sodium selenite and High Pressure Processing.

[a.k.a. Rodney]

i guess once you have a pup with Tummy challenges..it is natural to delve into the info about what she/he is eating more deeply.  i do think the Acana DerbyDoodle was on was  bothering her tummy...i have some other scenarios, but this is the easiest to figure out at this point.  she is doing well on the Primal dehydrated Chix mixed with a 1generous Tsp of organic pumpkin.  i a.m. easing her off the pumpkin...but in my reading about the Primal food..i saw some discussions about these 2 items.: sodium selenite and High Pressure Processing.

of course, these were not good things to be happening with the food manufacturing..however, the one critique i read..said it was essentially not a big deal.  I a.m. wondering what the conventional wisdom is on DK about these 2 items.  i a.m. very frustrated b/c whilst trying to engage in safest practices possible for the pooch...i seem to be running into a "nothing is perfect" situation.  if that's the case...where do these 2 issues fall on what's good vs. what's not? i know i had less worries feeding my 3 kids for the past several decades  than i have with one Doodle in the past few months...Oh, What to do, what to do....

i a.m. troubled, i'd like to add , by the constant reminders that Vets do NOT know much about canine nutrition...Their fees are not small & i really regard them as i would my pediatrician...Who never sold food or drugs...why do they...don't tell me they have financial problems b/c it seems more & more people have pets & multiple ones actually...they don't have insurance woes or regulations..so why don't we insist they be better informed & not sales reps for dog food lines etc?  When i was asking about Flea & tic meds..the tech came on strong recently about Sentinal, i believe..not sure..and the Doc..my friend..said "Oh, don't listen to him..the reps just took them out for a big steak dinner so they are enthusiastically rec'ing their product!" Do Vets not take an oath or instead do they pass a license exam to sell products in the states they have an office in...much like insurance salesman? Jeeze, i guess, i a.m. more than just frustrated!!  Sorry about the harange.

[Gail and Bailey]

I believe that all doctors have reps calling on them for the purpose of advertising (pushing) their company's drugs.  Most of the time, when a doc gives you a prescription he is making a choice of which "brand" of the drug to prescribe based on which company rep got his attention with the presentation.  I think we are being naive if we think it does not go on (to some extent)  in the human medical community as well.  Maybe the "selling food out of the office" issue is a bit different, but influence of one kind or another is alive and well in all areas of medicine and health care just as it is in all businesses trying to make a profit.  It is what it is ..... and since this is true, we all have to be our own advocate and be aware.

Hope I did not step on anybody's toes.  Not being critical here.....just realistic.  I have no problem with drug reps or advertising......they are just trying to make a living like we all are.  :) 

[BG and Gavin]

I think it is the same with any service you get.  When I go to the hairdresser they use certain products and recommend what they sell in-store because that is what their reps have supplied them with.  They use them and think they are good products.  I would guess that foods like Champion do not approach vets offices to distribute their food, thus that is why they are not on their shelves.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The HPP is a non-issue and is only of concern to raw feeding "purists" who believe that cooking food removes the health benefits. 

The sodium selenite is also a non-issue, although if you are concerned about it, you can either make your own dog food or choose a product like Orijen which uses sodium yeast instead of sodium selenite. If you like the dehydrated raw diets, you might also consider switching to Honest Kitchen's Embark, which should work well for Derby.

[F, Calla & Luca]

So does Acana, just checked the bag : ) Protein is naturally denatured through digestion so that HPP is not doing anything scary to me. In fact I would not eat raw meat or milk nor would I feed it to my dogs.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yes, just one more reason I recommend Champion Foods so strongly. They really try to do everything right.

[F, Calla & Luca]

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/red-flag-ingredients/selenium-dog-food/

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think this is the same link Rodney posted above, isn't it? 

[F, Calla & Luca]

Very possibly. I didn't click on those links but did "independent"research": ) Having read that I think one's fears would be put to rest.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I just looked at my own multivitamins, which I take every morning without fail, and guess what's in there? Sodium selenate, which is an inorganic form of selenium and supposedly just as bad as sodium selenite. 

I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

Mine too.

[a.k.a. Rodney]

Ok, Ladies...thanks for the info! I had no idea whether to be concerned or not. I really don't want to switch her again to soon...her stools have been looking normal for a short while. Not looking to rock the boat. Happy to keep her on the ProviableDC ...she thinks it's a treat! If we get her stools normal for awhile ill touch base and see where you think we should go from the dehydrated chix....was told not a difficult problem switching back as much as from frozen