Just some final thoughts on bacteria and raw: this is what finds its way into the "sterile" kibbled commercial foods:
"Meat products not intended for human consumption, such as inedible tissues, condemned portions of carcasses, and entire carcasses of condemned animals (eg, animals found to be dead, dying, disabled, or diseased at the time of slaughter), are also used for dog food. Because of the inherent nature of these products and the less stringent handling requirements, compared with products approved for human consumption, these products may contain high levels of bacterial contamination."
(LeJuene, J.T. and D.D. Hancock. 2001. Public health concerns associated with feeding raw meat diets to dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 219(9): 1222.)
And as for commercial foods being "bacteria free" (an assumption that is often inferred when people put down raw diets because of the bacteria):
"Pet foods, commercial or homemade, provide an ideal environment for bacterial proliferation." (LeJuene, J.T. and D.D. Hancock. 2001. Public health concerns associated with feeding raw meat diets to dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 219(9): 1224.)
BARF
Diet
Gains
Support...
Additives
in
Processed
Pet
Foods
Anticaking
agents
Antimicrobial
agents
Antioxidants
Coloring
agents
Curing
agents
Drying
agents
Emulsifiers
Firming
agents
Flavor
enhancers
Flavoring
agents
Flour
treating
agents
Formulation
aids
Humectants
Leavening
agents
Lubricants
Nonnutritive
sweeteners
Nutritive
sweeteners
Oxidizing
and
reducing
agents
pH
control
agents
Processing
aids
Sequestrants
Solvents,
vehicles
Stabilizers,
thickeners
Surface
active
agents
Surface
finishing
agents
Synergists
Texturizers
While
the law
requires
studies
of
direct
toxicity
of these
additives
and
preservatives,
they
have not
been
tested
for
their
potential
synergistic
effects
on each
other
once
ingested.
Some
authors
have
suggested
that
dangerous
interactions
occur
among
some of
the
common
synthetic
preservatives.4
Natural
preservatives
do not
provide
as long
a shelf
life as
chemical
preservatives,
but they
are
safe.
4.
Cargill,
36;
"What’s
Really
in Pet
Food"
American
Pet
Institute
The 100%
Myth —
Problems
Caused
by
Inadequate
Nutrition
The idea
of one
pet food
providing
all the
nutrition
a
companion
animal
will
ever
need for
its
entire
life is
a myth.
Cereal
grains
are the
primary
ingredients
in most
commercial
pet
foods.
Many
people
select
one pet
food and
feed it
to their
dogs and
cats for
a
prolonged
period
of time.
Therefore,
companion
dogs and
cats eat
a
primarily
carbohydrate
diet
with
little
variety.
Today,
the
diets of
cats and
dogs are
a far
cry from
the
primarily
protein
diets
with a
lot of
variety
that
their
ancestors
ate. The
problems
associated
with a
commercial
diet are
seen
every
day at
veterinary
establishments.
Chronic
digestive
problems,
such as
chronic
vomiting,
diarrhea,
and
inflammatory
bowel
disease
are
among
the most
frequent
illnesses
treated.
These
are
often
the
result
of an
allergy
or
intolerance
to pet
food
ingredients.
"What’s
Really
in Pet
Food"
American
Pet
Institute
"The
top four
ingredients
of some
commercial
pet
foods
are
chicken,
ground
yellow
corn,
wheat
and corn
gluten
meal.
When
components
of whole
ingredients
such as
ground
yellow
corn and
corn
gluten
meal are
present,
it is
possible
that the
whole
ingredient
(corn)
outweighs
the
protein
(chicken)."
Alan
Berger
-- "Investigative
Reports,
May
1966"
Executive
Director,
Animal
Protection
Institute
of
America
Please
remember
that
the
information
contained
in
this
site
should
not
be
construed
as
veterinary
medical
advice
or
as a
substitute
for
veterinary
care.
