diamond cat food recall

Diamond Dog Food Recall and Its Impact on Your Pet's Health and Wellness

2010-01-25T23:03:00.003-08:00

As you may know by now, a consumer alert has been released for contaminated Diamond pet foods for dogs and cats. Over 100 canine deaths have already been linked to Diamond pet foods contaminated by the potentially deadly toxin Aflatoxin.

Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring toxic chemical byproduct that results from the growth of the fungus Aspergillus flavus on corn and other crops. The fungus typically develops on crops during severe high temperature stress and drought conditions followed by high levels of humidity.

Aflatoxin is similar to another toxic byproduct, Vomitoxin, that was found in Nature's Recipe brand dog food in 1995.

Dogs could experience liver trouble, liver failure and even death due to the contaminated food. Scientists say about two-thirds of dogs that show symptoms from the toxin have died.

While there have not been any reports of cat health issues or fatalities due to the recall, five Diamond cat food formulas have been recalled due to the presence of aflatoxin. 24 states and 20 pet food products manufactured by Diamond are affected by the recall.

Symptoms of potential illness in dogs can include a sudden and unusual loss of appetite; severe, persistent vomiting combined with bloody diarrhea; discolored urine; fever; and yellow whites of the eyes, yellow gums, and/or yellow in the belly or areas where hair is very thin.

If your dog or cat has consumed Diamond, Country Value or Professional brand pet foods and is showing clinical signs of aflatoxin, you should stop using that food and consult your veterinarian immediately.

From a Pet Health Standpoint

This is certainly a rare and isolated case — in fact, it's the first pet food recall by Diamond in over 35 years of operation — but the Diamond Pet Food recall news is the latest example to underscore just how important the quality of the food you feed your cats and dogs food is -- it can literally make the difference between a long, healthy life for your pet and an unexpected, needless death.

From a pet care and nutrition standpoint, there are several issues to consider regarding the contaminated foods in this case:

Toxic mold on grains - Most pet food formula ingredient labels feature at least one variety of whole grain or processed grain, and many contain several types of grain. What the labels don't list, however, is the source and quality of the grains. It's important to research pet foods and select ones that only use grains purchased from major commercial suppliers and that have the grains tested and retested by specialized labs to ensure the highest possible quality -- as well as to prevent the possiblity of toxic molds being introduced into the pet foods. While grain is often cheaper when purchased from smaller or less reputable operations, the risk of toxic mold is greater.

Corn used in dog foods - The use of corn in so many of Diamond's dog food is of some concern. While corn is a whole grain frequently found in cat food formulas, it's more difficult to digest by dogs (as well as humans) and can cause allergic reactions in some dogs. The feline digestive system can better utilize corn, and corn also delivers important dietary benefits to cats and kittens, but in dog foods it simply serves as a low-cost filler, albeit one that many manufacturers like Diamond use in order to save money. Corn passes right through a dog, providing little to no nutritional value. If a dog food, such as Diamond's Premium Adult Formula for Dogs, lists corn as the first or second ingredient on its label, the customer can expect to pay for up to 25% filler in that food.
Best by dates - In general, foods will spoil without some form of temperature control or preservatives. While natural preservatives such as mixed tocopherols prevent foods from becoming rancid, they generally have a limited peak freshness of only six to twelve months in ideal conditions (stored in cool, dry environments). After six months -- or much sooner if stored in hot or humid conditions -- the product's quality begins to quickly deteriorate. Chemical antioxidants like BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin can extend the shelf life and reduce fat spoilage (rancidity) in pet foods and pet treats, but they have been shown to frequently result in dry skin, allergic reactions, dental disease, and poor health, as well as stimulate adverse effects on liver and kidney functions. The fact that Diamond foods manufactured between September and December of 2005 carry "best by" dates between March 1 and June 10, 2007 -- 18 months from the date of production -- is concerning. The ingredients labels for many of Diamond's pet foods show that mixed tocopherols are used in the formulas, but the listed "best by" dates contradict their use, or at very least, greatly overestimate the longevity of their efficacy.
Meat by-products - While not directly related to the pet food recall, a quick glance at the ingredients of Diamond dog food formulas and those of other pet foods shows that animal byproducts continue to constitute a large portion of many pet foods. Meat byproducts are ground, rendered and cleaned slaughtered meat carcass parts such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs, bones, heads, and intestines (and a small amount of feathers in the case of chicken byproducts) -- yes, animal byproducts are indeed as gross and disgusting as they sound. In many cases, byproduct meals are derived from "4-D" meat sources -- defined as food animals that have been rejected for human consumption because they were presented to the meat packing plant as "Dead, Dying, Diseased or Disabled." Additionally, ingredients listed as "beef, chicken, and/or poultry by-products" on pet food labels are not required to include actual meat, and "rendered meat" on pet food labels can refer to ANY rendered mammal meat, including dogs and cats! Despite their questionable quality, animal byproducts continue to be used in the majority of lower-grade pet foods and even many of the larger name brands that market themselves as "premium pet food" manufacturers for one simple reason -- they are cheaper to use than higher quality, human-grade meat sources.

Your pet's health and wellness depends largely on the food that you feed him or her. It's important to research your pet's food and ensure that you are using a pet food that offers the highest quality ingredients with absolutely none of the animal byproducts, unhealthy fillers, artificial additives and chemical preservatives of the typical cat and dog food brands.

To learn more about what to look for in a pet food, click to read our Top 10 Reasons to Make the Switch to a Healthier Pet Food.

Flint River Ranch wellness pet foods from A+ Flint River Ranch are all natural, oven baked healthy taste delights for your dogs and cats formulated with the highest quality ingredients.

http://www.aplusfrr.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Forrest_Stroud

Pet Food Recall Frequently Asked Questions

2010-01-25T23:03:00.001-08:00

What is being recalled?

On March 16, Menu Foods, Inc. of Streetsville, Ontario, Canada initiated a voluntary recall involving a large number of both dog and cat foods produced at its facilities in Emporia, Kansas and Pennsauken, N.J. between December 3, 2006 and March 6, 2007. The products are sold by many different distributors under a number of different brand names. At present, Menu Foods is recalling dog food products marketed by about 50 firms and cat food products marketed by about 40 firms.

What prompted the recall?

Menu Foods, Inc. initiated the voluntary recall after conducting routine tasting trials in which some animals developed kidney failure after eating the product being tested. The company had also received consumer complaints, some of which apparently involved kidney failure. The firm has undertaken extensive testing of the pet food products in question, but has not yet been able to find the source of the problem.

When did Menu Foods first notify FDA of the problem and a possible recall?

On Thursday, March 15, 2007.

What is wrong with the pet foods?

It is unclear what is causing the adverse effects reported by Menu Foods and pet owners. FDA is working with Menu Foods, pet owners, pet food companies, local veterinarians, and diagnostic laboratories to identify the source of the problem.

Are only dog and cat foods involved in the recall?

Yes. The recall is only confined to pet food intended for dogs and cats. The affected products are moist (packaged in pouches) and canned diets. The products have been described as "cuts and gravy" style pet foods.

What should I do if I have cat or dog food at home?

Please check the Menu Foods Recall Information: 1-866-8952708 to see if your pet food is involved in the recall. If your pet food is not listed, the pet food is not affected by the recall and you can continue to feed it to your pets. If the pet food is one of those being recalled, do NOT feed it to your animals. Feed your pets another pet food that is not included in the recall.

Is dry dog or cat food affected by the recall?

At this time, no dry dog or cat food has been implicated in pet injury or death.

What should I do if I have cat and/or dog food included in the recall?

Do NOT feed the pet food to your animals. Return the pet food to the store where you purchased it and ask for a refund. Stores generally have a return and refund policy when a company has announced a recall of its products. If you cannot return the pet food immediately, store the food in a secure place where pets and children cannot get to it.

What if my pet ate one of the dog and cat foods being recalled?

Monitor your pet. If your pet shows signs of illness (such as loss of appetite, lethargy and vomiting), you should consult with your veterinarian immediately. If your pet is diagnosed with renal failure, we suggest you hold onto the food if the brand and lot numbers match the recall.

If my dog or cat ate some of the recalled food, how soon after would I see any symptoms?

It's difficult to say for sure, but usually within a couple of days. The important thing is to monitor your pet closely for signs of lethargy, loss of appetite and vomiting. If your pet shows any of these signs, please consult your veterinarian.

What is the FDA doing about the recall?

FDA is conducting an investigation and working with Menu Foods and affected pet food companies to ensure that the recall is effective, and to identify the source of the contaminant. FDA is continuing to collect and analyze product samples in an attempt to identify the source(s) of the contaminant. FDA will continue to release additional information as it becomes available.

How many confirmed pet illnesses and deaths have been reported to the FDA?

It is difficult to determine confirmed illnesses and deaths associated with the recall. Since the recall was announced, FDA has received many complaints and we are following up. The FDA's primary concern is in identifying the source of the contaminant, assuring that the recall is effective and providing information to the public.

What if I need more information about the recall?

Consumers with questions may contact Menu Foods at 1-866-895-2708. Some of the other affected pet food companies whose products are included in the recall may also have consumer question lines. Check the product label of the pet food. Some firms have also notified FDA that they have issued press releases; links to these press releases are available on the FDA internet page.

Grief-Stricken Man Searches for answers After Unexplained Death of His Dog & Accidentally Uncovers Multi-Billion Dollar Cover-Up Responsible for up to 87% of all Dogs Deaths'. Find out More! [http://tinyurl.com/2mxnba]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Darrel_Rondo

Pet Food Recall, Let's Look At The Facts

2010-01-25T23:02:00.003-08:00

For the past week and a half or so, concerned pet owners all across America have been keeping there eyes glued to news to find out the latest pet food recall information and to find out what went wrong and what we can do to keep our beloved pets safe and healthy.

At this time there's really no positive confirmation on what caused the deaths of 23 dogs and cats. But let's present the facts that we already know about the pet food recall.

Upon first investigation, The Food and Drug Administration has said the investigation was focusing on wheat gluten in the food. Wheat gluten itself would not cause kidney failure, but the common ingredient could have been contaminated by heavy metals or mold toxins such as Aflatoxin, a naturally occurring chemical that comes from a fungus sometimes found in wheat and other crops, which can cause severe liver damage. Aflatoxin poisoning can cause lack of appetite, sluggishness, fever, jaundice and heavy vomiting. Other symptoms that veterinarians have been reporting in the past week since the recall are: Yellow whites of the eyes, yellow gums, yellow in the belly or areas where hair is very thin,
Severe, persistent vomiting combined with bloody diarrhea and discolored urine.

Jessica Chittenden, a spokeswoman for the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets has said that Rat poison has been found in the pet food that has been blamed for the deaths of at least 16 cats and dogs. It is not yet confirmed but Diamond Pet Food Co., more specifically, their manufacturing plant in Gaston, South Carolina and supplier to Ontario based Menu Foods, may be responsible for the deaths that have triggered the pet food recall.

Recently, Menu Foods has just recalled dog food sold under 48 brands and cat food sold under 40 brands. For a complete list of all companies affected by the pet food recall visit tinyurl.com/2fxoo3.
The pet food was distributed by major retailers such as Wal-Mart, Kroger, Safeway and Meijers throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. The states affected by the pet food recall are: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.

For Complete Menu Foods Recall Information Call : 1-866-895-2708

Those are the facts we have so far. So lets keep our eyes glued to the news as this unfortunate incident unfolds and find different ways and alternative methods to keep our beloved pets happy, healthy and alive.

Grief-Stricken Man Searches for answers After Unexplained Death of His Dog & Accidentally Uncovers Multi-Billion Dollar Cover-Up Responsible for up to 87% of all Dogs Deaths' [http://tinyurl.com/2mxnba]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Darrel_Rondo

Dog Food Recall Not the First to Kill Dogs

2010-01-25T23:02:00.001-08:00

The recent nationwide recall of dog food manufactured by Menu Foods is not a first. The Menu dog food recall followed reports of kidney failure in dogs due to wheat gluten being tainted by aminopterin, a rodent poison. The FDA has been conducting and investigation.

In fact, The FDA reported that at least seventy six dogs, nationally, died after eating contaminated dog food manufactured by another company, Diamond Foods, in 2006.

As a result, a dog food recall of Diamond’s products ensued of nineteen types of dog and cat food which were found to have high levels of a toxic chemical called aflatoxin. This toxic chemical can cause debilitating liver damage to dogs and is found in fungus on certain grains. Grains are a popular filler in commercial dog food.

The FDA and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture launched investigations. The tainted dog food was believed to have been exported to Europe as well.

Another similarity to the Menu Foods case was the promise of both manufacturers to pay for illness related veterinary bills for dogs that had eaten the contaminated dog food. Of course, that is little consolation to a dog “family” that loses its friend to an awful death after ingesting tainted commercial dog food.

As in the case of the Menu Foods dog food recall, consumers were warned to cease feeding their dogs the contaminated dog food and return unused dog food to the dog food retailer.
If these cases don’t shock dog guardians into action then it we don’t know what will.

Commercial dog food is one of the most suspect products sold worldwide to unsuspecting dog owners. Full of fillers, preservatives and products unfit for human consumption; much of the packaged commercial dog food is simply junk.

If you have any doubt about this, here are a few of the “ingredients” found in some commercial dog foods: downed and euthanized animals, toxic chemicals such as the euthanizing agent injected at dog shelters, blood, feathers, undeveloped eggs and diseased carcasses.

We implore every dog owner to read the label of the commercial dog food they buy. Research the meaning of terms such as by products and meal bone.

Make a mental note of the fact that the first listed items on a label are the dominant ingredients, the product that you are feeding your dog to keep him healthy, or will it make him sick and shorten his life?

Dogs 4 Life provides information on dog food and dog care at http://www.dogs-4life.com/dog-food-that-kills.html This article may be reproduced unedited with the author's link displayed

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=M._Bruno

Pet Food Recall - Are Pet Food Manufacturers Purposely Killing Your Pets

2010-01-25T23:01:00.002-08:00

Many pet owners want the best for our dogs, especially when it comes to what foods our pets eat. We not only want to give them the healthiest food possible but we want to make sure that they will live a long and healthy life. On the other hand, what if the "healthy pet foods" that are being sold on the market today are not dependable anymore?

What is a pet owner to do when we can no longer trust the food manufacturers who is supposed to provide us with safe and healthy foods for our dogs?

What To Do When The Food Is Killing Your Pets, Something Has To Change

The huge recall of pet food has created a great fright to all dog and cat owners who count on commercial brands to feed their pets. All over the US, contaminated pet food has caused many dogs to become deathly ill, while a large percentage of them have died.

In March of this year, Menu foods, a Canadian based manufacturing company, recalled more than 90 brands of "cuts and gravy" moist foods (both dog food and cat food) after more than 14 pets died from eating the contaminates. Weeks later, the same company added 20 more varieties of their brand to be removed from the store shelves.

More or the Story Please

Later on, it was discovered that wheat gluten, an ingredient found in the said pet foods, was contaminated with rodent poison. The high risk of Salmonella contamination has also been the cause of a removal for two brands of pig ear dog treats.

Since December of 2005, there have been cases of toxic pet foods where as several dogs died and dozens fell ill after eating kibble manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods. Later on it was discovered that the food was contaminated with aflatoxin. This is a naturally occurring chemical produced from fungus and can be found on crops such as wheat, corn, rice, and even beans. This chemical is toxic to domestic animals, livestock, and even people. Other pet food recalls during the past 10 years also involve the risk for Salmonella contamination.

Are Pet Food Companies Breaking The Law?

FDA regulations state that pet foods should be manufactured similar to the way our food is manufactured. Pet food should be processed under a sanitary environment, do not contain any harmful ingredients, precisely labeled, and safe for pets to eat.

Pet food manufacturers are expected to obey these regulations to make sure that pet food is safe and healthy for our pets to eat. On the other hand, the FDA can only inspect pet food issues after consumer complaints are made or if the FDA has a reason to believe that there is a threat to animal health - this is due to due to limited resources. A pet food recall is then announced by the FDA or the manufacturer only if a defective product is found.

Authored by Kelly Marshall from Oh My Dog Supplies - to find dog steps in all shapes and sizes, visithttp://www.ohmydogsupplies.com/dog-supplies/dog-steps/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kelly_Marshall

Seven Secrets To Choosing A Safe, Healthy Pet Food

2010-01-25T23:01:00.001-08:00

Do you choose canned food or dry food? What brand? There are so many different brands, all shapes and sizes of pet food to choose from and pet owners are provided with very little information to base your decisions on (other than advertising) - it can get so confusing! Well, buckle your seatbelt depending on how much you know of the pet food industry, this could be a bumpy ride! You are about to learn seven secrets - well kept secrets - of pet food. Sit back, brace yourself, and keep reading.

Beneful says it's 'Premium Dog Food for a Happy, Healthy Dog' and sells for around $18.00 for a 31 lb. bag, Science Diet "promises" 'precisely balanced nutrition through continuous research and the highest quality food backed by your Vets endorsement' and sells for around $21.00 for only a 20 lb bag. Then there are numerous pet foods that make the very same statements - ‘Premium Dog Food, Highest Quality’ – that sell for $30.00 or more for a 20 lb bag. And the same holds true for cat owners…Do you choose Whiskas that states ‘Everything we do is about making cats happy!’ or do you choose one of those high end cat foods that make the very same claim of a happy, healthy cat but cost 3 times as much?

Now with the on-going pet food recall pet owners have questions such as ‘Has this food been recalled?’ or ‘Is this food the next one to be recalled?’…’Is my pet safe?’ Wow this is confusing! And scary too! What exactly is a pet owner to do? How about learning a few secrets! Equipped with the knowledge of a few secrets of pet food, it’s not nearly as confusing.

Secret #1…

All pet foods use descriptive words like choice and premium, though few of them actually use premium or choice ingredients in their food. The ‘secret’ is that per the rules of the pet food industry, no pet food can make any claims or references on their label or advertising as to the quality or grade of ingredients. You see, the word ‘premium’ when it’s related to pet food DOES NOT mean that the ingredients in the food are premium. With pet foods, premium does not (can not) describe the food nor does it (can it) describe the quality of the food. It is a marketing term and that is all. Per the pet food industries own rules and regulations, “There are no references to ingredient quality or grade” (regulation PF5 d 3). So, words like premium, or choice, or quality are just marketing or sales terms. They should not be interpreted as terms describing the quality of the food.

Now why wouldn’t a pet food label be allowed to tell a prospective customer the quality of their ingredients? Doesn’t a pet owner deserve to know what they are buying? This leads me to the next secret…

Secret#2…

If I can compare ‘people’ food to pet food for just a second, we all know there are different qualities of people food. There is White Castle (I’m guilty here, I love the little guys!) and there is Outback Steak House (another favorite). Both restaurants serve meat and potatoes. At White Castle for under $3.00 you can get a couple of hamburgers and an order of fries. While at Outback you can get a steak and baked potato for around $16.00. Both serve beef and potato - yet you already realize that there are huge nutritional differences between a fast food hamburger and a steak…right?

The problem in the pet food industry – is that most pet owners don’t think in the same terms when it comes to pet food. They don’t think in terms that there are fast food types of pet foods and there are sit down restaurant more nutritious types of pet foods. In fact, several years ago a young man tried this very experiment with his own diet – eating nothing but fast food for 30 days. In just one month of eating fast food three meals a day, he gained a great deal of weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels sky-rocketed. Now, imagine your pet eating this type of food its’ entire lifetime.

OK, so back to our two meals…if a chemical analysis of your meal at White Castle was compared to a chemical analysis of your meal at Outback – both would analyze with a percentage of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Regardless whether you consider a steak at Outback a higher quality of protein than the burger – it would still analyze as protein. The analysis doesn’t measure quality of protein.

So here is the secret…All pet foods come with a Guaranteed Analysis stating the percentage of protein, fat, fiber and moisture in the food. The REAL secret lies in the quality of the percentages of protein, fat, and so on.

In a chemical analysis of a pet food – chicken feet would analyze as protein, although granted it provides very little nutrition. And as well, a cow that was euthanized (put to sleep) because of a disease that made it unfit for human consumption – would analyze as protein although that could be considered dangerous for consumption. Both of those things – chicken feet and a euthanized cow – are allowable ingredients and commonly used in pet food. You see the secret within the pet food industry is manufacturers have a WIDE OPEN door to where they obtain their ingredients. The only strict rule they must follow is an adult dog food must analyze with 18% protein and an adult cat food must analyze with 26% protein. Sources to acquire those particular percentages range from a ‘human grade’ meat, to chicken feet, to euthanized animals, to grain proteins, to even man made chemical proteins and many variations in between.

Pet food labels do not have to tell – are not allowed to tell – the sources they use to obtain that required 18% or 26% protein. And to make matters worse…quality minded pet food manufacturers – the companies that use 100% human grade ingredients – are not allowed to tell customers or potential customers that their products are quality, human grade ingredients.

So how can you know if your pet’s food uses chicken feet or euthanized cows or if it contains human grade ingredients?

Secret #3…

If the words premium and choice mean basically nothing with regards to the quality of pet food, and if some pet foods use chicken feet and euthanized animals in their food – how can a pet owner know what they are getting in their pets’ food?

This big secret is found in ingredient definitions. Unlike ‘people’ food where you can pretty much look at the food to determine the quality, pet food is far different. All ‘people’ food must meet particular USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) and FDA (Food and Drug Administration) guidelines. The same is not true for pet food. Chicken feet and euthanized cows are NOT allowed in people food for obvious reasons – they have no nutritional value or they could be dangerous to consume. The same is NOT true for pet food. The only way to know if those chicken feet or euthanized cows are in your pet’s food is to know what ingredients they can be used in.

The common pet food ingredient ‘Meat and Bone Meal’ is basically a combination of many different discarded left-overs from the human food industry. Components of ‘meat and bone meal’ can be anything from cow heads, stomachs, and intestines, to (horrifying but true) euthanized animals including cows, horses and dogs and cats from veterinarian offices, animal shelters, and farms. And along with those euthanized animals the pet food also contains the drug pentabarbitol that was used to euthanize the animal. ‘Meat and bone meal’ can also contain left-over restaurant grease, and diseased (including cancerous) meat tissues cut away from slaughtered animals. In other words, this commonly used ingredient is a mix of highly inferior and potentially dangerous left-overs from the human food industry.

The pet food ingredient ‘Meat By-Product’ or ‘Meat By-Product Meal’ is pretty much the same thing as ‘meat and bone meal’. It is a highly inferior pet food ingredient containing literally who-knows-what.

Another similar ingredient to the above is ‘Animal Digest’.

As to the chicken feet I mentioned earlier – this item can be found in the ingredients ‘Chicken By-Product’ or ‘Poultry By-Product’ or ‘Chicken By-Product Meal’ or ‘Poultry By-Product Meal’. Any left-overs in the chicken or poultry division – including but not limited to chicken feet, skin including some feathers, chicken or poultry heads, and intestines are found in these ingredients. It does NOT matter as to the health of the bird – sick, healthy, dead, dying…all is included in these ingredients.

So here is what you need to do…BEFORE you purchase any pet food, flip the bag over and closely examine the list of ingredients. The above mentioned ingredients would be listed within the first five or ten ingredients. If you see ANY of those ingredients – it is my suggestion to NOT purchase that food. Remember – chicken feet and euthanized animals do analyze as protein. That is all that is required in pet food – just the correct analysis.

Another little trick some pet food manufacturers use in this category is using grains and chemical additives to grain products to boost the protein percentages. Which is exactly the cause of the pet food recall that began in March 2007 – chemical proteins. Two different chemical additives – that have NO nutritional value to pets, but that analyzed as protein – were added to a grain product (wheat gluten, corn gluten, or rice gluten) solely to provide a cheap protein. Thousands of pets died and countless others became ill because no one counted on the problem of the combination of these two chemicals would cause kidney and urinary blockage. Again, their secret is the product has to analyze as having a particular amount of protein – no one is required to provide a quality meat protein.

While you are looking at the ingredient listing – you should also take note of how many grains (corn, wheat, rice) and/or how many grain products (corn gluten, whole corn, ground corn, whole wheat, ground wheat, wheat gluten, rice, brown rice, brewers rice, soy, and on and on) are listed within the first five or so ingredients. If you find more than one grain listed in the first five ingredients – that is telling you this pet food is acquiring some of its protein from grains.

Why is protein obtained from grains important for you to know? Several reasons – first off science proves that cats and dogs alike require and thrive on a meat protein. If a pet food is obtaining protein from grain sources, the pet is not getting the meat that it needs to thrive. Second, if the grain products are a corn gluten, wheat gluten, or rice gluten you take the risk of chemicals such as melamime added to it used strictly to boost the protein analysis. By the way, melamime is one of the chemicals found to be the cause of the March 2007 pet food recall. And there is one more concern with grains – aflatoxin. Aflatoxin is a deadly mold that is common to corn, wheat, and soy and it’s responsible for several other pet food recalls you probably never heard about. In December 2005, Diamond Pet Food contained moldy grains that killed over 100 pets before the product was recalled – all due to aflatoxin.

It is my recommendation to avoid any pet food that contains corn, wheat, or soy in ANY variation. The risk is simply too high.

Secret #4…

I’ve got more suggestions for you to look for in the ingredient listings…chemical preservatives. A very well kept secret of the pet food industry is their common use of chemical preservatives. BHA/BHT are very popular chemical preservatives used in pet food and science has linked them to tumors and cancer. Another common preservative is ethoxyquin which has known risks to cancer. Ethoxyquin is ONLY allowed in human food in some spices because of the very tiny proportions. However it is allowed in much higher proportions in pet food.

If you scan the ingredient listings, you will be looking for BHA/BHT and ethoxyquin listed anywhere. Commonly BHA/BHT is used to preserve the fat in the food which usually is found higher on the list. And also look for any of these chemicals towards the end of the ingredient listing. Personally, I wouldn’t touch a pet food that contained these chemical preservatives. You want a pet food that is preserved naturally – common natural preservatives are ‘natural mixed tocopherols’ or ‘vitamin E’.

Secret #5…

The very best food to provide to your pet is a well made food using human grade ingredients. That should be simple enough…How do you find that? You already know that pet food manufacturers are NOT allowed to make any statement as to quality or grade of ingredients, the only way you can find out the grade or quality of your pets’ food is to call the manufacturer and ask them.

Now, let’s say you call the ABC pet food company and ask the question “Is your Premium dog food and Premium cat food made using human grade ingredients?” It could be that you get the response yes, we use human grade ingredients – when actually only a couple of ingredients are human grade. Here’s the trick to asking…ask them if they are APHIS European certified.

Pet food manufacturers that are APHIS European certified assures you that ALL ingredients in their pet food are human grade. APHIS – Animal Plant Health Inspection Services – is a division of the USDA. APHIS European certification provides this pet food manufacturer with the opportunity to ship their foods/treats to Europe. When importing pet foods from the US, European countries demand that all ingredients are human grade and thus require this certification. Most pet food manufacturers that have APHIS European certification do not ship their products to Europe – they simply use this as a means to assure their customers to the higher quality of their ingredients.

Again, you WON’T see this listed on the label – it’s not allowed. You must call the manufacturer and ask. Often times the representative of the pet food won’t even know what you are talking about when you ask about APHIS certification – if that’s the case, you can assume they are not APHIS European certified. APHIS European certification is a bonus to pet owners – it is not required or even suggested that any pet food manufacturer go through the extra steps to obtain this. This is a special effort some pet foods go through to tell their customers they REALLY CARE about the quality of their products. Personally, I would NOT buy a pet food that doesn’t have it.

And by the way, if you can’t reach the pet food manufacturer, or they do not return your call within a short time frame, lose their number! Any company that does not place a priority on answering customers questions – doesn’t deserve your business!

Secret #6…

Minerals are a required ingredient in human diets as well as diets for our pets. Copper, Iron and Zinc are common minerals found in pet foods. Just as they are – copper, iron, and zinc are basically rocks, very difficult for anyone or any pet to utilize. Science has developed several ways to introduce minerals into the body (human and pet) for better absorption thus benefiting the individual far more. This scientific development is called chelating or proteinating and it’s been around for years. Through the chelating or proteinating process minerals are absorbed about 60% better than just the minerals alone.

This secret is spotting the minerals in your pet food to see if they are chelated or proteinated. Notice the minerals on your pet food label, way down on the list of ingredients. You are looking for minerals that read ‘copper proteinate’ or ‘chelated copper’. If you see just the mineral listed, your pet is sort of like Charlie Brown at Halloween saying ‘I got a rock’. If you want your pet to have the best, chelated or proteinated minerals are part of the best foods!

Secret #7…

This secret is called ‘friendly bacteria’. Although ‘friendly bacteria’ sounds a little scary, the reason for it lies in your pets’ intestinal system. A large portion of your pets’ immune system is found within the intestinal system. Keeping the immune system healthy helps to keep the animal itself healthy. This friendly bacteria is similar to what’s found in yogurt, however in pet food it is introduced in a fashion so that the cooking process doesn’t destroy it. Looking at the fine print on your pet food label, this time you are looking for lengthy, scientific words like Lactobacillus Acidophilus or Bifidobacterium Thermophilum. If you do NOT see these words or some very similar, that pet food is not addressing the care of your pets’ immune system. And again, if you want your pet to have the best, you want ‘friendly bacteria’ in their food.

There are your seven very secrets to help you find the absolute healthiest and best pet food for your four-legged friend. Armed with those secrets – you now have the knowledge to find your pet the best food possible! A pet food that can extend their life and prevent early aging and disease. If you don’t want to bother doing the homework involved, I urge you to subscribe to my monthly magazine Petsumer Report™. Through Petsumer Report™ I’ve done all the homework for you – each month I review and rate over 40 different pet foods, treats, toys, and various other pet supplies. It’s the ONLY publication of its’ kind providing pet owners with the information they need to know regarding their pet product purchases.

I want to share just a couple more things…

It’s best to feed an adult dog or adult cat two meals a day. The nutrition they consume with two meals is better utilized than with just one meal a day. If you are currently feeding your pet one meal a day, split that same amount into two meals and feed in the AM and PM.

You should know that all canned or moist pet foods are anywhere between 70% to 85% moisture. This means that 70% to 85% of that can or pouch of food is useless nutrition – its water. Granted our pets need water, cats especially tend not to drink enough water. But since all canned or moist foods are mostly water, they do not provide adequate nutrition to be fed strictly a canned or moist diet. Use a canned or moist product to supplement your pet’s diet – not as the only food.

The best pet foods are preserved naturally (secret #4) – but there is a concern with naturally preserved pet foods…freshness. Take notice of the expiration date on your pets food label – typically with naturally preserved dry pet foods (not as much of a concern with soft foods because of canning – very little need of preservatives) the expiration date is one year to 18 months from the date it was manufactured. Let’s say the pet food you are considering to purchase on July 1, 2007 has a ‘Best if Used by’ date of January 1, 2008. This would tell you that this particular bag of pet food is already 6 months old. While it is still ‘good’ a fresher food – a bag that is only 2 or 3 months old – is better. Naturally preserved pet foods lose nutritional potency with time. Always try to find a very fresh bag.

If you are considering changing your pets food, ALWAYS consult with your Veterinarian first. You should always keep your veterinarian advised of any changes you make with your pet. Don’t take chances. And if you do switch pet food, make the change over very slowly. I always recommend to pet owners ¼ new food to ¾ old food for 4 to 7 days, ½ to ½ for another 4 to 7 days, and so on. Switching food quickly can cause intestinal disorder! Its short term, but we don’t want intestinal disorder!!!

One last thing, as you are already aware dogs and cats have a far better sense of smell than humans. Their food bowl can be a wealth of smells – both good and bad. Some times a pet will refuse to eat simply because he or she smells a previous food in their bowl. Plastic food and water bowls retain odors the worst. And surprisingly so does stainless steel bowls. The best type of food and water bowl is a ceramic one. They retain odors the least.

“Animals are such agreeable friends – they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.” George Eliot.

I completely agree!

Susan Thixton has worked in the pet industry for over 20 years helping thousands of pet owners to enjoy their pets. She's produced an internationally distributed dog training video, authored the tell all book Truth About Pet Food, and recently has begun publication of a one-of-a-kind pet owning consumer report Petsumer Report. For more information please visithttp://www.TruthAboutPetFood.com
Susan Thixton
Pet Behavior and Nutrition Consultant
Truth About Pet Food
Petsumer Report™
http://www.TruthAboutPetFood.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susan_Thixton

Dog Food Manufacturer Required to Set Up Fund for Pet Deaths

2010-01-25T23:00:00.002-08:00

Diamond Pet Foods, one of the companies that distributed tainted pet food that killed dozens of dogs throughout the United States, will pay $3.1 million in settlement costs.

On Friday, January 4, 2008, an attorney involved in a law suit stated that Diamond Foods is required to set up a fund to reimburse pet owners affected by the tainted food. Reimbursements will include veterinarian bills, the loss of their pet, and the cost of unreturned contaminated food.

The pet food, which was sold in 23 eastern states, contained a mold called aflatoxin. The pet food containing the aflatoxin was produced at a Diamond Pet Food plant in South Carolina.

Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring toxic chemical by-product from the growth of the fungus Aspergillus flavus. It can be found on corn and other crops that are used as ingredients in some pet foods. The fungus can develop on plants during years with high temperature stress and drought.

The company recalled about 20 varieties of dog and cat food after a New York veterinarian noted in December 2005 that she had linked a dog's death to the company's food. They announced its original voluntary recall on or around December 20, 2005. An estimated 350,000 bags of dog food were voluntarily recalled by the company.

Diamond Pet Foods which is based out of Meta, MO acknowledged that employees from its Gaston, SC plant failed to follow internal procedures that were put into place to insure pet food safety. Diamond Pet Foods made the acknowledgment after the FDA released a report showing the company had no test result records for 12 corn shipments made in 2005. The time when the grain contaminated with the fungus entered the plant.

Symptoms of illness, from pets ingesting the tainted food, included jaundice combined with lack of appetite, depression, bloody stools, and excessive bleeding.

At the present time it is unknown how many pet owners are expected to file claims against the Diamond Pet Food Company. However, according to the settlement, Diamond Pet Foods and its insurance company have settled about 1,200 related claims for compensation ranging from the price of recalled food to veterinary bills and pet deaths.

Note this case is an outcome of the 2005 Diamond Pet Food voluntary recall involving aflatoxin and is unrelated to the contamination problem that prompted recalls of more than 100 pet-food brands in early 2006. In those cases, investigators traced pet deaths and illnesses to melamine a toxic chemical that had been added to wheat imported from China. That contaminated wheat was in turn used as an ingredient in food manufactured by Menu Foods.

Bev Storer writes about human and pet nutrition. For more information about healthy and safe pet foods, please visit http://www.Dog-Food-Zone.com or http://www.Cat-Food-Zone.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bev_Storer

The Horrors of Commercial Pet Food: What Every Dog and Cat Owner Should Know

2010-01-25T23:00:00.001-08:00

Some of the ingredients that end up in commercial pet foods are truly shocking. What’s more, many of these will not appear on the label and others are hidden under umbrella terms such as ‘meat meal’ and ‘meat by-products’. How can this happen? The pet food industry is highly unregulated. As Ann Martin, author of Foods Pets Die For, writes in her article The Pet Food Industry and its Questionable Practices, ‘Governments in the USA and Canada regulate the labeling of the food, the name and address of the company, the weight of the product, and whether it is made for a dog or cat - nothing more.’

The meats used in pet food can be extremely low grade and unfit for human consumption. Summarized as the ‘4 D’s’ (dead, diseased, disabled and dying), these can include roadkill, zoo animals and infected and cancerous meats.

At the rendering plants ingredients are highly heated and processed, destroying nutrients and enzymes, with strong preservatives added which do not appear on the labels. These include fat stabilizers such as BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytolulene), both of which are known to cause liver and kidney dysfunction and Ethoxyquin, a suspected cancer-causing agent. Semi-moist dog foods may also contain propylene glycol, a relation to ethylene glycol (anti-freeze), which can destroy red blood cells.

Pets in your pet food

Though reportedly not the case today, it is well recorded that dogs and cats have ended up in dog and cat food. In his 1990 article How Dogs and Cats Get Recycled Into Pet Food, John Eckhouse, an investigative reporter, wrote: ‘Each year, millions of dead American dogs and cats are processed along with billions of pounds of other animal materials by companies known as renderers. The finished products -- tallow and meat meals -- serve as raw materials for thousands of items that include cosmetics and pet food.’

Doctor of weterianry medicine Wendell Belfield in Foods Not Fit For a Pet (Earth Island Journal, 1996), reports that ‘federal and state agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and medical groups such as the American Veterinary Medical Association and the California Veterinary Medical Association, confirm that pets, on a routine basis, are rendered after they die in animal shelters or are disposed of by health authorities, and the end product frequently finds its way into pet food.’

Toxic Grains

The very use of grains in pet food is questionable as grains are ill-suited to the digestive physiology of carnivores. This is especially so for cats who are obligatory carnivores and meet their glucose requirements through amino acids in their diet. Further, the grains used in dog and cat foods may contain mycotoxins, fungi that can cause chronic conditions and even death in both humans and animals. As the grains used in pet food are low grade, they are dealt with last in the handling process and because of this are often left in storage where insects, mites and mycotoxic molds can grow.

The consumption of dead mites can cause skin allergies. If your pet has skin allergies, change their diet first before turning to steroids which can be seriously detrimental to your pets health.

Alfatoxin poisoning, a common mycotoxin that grows on corn as well as other foods, has been reported for over 50 years. Vomotoxin is another mycotoxin found in wheat products. Where large doses of mycotoxins can cause cancer and even rapid death, small continuous amounts may suppress the immune system and damage organs over time, leading to long-term chronic health conditions.

Just recently at the end of 2005, over 100 dogs were killed in the United States because of alfatoxin found in pet food, with some 19 brands of Diamond dog food being recalled. It is likely there were many more deaths than those reported, and as alfatoxin attacks the liver it is likely surviving dogs may develop chronic liver disease or liver cancer in the future.

Toxic Chemicals

The toxin sodium pentobarbital, a chemical is used to euthanize animals and pets, has been found in commercial pet foods. The US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine performed two studies (1998 and 2000) to test for pentobarbital. Of the 74 samples analysed, over half were found to contain pentobarbital. What’s more, none of the 43 brands and product lines that tested positive warned of its presence on their labels.

The FDA researchers also tested the food for the presence of dogs or cats but reported none present. It was believed the pentobarbital residues were entering pet foods from euthanized, rendered cattle or even horses.

The FDA say the small amounts of the drug found in these foods were harmless, but not all veterinarians agree. Long-term continual doses, even at small levels may be increase the onset of chronic and degenerative diseases.

Aside from the toxins and base ingredients of commercial pet foods, these harshly processed and high-carbohydrate products in no way match the natural diets dogs and cats would have eaten in the wild. They are species-inappropriate and ill-suited to canine and feline physiology. I recommend healthy, homemade, raw diets or optimum natural, holistic alternatives for the health and well-being of your dog and cat. Before embarking on a raw food diet (otherwise known as BARF – ‘biologically adequate raw food’), thoroughly research the area first as nutritional balance is essential.

NATURAL NUTRITION GUIDE FOR DOGS AND CATS:

[http://www.pet-nutrition-guide.com]

MIRACLE SUPERFOODS:

http://www.miracle-superfoods.com

THE PINK DRINK:

Pink Drink [http://www.the-pink-drink.com]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sylvia_Riley

We Cannot Take Pet Food for Granted

2010-01-25T22:59:00.002-08:00

Have we finally opened our eyes?

Are we ready to take our pet food industry to task?

Have enough pets died that we are willing to take some interest in what is going on?

These are some important questions to ask yourself, if you are a pet owner.

This last pet food disaster took a major toll on a number of our beloved pets, but are you aware that there have been other times with some equally bad results?

In 1995 Nature’s Recipe dry dog food had a disaster involvingvomitoxin. In 1998 Doane Products had a dry food that was involved in a dog food disaster that contained an aflatoxin.

In 2003 a dry dog food contained a problem that is still unidentified, which made some dogs sick and killed others that made by Go! Natural.

Then in late 2005 Diamond Pet Foods had a recall for some dry dog foods that contained the aflatoxin and now our recent recall that killed many pets for wet and dry food containing a rat poison found in the wheat gluten.

What can a person do and whom do you trust?

Everyone who is interested in pets has said for as long as I can remember, “buy the best quality food you can afford.”

Unfortunately, this latest recall included some of what we had considered the better brands.

Reading labels and buying products that contain “whole foods’ is important. Watch out for such words on a product label that says “wheat gluten, wheat bran, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten and animal by-products.”

Look for labels that when they advertise meat they say, chicken or turkey and not poultry. Products that state they are made of meat should state what that meat is, beef or lamb. Some labels say meat or meat by-products which can be anything but what you are expecting.

The whole foods should be listed as the top ingredients on the can or package label, watch out for fillers as some companies use peanut hulls, cereal and even beet pulp.

What are some other things you should be aware of?

Believe it or not, store your dry food in the package it came in, it will stay fresher and you will have the date and code information on it should you need it.

Do not feed your dog any food that seems suspicious, smells funny to you or looks strange. No matter how new the can or package is. Call the company to report it.

Should your dog vomit or get diarrhea after eating its regular dry or wet food. Keep track of the date and feeding time, mark it down so that you will remember.

If your dog consistently seems reluctant to eat a particular food, stop feeding it to him/her. It could have something wrong with it. Most pet products have a telephone number on the package, call the number to see if there are any other complaints. Make certain you give the date and other code numbers to the company. Some might just have an address and you will have to research to find the phone number, do it.

Call your vet to discuss symptoms and have your call noted on your records

Much of what happens lies in your hands. If you feel that there is a serious problem and no one seems to be taking you seriously, ask to speak to someone else. If the company seems not interested in your suspected problem, avoid that product completely.

A company that has pride in its pet food product will be willing to go the extra mile to help you feel comfortable with their product and their interest in your pet.

Having learned that the recent disaster was due to Chinese wheat gluten that contained some rat poison you cannot but wonder if there are any other inspections or tests that should be made on imported products. I know the American Association of Feed Control Officials and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have established certain label regulations and do enforce compliance of

Keeping our pets healthy is very beneficial not only to the pet, but to our pocketbooks. If the only time you need to visit the veterinarian is for yearly check ups and necessary shots you are saving money. Nutrition is very important in keeping a dog healthy, proper quality food that contains all the necessary vitamins and minerals is a good way to start. If this article has been of benefit, please visit my web site and blog at http://www.cats-and-dogs-on-the-web.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Audrey_Frederick

Healthy Dog Food May Be More Difficult To Find Than You Think - Natural Diets Are Your Best Choice

2010-01-25T22:59:00.001-08:00

Many brands of commercial dog food contain an excessive amount of preservatives that can ultimately lead to liver disease and liver failure. If your dog has unexplained symptoms you should first look at the food they are eating. Symptoms of liver disease from toxic dog food include vomiting, lethargy, loss of appetite, orange colored urine and jaundice.

Toxic commercial dog food has recently come into the media spotlight and it is currently being investigated by the scientific community. Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine is currently conducting studies on the liver and blood of sick dogs believed to have consumed toxic dog food. Scientists at Cornell are analyzing commercial dog food suspected to be contaminated and analyzing the liver of dead dogs that have passed due to premature liver failure.

Aflatoxin is the toxin found in many dog foods. This toxin is believed to cause liver failure. Aflatoxin blocks the production of cholesterol and proteins. Protein tests have been developed to determine if a dog has aflatoxin poisoining. The test checks levels of protein C produced by the liver. Any sudden drop in protein C levels is an indicator of liver problems induced by aflatoxin.

Recently 19 varieties of Diamond Pet Food has been recalled. Country value and professional dog food brands have been recalled as well. At least 100 dog deaths have been linked to one of these three brands.

It has also been reported that some rendering plants, where dog food is made and processed, actually process dead dogs and cats at their plants. These dogs and cats are processed whole without stripping off any of their fur. The dead carcasses are cooked at high temperatures for twenty minutes. Many of these dead dogs and cats already have sodium pentobarbital in their system. Sodium pentobarbital is used to euthanize pets.

This is not to mention a cocktail of other toxic chemicals found in commercial dog foods. Propylene glycol has been found in wet dog foods. Propylene glycol kills red blood cells.

One MIT study found that a nine pound cat feed commercial cat food ingested considerable amounts of lead. Many of the slaughter houses that deem meats unfit for human consumption are often sold to pet food companies for processing.

Besides the toxic chemicals found in commercial dog foods many of these dog foods are lacking nutritional value. Many do not contain the necessary proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals to keep your dog healthy. Many of the proteins derived from plants at rendering facilities have been stripped of essential fats acids, vitamins and proteins before they are even processed.

Dogs are omnivores so it is easy to create a natural diet for them from food you would buy at the grocery store. The key is to understand the nutritional requirements of your dog. They require almost the same proportions of carbohydrates and proteins that we do but some of their vitamin and mineral requirements are a bit different than ours.

Dogs can eat a healthy diet of eggs, chicken, beef, skim milk, oatmeal, turkey, vegetables, rice, pasta, lamb, bacon and cheese. There are quite a few creative recipes out there such as turkey cookies, cheesy bacon biscuits, canine corn bread, doggie bread pudding and doggie quiche.

You never want to feed your dog only meat. This can result in an imbalance of calcium and phosphorous. An all meat diet can ultimately result in weight loss, weak bones, and joint disease.

Vegetables are a critical part of a dog’s diet. When dogs in the wild attack and kill their prey they often eat the stomach of their prey first which usually contains vegetation. Your dog needs fiber in their diet. You should always include fresh crunchy vegetables in their diet.

The protein requirements for your dog may fluctuate due to their external environment. If your dog is exposed to extreme temperatures, or exceptionally cold winters you should give them more protein.

Vitamins and minerals are a crucial part of your dog’s diet. Although dogs can produce their own vitamin C some of the larger breeds have a difficult time producing enough Vitamin C on their own. Since vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin it is not a problem to give your dog vitamin C supplements.

If your dog has too much vitamin C in their system they will simply excrete the excess out of their system. Your dog also needs certain minerals in their diet. Some of the most important minerals your dog needs are zinc, iodine, copper, manganese, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium and calcium.

Discover natural dog food diets that will improve your dog’s health in days. To gain access to a free mini-course that will extend your dog’s life up to 134% visit http://www.healthycaninediet.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nicholas_Stephen

Pet Food

2010-01-25T22:58:00.002-08:00

The industry advertises premium cuts of meat, fresh produce and grains in their products. The images certainly give the consumer the idea that the pet's nutritional needs are being met. However, is there a discrepancy between the pictures and what is actually included in the food?

The U.S. pet food industry is extremely profitable totaling $16.1 billion annually. A fact most consumers do not know is that the pet industry is an extension of the human food and agriculture industries. Pet food is often a way food companies can profit off of leftover products considered unfit for human consumption. Waste such as bad grain, intestines, heads, udders, and hooves can all be used for kibble.

Recently, many of the larger pet food companies have acquired smaller ones resulting in the market being dominated by a few competitors. For instance, Nestle owns Purina, Fancy Feast, Friskies, Alpo, Mighty Dog, Friskies, Dog Chow, Puppy Chow, Cat Chow, Kitten Chow, Beneful, ProPlan, One, DeliCat, Kit'n'Kaboodle, HiPro, Purina Veterinary Diets, and Tender Vittles. Del Monte has quite a large conglomerate as well consisting of Heinz, Gravy Train, MeowMix, Kibbles n' Bits, 9Lives, Wagwells, Skippy, Cycle, Nature's Recipe, and the treats Milk Bone, Snausages, Pup-Peroni, and Pounce. Lastly, MasterFoods is the owner of Mars, Royal Canin, Pedigree, Cesar, Goodlife Recipe, Excel, and Sensible Choice. Procter & Gamble owns Iams, and Colgate-Palmolive has Hill's Science Diet, Nature's Best, and Prescription Diets.

In addition, there are private labelers who produce for house brands such as mega stores like Wal-mart and grocery stores. The main producers for private labels are Doane Pet Care, Menu Foods, and Diamond. All of these companies have had their pet food recalled at some point due to food that has caused sickness or killed pets.

Pet food from a business standpoint is ideal. The industry is very stable and has a captive market which food companies can capitalize their waste products to. Multinational companies have bulk buying power in addition.

The Pet Food Institute which is the trade association for the manufacturers does acknowledge the use of by-products in the products. It has a released a statement saying "The growth of the pet food industry not only provided pet owners with better foods for their pets, but also created profitable additional markets for American farm products for the byproducts of the meat packing, poultry, and other food industries which prepare food for human consumption".

If you would like more information on pet food, contact http://www.sanfranciscoveterinarianclinics.com.

Joseph Devine

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Devine

Hawaii - How to Get To, And Get Around On, The Big Island

2010-01-25T22:58:00.001-08:00

The Big Island of Hawaii's beauty is legendary and it has the most diverse landscape on earth-but it can be as challenging to explore as it is charming. From the icy heights of snow-covered volcanoes, to steamy jungles and tropical beaches, to flowing fields of lava, flower choked canyons and wide-open tropical grassland, its scenery is unsurpassed. By and large the quality of your trip to the Big Island will depend on how much of it you choose to see and how you set about discovering your own Big Island adventures. Below are some ideas on the options for getting to Hawaii and for getting around Hawaii, once you are here.

Another key to the quality of your time on the Big Island has to do with the spirit of aloha. The people you meet in Hawaii, by and large, tend to be more open and friendly-quick to help or befriend-than elsewhere. This is the tradition of "Aloha". When you meet local residents, whether to ask for directions and advice or to hire services or just in casual conversation, treat them with respect, humor and openness-return their spirit of aloha and you will find your journey, and yourself, deeply enriched for it.

In Hawaii, your smile is your passport.

Getting To Hawaii
The standing joke among residents of Hawaii when dealing with the time, inconvenience and hassle of traveling to the mainland is: "This used to be so much easier before the bridge blew down"! Of course, there never was a bridge spanning the roughly 2500 miles between the Big Island and mainland USA, but the humor tends to underline the commitment, planning and time it takes to travel to and from Hawaii.

Flying to Hawaii: Certainly the most common, quickest and least expensive (note I didn't say "inexpensive") way to get to Hawaii is to fly. Many major US and international carriers fly to Honolulu on Oahu and and a host of local and international carriers offer flights from there to all the other Hawaiian Islands, including the Big Island. Kona's airport is the only one on the Big Island that has direct flight connections to the US Mainland, Canada, Japan and Australia. Despite styling itself as "Hilo International Airport", flights to and from Hilo ONLY connect to other Hawaiian islands.

Although both airports have similar facilities and services, including onsite rental car agencies and access to public transportation, shuttles and taxis, it makes a big difference to the traveller where they land. By far the vast majority of visitors to the Big Island stay in either Kona or the Kohala Resorts which are all on the west side of the island and are between 20 to 45 minutes from the Kona airport. If you are staying in Hilo, it's fine to fly in there; however, Hilo doesn't have the resort facilities, fine beaches and great weather of the Kona side and few tourists opt to stay there anymore. Many people booked into resorts on the west side mistakenly take flights into Hilo, due to the misleading airport name, unaware (or even misinformed by ignorant but well-meaning travel agents) that they now, at the end of an exhausting day of travel and in the fading twilight of the early tropical sunset, face a drive of almost 3 hours, across high mountains and on narrow, winding, unfamiliar roads to get to their resort. They just better hope it doesn't start raining, too.

So-know where you are staying, fly into the appropriate airport.

Whether you are flying directly into Kona or flying to Honolulu and getting a connecting flight into Kona or Hilo, you want to be sure to reserve a seat so that you see as much of the incredible scenery as you can. Since 90% of the flight is over open ocean (which just isn't as riveting as one might expect) you want to wring the most enjoyment out of those portions of your flight which do feature scenery. If you are first stopping in Honolulu, sitting on the port (left) side of the aircraft for this leg of your trip affords the best views as the plane screams in past Koko Head and over the top of Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach, turns around directly over Pearl Harbor and settles in to land at Honolulu International Airport. Sitting on the starboard side is not as spectacular, however, it offers views of Moloka'i and Maui islands, as well as views of Pearl Harbor, the Wai'anae and Ko'olau Mountains of O'ahu and downtown Honolulu just before landing.

Flying into Hilo from O'ahu, one also wants to sit on the port side of the aircraft. The flight path crosses over the islands of Moloka'i and Maui, skims along the eastern margin of Hawaii Island presenting a rich, fascinating panoply of soaring sea cliffs, jungle canyons and volcanic mountains, jaw-dropping waterfalls and crashing surf along the coast. Flying into Kona either directly or from Honolulu is no less wonderfully scenic than flying into Hilo, but one wants to be on the starboard side. This offers the traveller great views of the islands of Maui, Molokini, Lana'i and Kaho'olawe, as well as incredible views of the Big Island, Kohala Mountain, Mauna Kea, Hualalai and, on clear days, Mauna Loa as the jet cruises in over the Kohala Coast, making land right over Makalwena Beach and on to Kona International Airport at Keahole.

Cruise Ships and Cargo Ships: There are several cruise ship lines which ply the waters of the Hawaiian Archipelago, however of the ones that service the Big Island, most require passengers to book for an entire cruise, meaning that although you may make one or two stops on Hawaii, you will only remain in port for a day, overnight at most, before sailing on. Generally, you cannot arrive on one ship, disembark for a stay, and catch another ship out.

Of increasing popularity, however, is cruising to Hawaii on cargo ships-cheaper than a cruise line and with a completely open and adjustable itinerary, this is a great alternative to flying. It is both more expensive and more time consuming (average sailing is 3 days from Los Angeles to Honolulu, and times are variable for getting from there to the Big Island) than flying, but it is restful, peaceful and unique. Cargo ships offer spacious passenger cabins and, while not the floating feed-lots that cruise ships tend to resemble, the food on cargo ships is wonderful and plentiful. Perhaps the biggest drawback of riding cargo ships to the Big Island is that on the east side they dock in, let us say, the less desirable part of Hilo; on the west they dock at Kawaihae, halfway between Kailua Kona and the resorts of the Kohala coast-in other words, out in the middle of nowhere. Both land many miles from resorts and car rental agencies. However, both docking facilities are serviced by taxis and public transportation; if you plan ahead, it should present no problem.

Getting Around Hawaii
Shuttles/Taxis/Limos/Tours: Taxis, of course, service both Big Island airports, the metropolitan regions and all the resorts. The taxis, while not cheap, are not as usurious as one might fear and the drivers generally are knowledgeable, friendly, HONEST and genuinely nice-it's that whole aloha thing. Taxi drivers are happy to answer your questions, even the silly ones you are kind of shy to ask; they will freely give advice about what to do and see and where to eat and generally try to be as helpful as possible. However, many speak in pidgin English that can be nearly impenetrable to the newcomers' ear. Don't be shy about respectfully asking him to repeat himself, and again if necessary-he hears that on nearly every fare he carries. Ask him to write down place names, restaurant names and such-many Hawaiian words do not look at all like they way he's saying them and you'll want to be able to read the words on maps and signs, or be able to ask another person, later.

Both Kona and Hilo airports are serviced by point-to-point shuttles and limos, whose prices are actually quite reasonable and certainly less expensive than the taxis. The drawback here is that there will be many people aboard going to many diverse destinations-so it takes a bit longer than a taxi.

Many of the larger resorts offer a free limo service to and from the airport and some will even arrange to have your rental car waiting for you on-property when you arrive from the airport...check when you make reservations. If available, this is the least personable, but quickest, easiest and least expensive way to get to your lodgings.

Some boutique tours offered by Hostels and the smaller tour companies will also pick you up at the airport at the beginning of their tours, if your arrival time is convenient to the tour schedule; thus, the cost of getting to your resort is absorbed into the cost of the tour. This option is worth looking into if you are not planning to rent a car during your stay.

Tipping tour, taxi, limo and shuttle drivers is not only encouraged, it's their main source of revenue. Remember to return the aloha they showed you.

Rental Cars and Driving Tips: Although some people opt to not rent cars during their stay, relying on tours and public transportation to get around, you should bear in mind that there is a reason they call it "The Big Island". Distances between attractions can be long, public transportation schedules are not always convenient and, face it, it's just a lot freer, easier and more independent to have your own wheels. Be sure to thoroughly research the online booking agencies before you arrive-ofttimes great deals bundling airfare, room and car rental can be found, especially in the slack seasons.

There are two types of car rental agencies on the Big Island. The major, international car rental agencies are available on property at both airports, giving the visitor a wide selection of corporate deals and specials-particularly flight-room-car combo deals--as well as a diverse palate of available cars. The other option, frequently much less expensive particularly for long term rentals, are the off-property rental agencies. These folks won't generally pick you up at the airport so you must make your way to their in-town offices, but the selection of vehicles, and rates, are generally wider ranged.

If you are under 21, the rental companies won't rent to you. If you are between 21 and 24, they may add a surcharge to the rental that can be as much as twenty-five dollars a day on top of the regular daily fee.

The first question the traveller must answer for themselves is what kind of vehicle they will want while on the Big Island. Some rental agencies specialize in luxury and exotic cars--Mercedes, Lamborghini, Rolls Royce and such. Others offer Volkswagen Campers and RVs. Many people arrive and decide they want to flash around the island in a Mustang or Camaro convertible-which are great and fun, but they offer no security for your personal items and they severely limit the kinds of roads you can drive on, in addition to almost guaranteeing sun and wind burn. If you are coming to explore the island, you should consider going to the extra expense of renting a four-wheel drive vehicle-either a jeep or an enclosed SUV. Much of the mountain country and many of the more interesting beaches and canyons require four wheel drive. I suggest an enclosed SUV so you do not have to shout to be heard, as you do in a jeep, and have some more protection from the elements and from thieves.

Briefly mentioned above, RVs and Volkswagen Campers are excellent ways to see the island and obviate the need for an expensive hotel. However, RVs are not common on Hawaii and there are no RV parks as such; outside of the towns of Hilo and Kona there is nowhere to drain the waste tanks, so you have to be sure to use public facilities as much as possible. But you can park and camp free virtually anywhere, although most campgrounds will charge a camping fee for an RV, even if you are camping in the parking lot.

Motorcycles and scooters can be rented in both Kona and Hilo and are a fun way to see the island, until it rains. Which happens. It is also difficult to travel with any amount of luggage on a motorcycle. You will notice a burgeoning fraction of the local population zipping about town on scooters (locally, and incorrectly, referred to as "mopeds"). For bikes with engine sizes smaller than 50cc, no motorcycle license and no insurance are necessary. The "moped" class vehicle has the same license and road regulations as a bicycle, so it is not surprising to see them zip along the the roadside, passing cars stuck in traffic, or pop up and run down the sidewalk. If you rent a moped in Hawaii, please don't drive them the way the locals do; it just isn't safe. I use a moped almost exclusively to get around Kailua Town where I live-do not ride your scooter the way you see me ride mine.

The cost of gas in Hawaii is even worse than you've been led to believe, so when selecting a rental car, bear this in mind. Costco in Kona has the absolute cheapest gas on the island (and it's handy, near the airport); the gas station off the Akoni Pule Highway in Kohala near mile marker 76 has the cheapest gas in Kohala and the Chevron Station at the Airport turn-off in Hilo has the cheapest gas in East Hawaii. Remember that the Big Island is largely rural-gas stations, particularly in the far north and on the south side of the Island, may not keep regular hours or even stick with their posted schedule-especially if the surf is up or the fishing is good. In general, outside of the urban areas of Kona and Hilo, gas is hard to find after about 6 in the evening. I personally don't ever let my gas tank get more than half empty, ever, just for this very reason. Certainly, you should never let it get more than half empty when on the south side of the Island; you should make a point to fill up before late afternoon when you have the chance, definitely before you go into Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (you'll stay longer and use more gas than you planned because, trust me, it's the coolest place, ever) and before crossing the Saddle Road.

Driving times between attractions on the Big Island are longer than you might expect, given the actual mileage between points of interest. This is in part because much of the "highway" system is composed of winding, narrow, two-lane blacktop with a speed limit of 35 miles an hour. Another reason drives take longer than expected is because you are going to want to pull over and look, stop and explore, take your time and enjoy. As the bumper sticker says: "Slow down, Brah-dis ain't da mainland!" On this note, many local residents will pass on hills and blind corners, even into oncoming traffic; they know the road, you don't-don't follow their lead. Trying to drive like the locals drive is like jumping into the ocean and trying to surf like they surf-it just isn't a really bright idea. Local custom is to eschew use of turn signals and horn; this is another custom you shouldn't emulate.

The police on the Big Island are well-trained, serious professionals. However, most cruise around in their personal cars (with a blue light on top) and can be very hard to spot (a Ford Mustang or Toyota Rav4 with a light bar? It happens...). They are particularly serious about drunk drivers, speed limits and child restraints/seal belts. Aloha, respect and honesty go a long way toward making any interactions with the Hawaii County Police more pleasant. This isn't Louisiana or some Third World banana republic-do not even think of offering a bribe if you are stopped by a Hawaii County Police Officer. On the topic of police, it is local custom to flash your brights at on-coming traffic if there is a cop behind you. Participate in this at your own discretion, but this is the reason all those people are flashing at you.

There are feral goats and sheep (feral donkeys along the highway in Kohala!), wild pigs, feral cats and dogs that present driving hazards, especially at night. Fruit such as mango, avocado and guava frequently fall, en masse, into the road and produce a slimy hazard, particularly to motorcycles. In town, watch for cyclists, pedestrians and skateboarders (check out those guys skateboarding to the beach with their surfboards under their arms!). Kailua Kona is the proud home to the Iron Man World Championship Triathlon and many runners and cyclists fully utilize, and rigorously defend, their rights of way; smile, wave and yield, OK? You came to have fun: relax. The Big Island is also Big Sky country...driving east into the sunrise or west into the sunset is painful and hazardous; try to plan your day to avoid this.

Do not leave valuables in your car, not even the trunk. Ever. The locals are friendly, but but some are frisky and high value items will evaporate from your car with alarming alacrity. Consider any spot frequented by visitors to be at risk for theft, even if you only are going a hundred feet from your car.

Many roads, intersections and attractions are poorly marked and what signs exist are in Hawaiian, which is hard to read, harder to remember exactly the name of the place you are searching for. When you ask directions, have the person write down the name of the place. Many residents are in the habit of giving directions in terms of landmarks that mean nothing to you ("Remember where Uncle Kealea had the fruit stand 20 years ago? You want to go just across Aunty Tutu's pig farm from there to where the coconut grove used to be...") so have them show you on a map. Be sure they start by pointing out where you are, right now. Respect, humor and aloha will help get you where you are going.

Along these lines, many tourists bring their GPS from home to help navigate-be sure to download the maps for Hawaii before you come; some brands of GPS do not offer Hawaii coverage. A few of the rental car agencies have GPS units for rent at reasonable prices. The best solution, however, are the folks at Tour Guide Hawaii (808.557.0051; http://www.tourguidehawaii.com) who offer a hand-held computer with an onboard GPS at very reasonable rental rates. They have stuffed into this device over six hundred points of interest (did you hear that? 600!) of recreational, cultural and historical importance. They have produced a short audio/video presentation for each site, telling you all about it, the history and culture, what to bring, what to do while there; they even have the public restrooms listed! These presentations play as you approach the points of interest, or can be searched for at any time or location. Thus, the device can be used to preview all the sites around the island in the comfort of your hotel room, pre-plan trips or to get information and turn by turn navigation on the road. Combining cutting-edge technology and old-fashioned story-telling, the unbelievably easy to use, fabulously informative and terrifically fun Tour Guide Self-Guided GPS Tours are an amazing bargain and a great way to see Hawaii. They are now offering a pared-down version (45 of the top sites-iAND the restrooms!) that is downloadable to iPhone and iPod.

Commercial Tours: Whether or not you rent a car, commercial tours offer a great way to get oriented to the island and hear a bit about the history and about the culture of our home. Tours come in all sizes and description, from the taxi driver who makes it up on the fly as he takes you to dinner, to personalized taxi tours lasting a half to a full day, to specialized van tours and large, full day, round the island tours in full-size motor coaches. There are bus tours to the summit of Mauna Kea, tours through the coffee country of Kona, tours to see the volcano, historical tours-tours of all lengths and covering just about anything and everything you want to see. Some tours include meals-one even takes you to a real, working ranch for a barbecue! Then there are the highly specialized tours: fixed wing and helicopter tours of the island, whale and dolphin watching tours, snorkel tours, sunset cruise tours, organized bicycle tours, powered hang-glider tours, tours of Kailua Bay in a submarine and even boat tours to see the lava flowing into the ocean. Although they can be fairly spendy, most are fully worth the price. Be sure to shop around for the right tour at the right price to suit your interests.

Bicycle Rental: There are several places where you can rent bikes on the Big Island-and it's very pleasant to spend the day pedaling through Hilo and Kailua Kona. However, problems of weather (hot sun, torrential downpour!), the long distances between points of interest and the ever-present, enormous volcanoes (think: "HILLS!") preclude this as a major method of exploration, except for the most avid bike tourer.

Public Transportation: The Hawaii County-run Hele-on Bus travels most of the Island, and makes pretty good time-the good news here is that riding the bus is free...the bad news is that it is scheduled to get workers between the large resorts in Kona and Kohala and the small towns all across the island where they live. As such, the bus schedule may not be convenient for the visitor nor conducive to exploration. However, it's very handy if you just want to go somewhere and spend the day there. Be sure you understand the bus schedule, however, as many places only are serviced twice a day by bus (one in-bound and one out-bound trip per day) and if you miss your return ride and have to find an alternate way back to your hotel, you will quickly learn why they call this "The Big Island"!

Walking and Hitch-hiking: Two words here: BIG ISLAND. It is possible to hike across the Big Island (I've done it both west-to-east and south-to-north; heck, in 2008 a wheel chair athlete rolled his wheel chair from sea-level in Hilo 37 miles and 13,800 feet in elevation up to the summit of Mauna Kea-did you catch the part about "wheel chair athlete"?), but the long distances, rural nature (it's an impracticably long way between places to get food, water and to camp) and intense sun make this an epic adventure, not a restful sight-seeing vacation. Both Hilo and Kailua Town are comfortable and safe to walk around, but getting to beaches, waterfalls and other points of interest is difficult on foot.

Until very recently hitch-hiking was a common and respectable way to get around the island-if you were a local, everybody either knew you, or your aunty; if you were a visitor, your uniqueness made you interesting and so it was very safe, as well. Although probably just as safe today, with the explosion of mainlanders moving to our island (who may be reluctant to offer rides), I notice a sharp decline in the number of hitch-hikers on the roads now. Hitch-hiking is legal from the roadside, as long as you are not in the road, presenting a hazard to yourself or an impediment to traffic. If you hitch-hike use your judgement, be home before sundown and refuse to ride with drunks or folks of questionable character or cleanliness. Do not ride in the backs of pick-up trucks.

So-armed with this information, you are now better prepared to evaluate your options for exploring the unique and varied landscapes, experiences and delights of Hawaii-your adventures are limited only by your imagination. Remember that attitude in Hawaii is important to the quality of your vacation-the spirit of Aloha is pervasive. When angry, lonely, confused, frustrated, tired or bored, recall what I said: "In Hawaii, your smile is your passport"

For more information on traveling to Hawaii in general, and exploring the Big Island in particular, please also visit http://tourguidehawaii.com and http://lovingthebigisland.wordpress.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Donald_MacGowan