Dog treat recall expanded. Tell anyone you know with dogs. http://dld.bz/rxNk
Consumers, you can put pressure on these companies to be more careful and use better manufacturing controls. It’s your dollar and your pet’s life. Insist on better quality and safety. Vote for it by being careful what you buy.
Last evening, I sat reading several publications that offer natural products for people and pets. One of my favorites for keeping up in this market is Pet Product News International. Natural and holistic care is becoming a large market that is growing as we learn about the dangers of imported products. The toy recalls and the pet food recalls brought home the risks of trusting manufacturers to make all of the decisions about the ingredients and sources. Many new options are very good, but they are not always good for everyone or everything.
Many of the foods for sensitive or senior tummies are made with chicken or lamb. These are nice bland protein sources. Fresh vegetables add nutrients and fiber. Brewer’s yeast is used for everything from deterring ticks to stimulating the immune system to helping diabetic dogs. Grains and milk proteins are used in an amazing variety of products. I’ve literally spent an hour reading labels on one trip to the pet store, just to try to find a suitable treat.
As I read some of the ingredients for the pet products, I thought about one of my dogs. This dog is allergic to wheat, duck, chicken (eggs by default), brewer’s yeast, molds, pollens, and more. Her spot test for allergies is full of positive reactions. So that leaves out the bland proteins for her, as well as many of the treats and even veterinary medications that are flavored with poultry or include brewer’s yeast in the edible tablets. We won’t even consider trying penicillin on her. She has inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) too, which brings me back to the topic of health.
These products are only healthy if the dog or cat or person is not allergic to any of the ingredients. Natural ingredients can cause allergic reactions, just like taking a walk through the weeds can cause you to sneeze if you are allergic to ragweed. Many natural ingredients are from plants and foods that were the origin of today’s medications and treatments. So if you have allergies or an allergic animal, read the ingredients or ask for a list of ingredients–even for medications. We even had to go to the manufacturer to get a list of ingredients for the chewable heartworm tablets to be sure there was no brewer’s yeast or flavorings, other than beef, in them.
One last point I noticed is that many of the products stress stimulating the immune system. Again, that is only good if the immune system is not already overactive. Many non-medical people don’t realize that diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, lupus, allergies, and other diseases that affect people and animals are the result of an already overactive immune system. To stimulate the immune system under these conditions may make the disease worse or cause a flare-up. That may result in the need for more medications, which is usually exactly what we are trying to avoid by seeking natural treatments.
Another consideration is the variety of the physical makeup of the animal species we share our homes and lives with. Food or supplements that are safe for a dog may be toxic for a cat. Cinnamon is a good example. The benzene rings in cinnamon are toxic to cats. Garlic has been said to cause a bleeding disorder in horses, and onions cause a bleeding disorder in dogs. Birds are extremely sensitive to many household products too. There are many more foods and common products we use daily that are safe, and even healthy, for humans but that are dangerous to some animals.
Some natural alternatives (such as St. John’s Wort) affect other medications and may add to the central nervous system effect of other drugs; others may increase bleeding. Tea tree oil is a wonderful product for many things, but it causes seizures in some dogs. There are effects and side-effects to natural ingredients and supplements too. Like anything, the correct product may be helpful, but the wrong product may be fatal. More is not necessarily better, and just because it works for you does not mean it should be given to your pet. There is a lot to learn.
So are healthy products really healthy? The answer is maybe. Natural or holistic or raw does not mean the product are automatically safe and healthy for all. For example, my dog would not be healthier eating a commercially available raw food that included carrots and brewer’s yeast–both of which she’s allergic to. The key is education. It is absolutely essential that you tell your veterinarian everything you give your pet, likewise you must tell your doctor everything you take. Look up every ingredient, until you know what they are and what they do. If you don’t have the time for the research or the money to pay for a reliable consultant, play it safe and don’t give your animal anything that is not approved by your veterinarian.
