Labradoodle & Goldendoodle Forum
Pet Fooled
Has anyone seen this documentary on Netflix? I feel like Karen is talking to me! I'm not quite halfway through it, but right now they are talking about BHA being a toxic preservative in dog food. And they are also talking about biologically apropriate foods for animals (which don't include corn.) They haven't said anything about sourcing yet. But so far it's fascinating (and kind of old news if you read the food group)
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Permalink Reply by Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle on
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I haven't seen it, but I know two of the "holistic" vets featured in the film. They both practice here in the Chicago area, and Jack's holistic vet actually works for one of them. The other one is a snake-oil saleswoman and widely known for dispensing less than fact-or-evidence-based information, so I'm afraid that some of what they may be presenting in the film is not scientifically accurate. But I'll have to see it to know for sure. I'm glad the parts you've seen jive with my research, lol.
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Permalink Reply by Stacy on
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I just finished watching it and it was pretty powerful. Watching the interviews with people whose dogs died from the chicken jerky treats and realizing that they didn't even pull those off the shelves for years, it sounds like. And that they couldn't figure out what was in them that was killing the dogs.
They also talked some about the sourcing of the meat - which kind of alluded to what we are seeing now with the pentobarbitol contamination in the recent recalls. That still just blows my mind that they would take a euthanized animal and put it in pet food.
They were definitely advocates for raw. But they didn't hit you over the head with it. Knowing as little as I do, I didn't hear anything that sounded off. Definitely nothing that would point you in the direction of buying one of the big name brand foods!
I was also shocked to hear this lady say that she called one of the pet food companies to ask about preservatives and was told that the food would stay fresh for 25 years. 25 years! That just blows my mind!
Very interesting.
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I'll have to see it. I knew they wouldn't advocate for Big Dog Food, but I was hoping they also don't make the ridiculous claims for a raw diet curing allergies and other health conditions. That's the part that drives me nuts. I've had clerks in pet supply stores tell me that a raw diet will cure terminal cancer, not just in pets but in humans too, lol!
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They did not say that. They did say that a raw diet was safe, and that dogs stomachs are very acidic and made to digest raw food. And they made the claim that dogs eat poop. Dogs eat a lot of things that would hurt us and it doesn't bother them. But they didn't make any wild curative claims about a raw diet.
You should check it out when you have a chance. I think you'll be pleased.
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The chicken jerky thing also drives me crazy, because it's basically a repeat of the 2007 recalls, except that was much bigger and they finally did figure out what was causing the illnesses and deaths. I cannot imagine how anyone who owned a pet back then would not have known about the dangers of feeding foods and treats imported from China. But I guess people don;t read labels or realize that "made in USA" is not the same as "sourced in USA" and that a distributor with a USA address means nothing.
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I would never have known about the sourcing thing. I was paying attention during the recalls, and I still don't think I had a real grasp of what was going on. I never bought anything that ended up being recalled, but I can see myself being fooled by that big "made in the USA" stamp on the front.
Another thing that really suprised me was the regulations with the language on the packaging. I don't know how the buyer is supposed to know the regulations without doing a lot of research
animal "flavor" must contain 0% of that animal
"with" = 3%
dinner = 25%
nuggets = 25%
formula = 25%
animal dog food = 95%
I know they do the same thing with juice and fruit flavored not juice. And I would have suspected that kangaroo flavored kibble may not have a lot of kangaroo. But I wouldn't have ever given much thought to the specific wording on the package.
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I rarely look at that. I go right to the ingredients with brands i know, and with brands I don;t know, I look for sourcing info. If it isn't there, I ask a store clerk, and if they don't know, I wait until I can find out.
But there have also been a few cases of jerky that was sourced here in the USA and was recalled for contamination. So you really have to know what you're buying. That's one reason I steer clear of any pet products sold at Target, Walmart, Costco, Walgreen's, grocery stores, etc. no matter what the label says. It is just not worth taking the risk to save a dollar or two.
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"Flavorings" of any kind in food are often not that thing; i.e. if something says "cherry flavor", it well may not have any cherries in it at all. And what it does have would turn your stomach. For example, anal secretions from beavers is used to make "vanilla flavoring"; google castoreum if you don;t believe me. Lots of flavorings are made from parts of bugs. There have been segments about this on shows like 60 Minutes. It isn;t just pet foods that have opaque labeling, lol.
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I have to wonder about the person who first looked at a beaver and thought, "hmm. I think their anal secretions would make a good cupcake." I believe you! I'm probably better off if I just don't look that up! We would all be better off if we just ate whole foods. But that radioactive orange macaroni and cheese just tastes so good.
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Permalink Reply by Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie on
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I use Karen as my all-knowing guru for all things regarding pet nutrition. Perhaps I should learn it for myself, but when you have a reliable source person with no ax to grind or products to sell, I feel comfortable relying on that person. Thanks for posting. It will be my Netflix option tonight.
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Thank you for the vote of confidence, Nancy. :)
Is the film on Netflix? I actually have Netflix!
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