Author Topic: Truth About Pet Food  (Read 16364 times)

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Offline The Kittens

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #30 on: September 04, 2011, 07:51:04 AM »
People who feed, based on what Susan reccomends, is really, not any different, than what the major pet food companies do, in their aggressive marketing commercials, the feel good commercials, with the kitties, doggies, puppies, kittens, and the humans having a "wonderful" life. Its designed to make you feel good about the product, hence, you go and buy it. Its the same with the pretty pictures of kitties and doggies on the bags, and the pictures of meat, on the bags.  Its a fact, consumers will buy, based on the commercials and what is on the bag. So, what Susan does, which I never even looked at it, just going by the posts, is really not any different.
Heck, how many people starting using Blue Wilderness, because Bump recommended it?   cat4

Its the same with athletes, or a celebrity, doing a commercial, about a product.  People will go buy the product, only because a big name athlete or celebrity endorses it, that too, is a fact.  :-\

Next time you see a pet food commercial, really look at it, and listen to what they say, and look at the little production they put on for you.  :D

Its up to the consumer, to do the research, about the product, but, most won't, the marketing/advertising companies, are betting on it, betting like a zillion dollors on it, mol.    :-X

I know most would not know this, but, a 50 lb bag of doggie food, costs twice, what a 50 lb bag of horsie grain costs. Ever wonder why?  And the ingredients in the horsie grain, are of way better quality, because, horsie people demand it. They ain't so stupid, as alot of pet parents out there, altho, petty parents is getting smarter than they used to be, hence, the petty foodie companies have adjusted too.  Starting to get the picture?  thumbsup1 Bumpurr1 cat4 TexasFlag grillsmile bumpgif       

Offline Lola

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #31 on: September 04, 2011, 08:10:47 AM »
People who feed, based on what Susan reccomends, is really, not any different, than what the major pet food companies do, in their aggressive marketing commercials, the feel good commercials, with the kitties, doggies, puppies, kittens, and the humans having a "wonderful" life. Its designed to make you feel good about the product, hence, you go and buy it. Its the same with the pretty pictures of kitties and doggies on the bags, and the pictures of meat, on the bags.  Its a fact, consumers will buy, based on the commercials and what is on the bag. So, what Susan does, which I never even looked at it, just going by the posts, is really not any different.

Its up to the consumer, to do the research, about the product, but, most won't, the marketing/advertising companies, are betting on it, betting like a zillion dollors on it, mol.    :-X


I think there is a HUGE difference between Susan and the Pet Food Industry!  The PFI out right lies and blows smoke up the consumer's ...rear.  Susan is just closed minded to anything said to her (from anyone) about cats needing water IN their food and kibble not being a species appropriate diet for felines.  
Even I wouldn't put Susan in the same category as the PFI!  

Susan is doing the footwork, so to speak, FOR consumers.  Her words..."Providing Resources To Help Keep Your Dog And Cat Safe."  

BTW, She didn't start off selling ANYTHING.  That came later.
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Offline Shadow

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #32 on: September 14, 2011, 08:11:32 PM »
http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/the-pet-food-i-recommend.html
she now has a cookbook out.
Im wondering about this, does cooking not kill all the nutrients in the food? :-\
Im almost thinking of doing this, but prob. raw I' have to buy a food processor. Im so afraid of pet food now!!!
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Offline CarnivorousCritter

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #33 on: September 15, 2011, 08:40:04 PM »
http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/the-pet-food-i-recommend.html
she now has a cookbook out.
Im wondering about this, does cooking not kill all the nutrients in the food? :-\
Im almost thinking of doing this, but prob. raw I' have to buy a food processor. Im so afraid of pet food now!!!

Kinda scary. She's been friends/collaborating with a diet-savvy vet for how long now and still considers moisture a reason to rate cat food lower?  :o  :-X Doh1

I think people buy food processors for extra little ingredients (like whatever might already be digested in a natural prey animal; even more so with dogs as they aren't so 'strict'.)  because they aren't efficient on processing them on their own. Hopefully someone raw-savvy will chime in.  Would a FP be necessary for a cat's natural diet/ingredients? Mentioning this because it may seem more complicated to feed a cat than it really is ("needing" a FP?) and may make people more hesitant?   I reckon their teeth & enzymes should take care of all their required goodies  :)

Offline Auntie Crazy

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #34 on: September 16, 2011, 12:56:22 AM »
Kinda scary. She's been friends/collaborating with a diet-savvy vet for how long now and still considers moisture a reason to rate cat food lower?  :o  :-X Doh1

I think people buy food processors for extra little ingredients (like whatever might already be digested in a natural prey animal; even more so with dogs as they aren't so 'strict'.)  because they aren't efficient on processing them on their own. Hopefully someone raw-savvy will chime in.  Would a FP be necessary for a cat's natural diet/ingredients? Mentioning this because it may seem more complicated to feed a cat than it really is ("needing" a FP?) and may make people more hesitant?   I reckon their teeth & enzymes should take care of all their required goodies  :)

Susan understands that canned food is far more desirable for cats than kibble (she basically ends her "Buyer Beware" book on that very note), she just has a difficult time "accounting" for an ingredient - water - that can't be "judged" in a manner similar to how she judges the other first four ingredients. It's a mental organizational problem, not a difficulty in comprehending how important water is in a cat's diet. Unfortunately, her method of dealing with her rating system gives the distinct, if erroneous and inadvertent, impression that water is undesirable.

As for raw food preparation, a food processor is definitely NOT a requirement. A good set of kitchen shears, a sharp knife, and a cutting board are all I've ever used to raw feed my six.

AC
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Offline Shadow

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #35 on: September 16, 2011, 01:40:52 AM »
As for raw food preparation, a food processor is definitely NOT a requirement. A good set of kitchen shears, a sharp knife, and a cutting board are all I've ever used to raw feed my six.
AC
Maybe but when you have cats that are used to pate style food, I know they wouldnt eat this. I bought some Almo nature(Shredded chicken) and they wouldnt touch it. Wilson has only eaten ground raw, Shadow will not eat any Raw as of yet.  Though I really want to try again. Just have to wait until they have been stable for a while before I start anything new.
AC what do you think of the home cooked?(nutrients), if I could grind it up and freeze it for future meals.  I would not have time if I had to make fresh like that every day.  Also Shadow has no teeth except for her fangs and inscissors, so he has a tough time with anything to solid.
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Offline CarnivorousCritter

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #36 on: September 16, 2011, 07:37:49 AM »
...Unfortunately, her method of dealing with her rating system gives the distinct, if erroneous and inadvertent, impression that water is undesirable. ...

As for raw food preparation, a food processor is definitely NOT a requirement. A good set of kitchen shears, a sharp knife, and a cutting board are all I've ever used to raw feed my six.
AC

That's why I just want to sla--  :-X 
 :) (Smilie for you, AC, not the subject ;D)

Maybe but when you have cats that are used to pate style food, I know they wouldnt eat this. I bought some Almo nature(Shredded chicken)

Thanks Shadow - that explains it :) I hadn't thought of that  ( Doh1 Bumpurr1 .)

Offline Auntie Crazy

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #37 on: September 16, 2011, 11:11:26 AM »
Like Dr Pierson of CatInfo.org, I believe all cats can be transitioned to a chunked, raw diet, some just require a longer, slower transition period than others. If the kitty has no teeth for slicing, just cut her food into bite size pieces for her - cats don't chew their food, they just scissor off pieces small enough to swallow and then gulp them down.

As for cooking a cat's food, I do not, at this time have a solid opinion as to it's efficacy. I do think it's a fairly irrational act done primarily by those who are unable to accept that cats can handle any potential bacterial loads on fresh, raw foods... and I am quite concerned about the total lack of supplements so many who cook advocate. IF someone can point me to a fairly large population of cats that have lived out their healthy lives on a cooked diet, I'd probably be able to concede / accept it as a healthy alternative to raw; at this time, however, I have my concerns.

And anyone who advocates adding fruits, grains or vegetables to a cat's diet has NOT done their homework and is NOT a credible "expert", in my opinion.

AC
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Offline Lola

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #38 on: September 16, 2011, 11:17:50 AM »
Just want to be sure I am awake and understanding...

Susan's book is recipes for COOKED food??

Anyone have a recipe they can post?
« Last Edit: September 16, 2011, 11:22:27 AM by Lola »
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Offline Auntie Crazy

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #39 on: September 16, 2011, 12:00:56 PM »
Just want to be sure I am awake and understanding...

Susan's book is recipes for COOKED food??

Anyone have a recipe they can post?

Yes, cooked. She's using "recipes" she and a veterinarian came up with, and that she's been feeding to her fur-family for about a year. Here's a video of her demonstrating two recipes; one cat and one dog... thankfully, she's not advocating veggies for cats (at least, not in this video).



AC
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Offline FurMonster Mom

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #40 on: September 16, 2011, 05:22:38 PM »
Yes, cooked. She's using "recipes" she and a veterinarian came up with, and that she's been feeding to her fur-family for about a year. Here's a video of her demonstrating two recipes; one cat and one dog... thankfully, she's not advocating veggies for cats (at least, not in this video).

AC

I have a few problems with that video...
First, Noodles? wheat noodles?  *sigh*
Second, when the vet says that the first two points are for the PERSON's benefit (desire to cook, smell good) and that these recipes are great because they are something that WE could eat... it seems like the point of feeding a carnivore has been completely missed.
Third, sunflower seeds for a cat?  *sigh*

edit:  And they didn't address taurine for cats at all.   :(
« Last Edit: September 16, 2011, 05:27:43 PM by FurMonster Mom »
meow meow meow meow meow meow? -woof!
Translation: "I can has my raw food? -please!"

Offline Middle Child

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #41 on: September 17, 2011, 07:20:34 AM »
Apparently sunflower seeds oil contains some omegas.  More 6 than 3 I think and not much of that, and of course since it's plant based, either way, not much benefit to a cat.

Offline CarnivorousCritter

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #42 on: September 18, 2011, 05:56:58 AM »
I don't even check that site anymore but did, due to this thread.

Two knowledgeable posters got on there stating pretty much what could be found in encyclopedias yet they were attacked, labeled as raw cultists by The Sheep. To heck with the physiology of the animal eating it. As long as it's appealing to humans.

Funny what that site has turned into.  Wonder what folks who feed Ol' Roy would label them as? Kooks? A Cult?  Paris Hilton wannabes wanting to cook for their pets?  And they have the audacity to attack people just for sharing information?   flamingangry censoredgif censoredgif

Hey as long as somebody's making $$$$, it's all good, right?  :-X

Also notice every post is being responded to??? That's a switch!!  flamingturd flamingturd
 






 


Offline Auntie Crazy

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #43 on: September 18, 2011, 01:56:09 PM »
I don't even check that site anymore but did, due to this thread.

Two knowledgeable posters got on there stating pretty much what could be found in encyclopedias yet they were attacked, labeled as raw cultists by The Sheep. To heck with the physiology of the animal eating it. As long as it's appealing to humans.

Funny what that site has turned into.  Wonder what folks who feed Ol' Roy would label them as? Kooks? A Cult?  Paris Hilton wannabes wanting to cook for their pets?  And they have the audacity to attack people just for sharing information?   flamingangry censoredgif censoredgif

Hey as long as somebody's making $$$$, it's all good, right?  :-X

Also notice every post is being responded to??? That's a switch!!  flamingturd flamingturd

I was one of those posters. I responded to Sam's (post #44) denigration of my comment (post #41), but my response failed to pass through the filter. I'm pretty disappointed, considering how respectful I was. This is the reply that was moderated:

Sam, I did not imply that these cooked recipes were nutrient "insufficient," I said they were "nutrient reduced". Many nutrients are degraded by cooking, others by any type of processing (such as mixing or grinding) and some even by simple exposure to air and/or light. Cooking foods exposes ingredients to all of these.

Susan, here's another study on taurine, "Effect of Processing on Fate of Dietary Taurine in Cats". And while taurine is a critical component of a cat's diet, it is far from the only one (arginine, for instance, is so critical to a cat's health a single meal without it can cause the cat to become ill; thankfully, it's pretty ubiquitous). Studies are not as detailed on some of these other nutrients and new information is being discovered all the time; the fairly recent inclusion of docosahexaenoic acid to the cat's list of essential fatty acids is just one example.

Until we know just how much of what nutrients, in what combinations, cats obtain and utilize from their prey, we're just guessing that any given diet contains sufficient quantities of those nutrients. Under these conditions, it is only logical to stay as close to the natural diet as we can. (In the few cases when a fully raw diet is not recommended - in some FIV+ cats, for instance - searing the outside of the meat to kill surface bacteria is a nice compromise.)

At the very least, acknowledging the limits of our current understanding and recommending the use of a supplement (such as Fresh + Oasis Feline T) is only prudent, especially when those who are widely regarded as the current experts on feline nutrition strongly advocate using supplements when raw foods are processed as minimally as simply using a grinder on them.

Respectfully,

AC

P.S. Using the statement, "... the raw prey that one obtains to feed their pet is usually purchased commercially and hasnt gone through the same evolution that its predecessors did." as a reason to feed a food even further away from the evolutionary menu is a strawman argument. The goal in feeding our fur-faces isn't to precisely duplicate their wild brethren’s diet, it's to give them what they need to thrive. Until that's been identified, staying as close as possible to the ideal is the safest choice.


- - - - - - - - -

I believe Susan may have begun her efforts with the best of intentions, but has now been seduced into thinking that her way is the only right way... and that making money is more important than the health of companion animals (precisely the attitude of the PFI she so despises). Very sad, if that's the case.

AC
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Offline Lola

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Re: Truth About Pet Food
« Reply #44 on: September 18, 2011, 05:13:52 PM »

I believe Susan may have begun her efforts with the best of intentions, but has now been seduced into thinking that her way is the only right way... and that making money is more important than the health of companion animals (precisely the attitude of the PFI she so despises). Very sad, if that's the case.

AC

You aren't the only one that believes that.  It is VERY unfortunate.  IMHO Susan lost her original focus. She's been "bought."
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