explains“The disposal of spent laying hens raises issues that do not neatly fit into the list of accepted means of slaughter.” One of the methods this document states is used to kill spent birds is “Macerator“. Quoting:“A macerator for use on-farm has been developed by Oleet Processors in Regina, Saskatchewan. Their unit ‘vacuums’ birds down a 20 foot long tube, to a grinder that kills the birds upon impact with its blades. While the system shows potential, some questions remain to be answered regarding its humaneness.”

Putting two and two together, I now believe AAFCO intentionally excluded the requirement of slaughter from the pet food ingredients chicken and chicken meal (poultry and poultry meal). If the requirement of sourced from a slaughtered animal was added to the legal definition of chicken/poultry – pet foods would legally not be allowed to use non-slaughtered poultry (ground alive).

Pet Food Ingredient

Legal Requirement

Chicken/Poultry

NOT Required to be sourced from a slaughtered animal

Chicken Meal/Poultry Meal

NOT Required to be sourced from a slaughtered animal

Chicken By-Product Meal/Poultry By-Product Meal

Required to be sourced from a slaughtered animal

Unlike the ingredient chicken or chicken meal, chicken by-product meal definition is required to be sourced from slaughtered animals. By-products are leftover pieces of chicken not typically consumed in human food. The ONLY source for these pieces is from slaughter facilities. So – regulations require ‘sourced from slaughtered animals’ in the legal definition of the ingredient chicken by-product meal."

Again, a big thanks to Susan Thixton and Truth About Pet Foods for the information.

New Testimonial From The Dog World's Biggest Species

I met for breakfast with Don Church of C & C Systems which formulates and manufactures numerous cleaning products for household and industrial uses.  He put a Great Dane on our product that was obtained from a rescue network and he told the foster parent that, "This dog, from what I see will never get up to an acceptable level.  A few months later, this dog looks great and it's health problems, especially of which is being in a "skin and bone" situation is concerned.
Now, one of the biggest maladies of large dogs, irregardless of condition, is "arthritis and hip dysplasia" which affects approximately 70% of Great Danes
This canine that was so emaciated that Don legitimately believed that euthanasia was the only alternative because of its' condition and skeletal health.  Build A Better Dog proved that to be wrong and now we have a beautiful and healthy specimen of health and well-being.

These pictures are not of the actual canine involved but of specimens of Great Danes

I just don't know how you can find a more beautiful and a more proud 

example of a species that is a national asset.

Pray For Harley, thank Donna for her great work.

Harley, at 14 years, is old and nearly deaf, but her sight is still good.  I had been giving her another Glucosomine and Chondroitin supplement but it got so expensive.  After six days on Triad Performance Supplement, my son went to the barn with Harley to feed the mule and the chickens.  He came back and said that Harley was playing with the tennis balls and chasing the chickens again.  He asked if he could have some of Harley's supplement on his cereal in the morning.

By the way, Donna is a tireless worker and supporter for Wilkes County's dedication to animal welfare.
Want the same results, check out Build A Better Dog  and give your dog some blessed relief.

Large Dogs Are Not Only Ones Impacted By Hip Dysplasia

Site Sponsored By Build A Better Dog 

By: Lisa Chelenza

Updated 06/18/2014 05:00 AM

from Time-Warner Cable News

Hip dysplasia occurs in millions of dogs. However, the condition happens most often in large purebreds. Breeds such as German Shepherds or Golden Retrievers are often diagnosed. It can be diagnosed in puppies as young as five months.

"Treatments for hip dysplasia includes pain management through the use of medication, moderate exercise, physical therapy and even acupuncture. Only in severe, but special cases, would a hip replacement be an option," explained Dr. Bookbinder. "There are also things you can do at home to help a dog with hip dysplasia or other joint issues. Provide carpets on slippery surfaces, keep them warm dry and comfortable, don’t allow them to jump and pick them up when they need a little help."

Although it is more common on larger dogs, any breed can develop hip dysplasia. Talk to your veterinarian about your concerns, and decide together on treatment options to help your pet live a healthy pain free life.

- See more at: http://rochester.twcnews.com/content/lifestyles/695089/large-dogs-are-not-the-only-breeds-impacted-by-hip-dysplasia/#sthash.HwWbwyje.dpuf   

Also, you may want to watch this:  How Chelated Minerals Affect Hip Dysplasia  

Diamond Makes A Settlement On 2012 Salmonella Disaster

Thanks to Truth About Pet Food for this contribution
This blogsite sponsored by Build A Better Dog 
Years ago I worked for a major feed company and my sales manager, Lester Blackwelder,  was a great guy who loved to tell stories and joke around.  He told me he ran into a customer who raised rabbits and the man confronted him and yelled, "Damn you and your company, that feed you sold me killed all my rabbits."
Lester answered him saying, Don't worry, we'll get you some more rabbit feed."

I think maybe Diamond Pet Food Company heard the story.

Coupons as Diamond Pet Food Settlement?

April 4, 2014 3 Comments

No kidding.  Diamond Pet Food agrees to a class action settlement from their 2012 Salmonella recall providing $2 coupons.  (Some)  Class members shall receive one or more coupons.

Even though Diamond Pet Food “deny any wrongdoing” in the 2012 Salmonella recall which resulted in Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul, Country Value, Diamond, Diamond Naturals, Premium Edge, Professional, 4Health, Taste of the Wild, Apex, Kirkland Signature and Canidae being pulled from store shelves for possible contamination – the pet food manufacturer has agreed to a settlement with pet owners.

From LegalNewsLine.com…

“There are three subclasses of class members. Subclass I includes consumers who purchased certain pet food products in 2011 and 2012.”

“The defendants will create a settlement fund limited to a maximum of $750,000 to pay claims from those who purchased the pet food. Members of this subclass who submit a valid claim form will receive either payment up to a maximum value of two bags of pet food per pet; or a pro rata share of the net proceeds of the settlement fund for this subclass not to exceed the actual or estimated purchase price of up to two bags of the pet food per pet if the settlement fund is exhausted, if the total amount claimed by the eligible Subclass I members exceeds the funds available.”

“If applicable, Subclass I members can request reimbursement of the cost of veterinary care and/or the fair market value of the pet as set forth in Subclass II, according to the settlement order.”

“The defendants will create a settlement fund limited to a total maximum of $1.25 million to pay claims from Subclass II. Members of this subclass who submit a valid claim form will receive a full reimbursement of the actual cost of veterinarian testing, care and/or treatment.”

And then there is Subclass III pet owners… 

“Class members who submit valid claim forms shall receive one or more coupons with a face value of $2. A maximum of 50,000 coupons will be distributed.”

There is no information provided for pet food consumers who wish to get their $2 coupon from Diamond as reimbursement for a sick pet.

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food

Build A Better Dog and Triad Performance Supplement would like to thank Susan Thixton at Truth About Pet Food for her tireless work on this issue and many other concerning the quality of our pet food.

DogsTakes A Bullet For Family

Thanks to Dog-spired for this item that comes by way of Build A Better Dog  Take a look.

Click here

Hip Dysplasia In Dogs, Where Do We Go From Here?

This blogsite sponsored by Build A Better Dog 
We have steadfastly preached and at times, argued that hip dysplasia is a malady of improper nutrition and not genetic failures.  The website Natural Canines writes an extensive piece dissecting the origin and continuing cause of  hip dysplasia.
Dr. Ron Hines, DVM, who is not afraid to stick his head into a bee's nest with controversial opinions has written this about the cause of the problem:

"We think that too rapid a growth rate and excessively fast weight gain make a tendency toward hip dysplasia worse. This seems to be particularly true in very large breeds. When pups grow too quickly, the structure of their bones and joints can not keep up with the rapid growth in their muscle mass, weight and strength. Sometimes, this causes the joints to begin to fail. So do not "push" your dogs by over-feeding them or feeding them a diet that is too rich in protein. When you select a puppy, do not select "larger than life" parents that are on the top or exceed normal weight for the breed. When you select a puppy, choose one that is intermediate size in the litter.

As your dog matures, keep it lean. Many dogs become overweight shortly after they have been neutered. The only way to avoid this in non-working dogs is to feed them less or feed them a less caloric diet."

Even more to the point is the combination of excessively high protein levels and the introduction of large volumes of carbohydrates that, in combination, grows dogs extremely too fast.  Years ago when commercial dog foods came into their own, this was considered a great by product of the new technology but, we now are coming to realize that this is key to the problem of hip dysplasia and arthritis.

You can see from the pictures the "bare bones" of the problem and you may have healthy criticism about whether or not this can be fixed.Well it may not be totally repairable but make no mistake about it, chelated mineral therapy(the use of raw mineral molecules bonded with amino acids for increased absorption and utilization) can greatly improve your dogs life by growing stronger sturdier bones, even in senior dogs, and also contribute to incrased enzyme production which brings more elasticity and durability to connective tissue.

How chelated minerals work can better be understood from this. There is really so little to lose by looking further and particularly when you investigate the sometimes unsuccessful and cost prohibitive alternative of surgery.