LET YOUR PET DINE WITH YOU Dr. Wysong

Across the land for over half a century pet owners have been cautioned about feeding their dogs and cats from the table. The main reason this caution is echoed by pet food manufacturers, nutritionists, and veterinarians is because of their belief in processed "100% complete" commercial foods. Their view is that table scraps would disturb the precise balance of these foods. But since we know that no such nutritional precision exists in commercial foods, denying pets the relish of table scraps makes no sense. Consider how that cats fed "complete" foods suffered taurine deficiency. These were premium cat foods which had been "proven" to be "100% complete and balanced" through feeding trials, laboratory analyses, and digestibility studies. If cat owners had occasionally fed bits of organs and meats from the table, the cardiomyopathy and other maladies would have never occurred. Thousands of cats would have been spared suffering and death, and owners spared grief and medical costs. Taurine deficiency is just the tip of the iceberg. Other examples include potassium deficiency, carnitine deficiency, zinc deficiency, riboflavin deficiency, and chloride overdose. That is what has been discovered thus far. Yes, formulas have been adjusted and these problems are now rare. But there is every reason to believe that most chronic degenerative diseases - affecting virtually every modern day pet - such as arthritis, obesity, heart disease, cancer, immune disorders, allergies, and skin, eye and ear infections are related to processed diet malnutrition. Subtle deficiencies cast a long shadow on health and cannot be detected in short-term feeding trials. Rather, they incubate over the lifetime of the animal to crop up in later years when little can be done to resolve the problem or - convenient to the perpetrators - identify the underlying cause - "100% complete" pet foods. The only way to make your pet's diet complete is to let nature work its magic by offering a variety of foods, intelligently supplementing, and giving tidbits and scraps right from your dinner table.

TRUTH 56: BE CAREFUL OF SNAKE OIL Dr. Wysong

Most pet foods are essentially made the same, since most are made by the same toll manufacturers. The only place left to appear special is on the ingredient list. So there are now foods with grapefruit, turnip greens, parsley oil, dandelion, thyme, spearmint, marigolds, persimmons, broccoli, eyebright, quail eggs... taking on the sound of lizard tongue, bat wing and eye of newt. Although any natural ingredient prepared properly may have some merit, it is difficult for consumers to discern this. Some ingredients may be mere label dressing in an attempt to set the product apart from others. Since describing the specific health benefits of ingredients is prohibitied, people need to search the Internet: Health benefits of __________(ingredient in question). Then there is the question of dosage which cannot be determined on labels and is part of proprietary formulations companies do not wish to reveal. Although some ingredients may exert a nutraceutical or homeopathic effect at very low doses, this can only be guessed by reading labels. The only option for consumers is to carefully peruse company literature. If there is science and depth, the chances are the ingredients on the label are there for a specific health benefit. If the company seems to be more marketing than substance, or makes exaggerated claims, then it could well be that the ingredients on the label are that too. For an occasional meal such foods are fine, if you care to support companies trying to mislead you. Better yet, seek honest foods and natural variety if you want health for your pet.

Schemes for beading from the Lady Cats (Lady Lunar Cat)

Schemes for beading from the Lady Cats (Lady Lunar Cat)

TRUTH 31: LOVE IS AN ESSENTIAL NUTRIENT Dr. Wysong

Observation of the interactions in a pride of lions, pack of wolves, the love shared between mother and cub, play between siblings in even the most solitary of feline species, and evidence of complex animal emotions teach us that animals have a far greater capacity to 'feel' than many people believe. This comes as no news to you. Pets are an integral part of our lives because there is an unspoken connection and communication that is very real. When we remove them from the wild, so to speak, the burden is on us to give them what they would have gotten in the pride or pack. What we give is returned in kind. A reciprocal loving relationship with a pet can form an unparalleled bond. While these thoughts probably only reinforce what comes naturally to a loving pet owner, it is easy to forget the social and psychological needs of a pet since they can seem pretty much self-content so long as a bowl of food is in front of them. But don't forget their full range of needs, for your sake and theirs. Be sure to provide regular love, play, and other interactive stimulation to enrich both of your lives. pawprints Thought for the day: "Nothing living should ever be treated with contempt. Whatever it is that lives, a man, a tree, or a bird, should be touched gently, because the time is short. Civilization is another word for respect for life." Elizabeth Goudge Word for the day: oxidation – noun: the process wherein a molecule, atom, or ion loses electrons. This can be incited by light, heat, oxygen, and other oxidized chemicals. The result is a free radical that sets about trying to rob other chemicals of their electrons. In the body, these "radicals" can disrupt DNA, cell membranes, and important biochemicals necessary for health. Preventing oxidation in foods and in the body is very important.

TRUTH 43: COMPLETE DIETS CAUSE DISEASE Dr. Wysong

Our natural inclination is to think in the short term. If we are doing something that is fun or easy and it creates no harm at the moment, then we tend to conclude we're safe. That's one of the reasons people are not easily convinced that food trinkets are unwise. Since pop and Twinkies don't cause cancer in the kids the next morning, and dog and cat foods have not caused them to keel over yet, then all must be well. But it is not. Humans and pets suffer from a host of dietary-related diseases that have long incubation periods. That's what cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and so forth are. Here I would like to prove to you from the medical and scientific literature that pets by the millions fed so-called complete and balanced diets, even the high priced premium ones, have suffered disease and died as a result. (And they still are.) Consider this partial listing of proofs: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Volume 201, pages 267-74 Clinical findings in cats with dilated cardiomyopathy and relationship of findings to taurine deficiency Paul D. Pion, DVM; Mark D. Kittleson, DVM, PhD; William P. Thomas, DVM; Mary L. Skiles, DVM, MPVM; Quinton R. Rogers, PhD Summary: "37 cats with moderate to severe idiopathic myocardial failure (dilated cardiomyopathy) were evaluated... taurine deficiencies were documented in most of the cats... These findings support the conclusion that most cases of dilated cardiomyopathy in cats have a common etiopathogenesis related to diet and as such are preventable." Diet used: "Complete and balanced" premium processed pet foods. Dr. Wysong's comments: I strongly agree -- diet can either cause or prevent disease. This is what research decades old has clearly shown. Belief in the "100% complete" myth is the greatest of all threats to modern pet health. ......................................................... Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Volume 202, pages 744-51 Development of chronic renal disease in cats fed a commercial diet S.P. DiBartola, DVM; C.A. Buffington, DVM, PhD; D.J. Chew, DVM; M.A. McLoughlin, DVM, MS; R.A. Sparks, DVM Summary: Cats which were fed a commercial food exclusively since they had been kittens developed chronic renal disease. Diet used: "Complete and balanced" premium processed pet foods. Dr. Wysong's comments: More proof that "100% complete and balanced" premium processed pet foods can create disease. ......................................................... Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Volume 191, pages 1563-8 Potassium depletion in cats: Hypokalemic polymyopathy Steven W. Dow, DVM, MS; Richard A. LeCouteur, BVSc, PhD; Martin H. Fettman, DVM, PhD; Thomas L. Spurgeon, PhD Summary: "Generalized weakness of acute onset, apparent muscular pain, and persistent ventroflexion of the neck were observed in 6 cats. These clinical findings were associated with a low serum potassium concentration and high serum creatine kinase activity... The owners reported that all 6 cats had been fed a commercial diet exclusively for periods of at least 6 months before onset of muscle weakness." Diet used: "Complete and balanced" premium processed pet foods. Dr. Wysong's comments: More proof that "100% complete and balanced" premium processed pet foods can create disease. ......................................................... University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine Compendium on Continuing Education Common questions about the nutrition of dogs and cats David Kronfeld, DVM, PhD Summary: "NRC subcommittees... have aimed at minimal requirements rather than optimums... A veterinarian offering advice about nutrition is caught in a bind. For legal sanctuary, one should abide by the recommendations of the NRC which have been incorporated into regulations of the FTC, AAFCO and FDA, hence assumed the force of law." Dr. Wysong's comments: Thus, minimal nutrition receives the imprimatur of law. Even professionals, who might know better, must conform by advocating disease-causing "100% complete" minimal diets. Why? Because NRC, FTC, AAFCO, FDA make it "legal." ......................................................... Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Volume 198, pages 647-50 Myocardial L-carnitine deficiency in a family of dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy Bruce W. Keene, DVM, MS; David P. Panciera, DVM, MS; Clarke E. Atkins, DVM; Vera Regitz, MD; Mary J. Schmidt, BS; Austin L. Shug, PhD Summary: Dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure were observed in a family of boxers. Supplementation of L-carnitine resulted in clinical improvement. Diet used: "Complete and balanced" premium processed pet foods. Dr. Wysong's comments: More proof that "100% complete and balanced" premium processed pet foods can create disease. Video: Catcerto Nora the piano playing cat and her Catcerto... pawprints Thought for the day: "Read labels, question, think for yourself -- and remember that nature is rarely, if ever, improved upon." Dr. Wysong Word for the day: omnivore – noun: a creature that can subsist on both animal and plant matter.

DIGESTIBILITY IS NOT DIGESTIBLE Dr. Wysong

Of course it's important that what is eaten be digestible. All that goes in should not also all come out. But where there is a valid notion, there will always be found an invalid marketing scheme. Digestibility tests are used to determine how much food is absorbed. It is assumed from this that food "A," because it is 95% digestible, is better than food "B," which is 90% digestible. But that would imply that if food "C" were 100% digestible, with zero fecal output, it would be the best food of all. Not so. Digestive tract health and the movement of food through the intestines where different elements are absorbed, depends upon a portion of food being indigestible. Certain kinds of food components such as fibers and oligosaccharides not only help maintain the health of the digestive tract but encourage the growth of friendly microorganisms that fight pathogens and exert a range of other health effects. Digestibility tests attach simplicity to that which is incredibly complex. Measuring how much is absorbed compared to how much is lost or excreted says nothing about the merit of what is absorbed. Nutrition is a tissue-level biochemical phenomenon, not a simple subtraction between what is eaten and what is excreted. Nevertheless, some pet food producers will promote their food based upon its digestibility percent. This must be seen for what it is, a ruse to create false confidence in a processed pet food so that people will feed it exclusively. Not only is digestibility not a true measure of value, it ignores that there is no generally accepted method for de­termining digestibility. This disagreement among the experts results from poor understanding. Since digestibility expert "A" disagrees with digestibility expert "B" and vice versa, we can disagree with either of them and have the backing of an expert. The wise approach to nutrition is to forget the lab tests and experts, feed dogs and cats as they are designed, and let the digestibility chips fall where they may. Mother Nature has things pretty well figured out and she is the only true expert.

A PACKAGE NEEDS TO BE MORE THAN A PRETTY FACE by Dr. Wysong

Quality foods made of natural ingredients are fragile. Heat, light, air, and time degrade nutrients or convert them to toxins. In fact, keeping foods viable is the main challenge of food processors that need to distribute foods worldwide. Somehow they must arrest the spoiling that normally occurs to natural foods to allow for packaging, shipping, and sitting on shelves until sold. The easy way to take care of this problem is to cook the food so that the enzymes and microorganisms that break the food down are destroyed. The problem with this is, processing also destroys many valuable nutrients. The alternative for producers concerned about this (as they should be) is to minimize processing and incorporate fresh elements that are not heated at all. The next step is to protect these fresh elements with oxygen and light barrier packaging. Smaller portion packaging is also preferable to the large paper bags in pet supermarkets that do not protect foods from light or air and may take weeks to be eaten after the bag is opened and exposed to the elements. Before sealing, the bags should also be flushed with nitrogen to remove oxygen before the bag is sealed. These measures help prevent oxidation of important and fragile nutrients such as essential fatty acids. Keep the delicate nature of nutritious food in mind, no matter what the claim of shelf life. A good principle to keep in mind is the faster food spoils, the more nutritious it is. Once a package is opened it should be tightly resealed and either stored in a cool, dry, dark environment, or preferably, refrigerated or frozen. This will further prolong nutritional integrity, and with that also preserve and enhance your pet's health. Thought for the day: "We cannot glimpse the essential life of a caged animal, only the shadow of its former beauty." Julia Allen Field Phrase for the day: 'unsaturated fats' – - fats in which not all carbons are saturated with hydrogens and which contain reactive double bonds. These are found in both plants and animals and are quite vulnerable to oxidation by heat, light, oxygen, and certain metals. Some of these are essential dietary components important for cellular structure, metabolism, and communication. Omega 3, 6, and 9 fatty acids are unsaturated to various degrees. Unlike saturated fats, unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. To learn more about the critical importance of fats and oils in health and disease, read Dr. Wysong's book Lipid Nutrition.