I am an avid listener of Dog Talk® and Humane Talk™, and would like to make a suggestion for a subject I’d love to hear you talk about. I was never really aware how much certain commercial pet food companies actually use rendered pets in their dog and cat food until I read an article on Dog Food Advisor (http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-industry-exposed/dogs-meat-meal/). Not only pet food, but also the other products (like soap and cosmetics) surprised me because these were commercial products I’ve been buying and had no idea.

I was disgusted to learn that when you put your pet to sleep and choose to leave them with the vet (maybe due to not being able to afford to get the ashes or lack of a place to bury), vets often sell the deceased animals to the rendering plants, tags and all. But the scariest part about this is that the Pentobarbital used to euthanize these animals never breaks down. And in 1996 veterinarians began to notice that it was requiring larger amounts of this drug to euthanize animals — the animals fed these foods had in fact, built up a tolerance over their lives! I couldn’t believe that these disgusting pet food companies are not only feeding our pets other pets (awful enough), but the chemicals we use to end their lives! And it has been proven that not even the rendering process can deteriorate pentobarbital. Sadly these companies include the biscuits on supermarket shelves which many people I know who spend tons of money on high quality dog food still give to their dogs. I have to say it’s an awkward conversation to have with your friend when you know what they are giving to their pet and they already think they’ve done everything right.

I would love it if at some point you would address this issue which could help listeners be more aware (as if the other reasons not to feed commercial pet food were reason enough) about this issue, especially the thought of your beloved pet going into commercial dog food when he passes away. Perhaps encouraging people to find out what disposal method their vet uses before they have to make this kind of decision.

I really admire your journalism and your will to spread the word of what is right. As a former vet tech (before switching gears to go to medical school) I always shuddered at the “vet diets” the vet gave out, but had I ever said anything I would have been fired. So I always hoped people could find the information in other ways. I hope you know how indirectly you have influenced the lives of so many animals through your listeners who spread the information to other pet owners.

Thank you for everything you do!

When I read this letter aloud on my Sirius/XM satellite radio show CAT CHAT® last week it was right before my guest for the show — Dr. Annie Forslund, a veterinarian from Tustin California who specializes in home pet euthanasia (www.homepeteuthanasia.com) came on. (You can hear her on DOG TALK® this week discussing end-of-life issues and “when it is time.” She will be coming back on the show soon to share her own knowledge about the presence of companion animals in rendered meat products.)

Guess what? The very same issues apply to our dogs, who are anywhere from chubby or plump to outright obese — usually because we over-indulge them with treats and overfill their dinner bowls. Most of us have lost a clear picture of what a healthy dog looks like because most of us have let our pets expand too much. The problem with this is that all of the problems that extra pounds can cause in humans can have even more impact on the quality of your dog’s life, especially if she is a larger dog, say above 50 pounds. Dogs tend to carry extra weigh behind the neck and across their shoulders. The swiftest way to find out the truth about whether your dog is too fat is whether you can grab a handful of flesh behind the collar. Don’t kid yourself that this is “just his skin” because if that handful feels plump and spongy, you’re looking at handfuls of extra fat, attractively concealed beneath your handsome dog’s skin or fur. This weight puts extra pressure on the front legs and can cause joint and tendon problems. Since so many larger dogs get torn ligaments in their hind knees, reducing that extra weight and pressure on the front end will go a long way to reducing the likelihood that your dog will suffer from this debilitating and costly problem of a torn ACL. If she has already torn her ligament and had surgery, reducing her weight will assure you of a better recovery and long-term soundness.

I have suffered the problem of added weight in both my rescued Weimaraners. My big tall Scooby Doo tore his second ACL joint last year and the fantastic orthopedic surgeon Faulkner Besancon (at Upstate Veterinary Specialties in Latham, New York) put him back together. But he also admonished me to take some serious weight off of Scooby. Dr. Besancon grabbed a big fistful of skin behind Scooby’s collar and was able to do the same on his ribcage. He said Scooby’s life depended on me getting off this extra weight, which I had been telling myself was “all dog, just a big dog.” Scooby has such pronounced arthritis in his front knees that the vet said the extra weight would literally be the death of him and at some point would limit Scooby’s ability to walk. He said Scooby needed to lose at least 10% of his body weight (129.5 lbs. at the time).

I took his advice seriously and applied the “high protein low carbohydrate” concept to Scooby’s dinner bowl. For three months I removed all dry food and fed him increased meat (or cottage cheese, eggs, yogurt etc) and vegetables. Let me tell you that it was a revelation because we went WAY beyond 10%. It took six months of steady loss but Scooby was 89.5 lbs. yesterday and feeling fine. He’s back on his portion of Halo Spot’s stew kibble now as part of his two daily meals, and he still gets Liv-a-Little biscuits and freeze-dried chicken and salmon as treats, but I will never overfeed like I had been.

Yesterday I had to take my other enormous Weimaraner to Dr. B. because Teddy has been off-and-on lame on his front leg for over six months. It appears to be a problem with shoulder tendonitis and more tests have to be done, but when Dr. Besancon grabbed a big handful of Teddy behind his collar, and squeezed another handful on the side of his ribcage, I knew Teddy was headed for the high protein diet too. He is now 103 lbs. and my goal is a 10% reduction in his weight to 90-something lbs. I hope you’ll be inspired to do the same for your dog before that extra weight causes health problems.

Of course we could apply the same program to ourselves and wind up pretty satisfied, too! I’m about to make a lunch of cottage cheese and raw vegetables for myself. I want to go on the Doggy Diet too!

I was the spokesperson for the Petco natural food department at the time, and they really do things right. When I got to the TV studio I discovered that there was already a whole display of diced vegetables that had been arranged by a professional “food prep” person. It was a layout of the fresh ingredients that looked like something Martha would do (except she, too, has food prep people who chop, dice and arrange her ingredients!) I was really impressed by the array of diced vegetables for this Thanksgiving stew I was going to demonstrate on the air — carrot, celery, zucchini, yellow squash, green peas, green beans — I couldn’t believe how delicious it looked! Then there were bowls of diced cooked turkey, and of rolled oats and of barley. The food preparation professional had it presented like a human buffet platter, something you’d see in a magazine.

There was a big pot on a TV kitchen stove and when they started filming (it was a live segment) I poured each of these beautiful ingredients into the cook pot as I talked about the importance of using high quality natural ingredients in your dog’s dinner bowl, much to the television host’s surprise. As I spooned each of the ingredients into the cooking pot I said that anyone could make a holiday stew like this for their dog out of similar ingredients they might have at home. Then I came to small bowl of what looked like a dried herb and saw that the food professional had left the container next to it so that I could identify this mystery ingredient: it was a bottle of dried kelp, which had come from a health food store. I realized that seaweed was a pretty obscure ingredient — a great one for its health benefits — and suddenly I realized where the recipe for this home-cooked doggy feast must have come from: Halo for Pets! I have always admired the ingredient list in Spot’s Stew in a can — and especially remembered that it included dried kelp. It’s an unusual and expensive ingredient — having it in the food was confirmation of the sort of hidden touches of health Halo slips into their foods (like the bits of freeze dried vegetables surrounding the kibble in their dry food).

The food prep lady had also pre-cooked the stew and put it into a pretty dog bowl, so people watching television could see the result. Frankly, it looked a little dreary cooked up this way — like oatmeal porridge. “Do you cook like this for your dogs?” the TV host asked me. “I would,” I said, “Except that this recipe is clearly the one for Spot’s Stew, and when Halo puts this in a can it actually looks a lot better than I can do it myself!”

Remembering that adventure inspired me to put away my own cook pot and instead go online to Petflow.com, where I ordered a whole case of Spot’s Stew in a can! Now I’ll have their special meal ready to serve on any national holiday or the dogs birthdays (I put DOGTALK in the code box when I check out at Petflow.com and get free shipping, too!)

Low quality or excess amounts of carbohydrates contribute to gassiness. It is normal for a dog to make gas inside the intestines, but in a healthy dog the gas escapes her body unnoticed. The dog’s large intestine is where normal, harmless bacteria break down those parts of the dog’s food that weren’t digested in the stomach and small intestine. This bacterial fermentation naturally produces normal gases like carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and methane — but can also create hydrogen sulphide, known for its odor of rotting eggs. Your dog may be over-producing this gas as a result of eating an excessive amount of highly processed carbohydrates — which can happen on an all-kibble diet of lower quality dry food made primarily of corn and “food fragments” — the leftover debris after starchy foods are processed for human use.

Two common reasons a dog will produce nasty-smelling ga is from an improper diet or from parasites. Some breeds of dogs are renowned for having their “foot on the gas pedal” — the English Bulldog being the most frequently blamed for emptying a room with a symphony of tooting. You may believe this is one of the less-charming but unavoidable attributes you have to tolerate for love of a breed — yet in many cases all you need to do to achieve an emission-free dog is improve the overall quality of the food.

The first remedy is to switch to a higher quality, more digestible food with low carbohydrate and fiber content. Giving canned food as a third or half of the meal is also important to get your dog’s digestion working odorlessly. Temporarily stop adding fruits, vegetables or other “extras” to the food you choose for your dog, which could make matters worse.

Intestinal parasites are something your dog can pick up from drinking standing water, including puddles, ponds and lakes. The single-cell organisms “giardia” and “coccidia” can be responsible for chronic, malodorous gas; an infestation with roundworm and whipworms is also a possibility. Medical conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatic insufficiency, or even a lack of specific digestive enzymes may also cause a dog to produce excess intestinal gas.

Your first order of business is to improve your dog’s diet by lowering the amount of kibble (even a really good one like HALO) and making up the difference with a good canned food (like Spot’s Stew).

If your dog is still gassy after making those adjustments, you need to consult with your veterinarian to rule out medical issues. However, one way or another you need to treat a “gas-powered” pooch as having a problem you can solve. Your dinner guests will thank you for it!

–Tracie Hotchner

Although the food value of ingredients can be somewhat compromised by the kibbling process, you still want to look for whole foods that went into making that dry food. You want to look for a protein source by its name (lamb, salmon, chicken) and also any whole grain. There is a lot of misunderstanding out there about grains in dry dog food when it is not the grains that are the problem — a “grain free” kibble is not necessarily better nutrition for your dog. You won’t see corn in any quality kibble because it is rarely whole corn that is used in pet food and corn “leftovers” are not nearly as nutrient rich. The worry about grain in dog food usually refers to wheat which can be allergenic. But many pet food companies use the leftovers of grains, the nutrient-depleted parts that are left after the good part has been used for human food. Look for words like oats, oatmeal, barley, millet, and white or brown rice, which are all good because they are easily digested and all good sources of complex carbohydrates, which supply fiber, along with a consistent level of energy.

All of us need to learn to read the label on bagged dog food and be able to recognize all sorts of ingredients to avoid. My favorite saying about dry dog food is: Res Ipsa Loquitor (the thing speaks for itself). You can easily see when a food is made up of many highly processed chemical-laden ingredients — if you aren’t sure, look up the ingredients list in my book THE DOG BIBLE to find the “Ingredients to Avoid.”

Many brands of kibble utilize the protein portion of their recipes from a rendering process, by which a wide variety of very different meat ingredients (some from decidedly unsavory sources which are discussed in THE DOG BIBLE) are reduced down into a kind of Mystery Meat soup through extremely high heat cooking. This is done to kill any bacteria or diseases in the ingredients (since many of those “meats” are actually parts of animals that may have been sick or died before being rendered). This rendered meat concoction is the final product, which can also be used in making kibble. Some original sources of protein for dry dog food are even subjected to irradiation to neutralize the toxic or rotten ingredients, which means at that point they have removed whatever true food value was in those elements to begin with. Then the extruded kibble dough that has been cut into circles or triangles and been baked or fried is sprayed with fat (for flavor) and with man-made versions of the vitamins and minerals that would have been in the ingredients in the first place.

The higher price of HALO is a result of using whole ingredients and never using rendered meats or by-product meat meals. I know I am getting what I paid for — and glad to do it for my dog’s long-lasting health!

People are a little confused about how kibble is made and what goes into it. It’s true that the ingredients in a dog food factory are heavily managed — by frying, boiling or crushing — as part of being turned into a dough that is then made into the small nuggets you find in the bag. Kibble is made by subjecting even good quality ingredients to high heat in order to make the dough, so which then passes through an extruder (like what is used to make pasta if you have ever seen a machine for home use). After it exits the machine and is cut into the appropriate shape, it is baked or fried. All this processing can break down the nutrients in any food but a high quality pet food company has studied how to retain or replace those nutrients — and in some cases, to make them even more digestible and usable by the dog’s body.

Good kibble is perfectly fine as long as it is not the only thing your dog ever eats. People who want to feed their dog the best quality meals and use whole, real food will still continue to use the best kibble they can find as about one-third to one-half of their dog’s dinner. This is especially true of larger, more active dogs who really need those extra calories and quality carbohydrates to feel full and have energy. Dry dog food can satisfy hunger over many hours and supply a nice balance of nutrients, even in their processed state.

If you wish, you can supply a variety of other food (in as unprocessed a form as possible) to complete the meal, in addition to a good kibble. Myself, I like Halo and I rotate amongst the three protein sources in every bag of dry food I buy — chicken, fish or lamb. I round out my dogs’ dinner by also putting in their bowls quality protein (from canned dog food, cottage cheese, eggs or protein I cook for them or myself), real vegetables and even some fruit.

“Oh I don’t feed any dry food,” Jimmy explained. “Buddy will only eat Halo in a can.” “Wowie,” I said, genuinely amazed that he could afford to feed nothing but the Spot’s Stew in a can — as a relatively young guy with a wife (who is also a Sirius/XM radio engineer!!) and the high cost of living in New York. “That’s really nice of you to splurge on him like that.”

“Hey, Buddy’s worth it: nuthin’ but the best for my boy. It’s expensive, but you get what you pay for. Besides, now he’s so spoiled by that delicious Halo food — he won’t touch anything else!”

I guess Jimmy only has me to blame for putting him in this “predicament,” but I really don’t think he minds. “I think of it the way you explain good nutrition on your show: it’s an investment in his long-term health.”

I actually feel humbled that Jimmy trusts my opinion — and the high-quality look and aroma of Spot’s Stew in a can that he can see and smell for himself.

Pet owners believe that the words “crude protein” and the number with a “%” sign next to it (as required by the regulatory body AAFCO) refers to how much animal protein there is in the food. Instead, “crude protein” is actually a chemical analysis of the food whereby the amount of nitrogen present is used to estimate the amount of protein in the food. While nitrogen does come from animal protein, it also comes from non-animal proteins like grains, as well as other non-protein nitrogen (NPN) sources. This obviously creates a gap between what you think you are buying and feeding your dog (especially thinking you are getting a food with a high percentage of animal protein) — and what has actually been used to determine that number.

In addition to this problem, for many dry food manufacturers, “crude protein” includes carcasses and other waste from slaughtered animals and the word “meal” on a pet food bag may indicate the inclusion of such ingredients, along with meat not fit for people. This certainly helps clean up the slaughterhouse floor without having to call the garbage company! Unfortunately, inferior meals can also make a mediocre dog food high in protein — but not high in quality protein.

Since pet food can include a variety of questionable ingredients, and crude protein measurements will always include non-animal protein, I have included some tips on finding a high quality protein dog food:

1. Choose a food that lists real whole meat on the bag as a primary ingredient – chicken, lamb, salmon, etc. — because then you are getting true quality protein, not ingredients used to manipulate the nitrogen levels. The same applies to whole vegetables, whole grains and real fruits — all hallmarks of a higher quality nutrition source.
2. Read the entire label and make sure you understand all of the ingredients. Keep in mind that melamine was added to pet food as a non-protein nitrogen source to increase the protein content of pet foods.
3. Call the pet food company and ask about their protein or any of the ingredients you have questions about. A company should have a well-trained customer service staff as well as a veterinarian or nutritionist that can answer your questions.

Personally, I choose HALO! They oversee their ingredient sources and other environmental variables and promptly answer phone calls from interested customers. I believe Halo kibble is a great foundation for the quality dry portion of your dog’s nutrition.

This nice lady was so happy to “get permission” from the Food Police (me!) to continue sharing the Halo canned stew between her kitty and the Chihuahua. I’d love to have a picture of that dinner scene!

–Tracie Hotchner

I have had such fun answering the dog and cat questions that arrive every day from Freekibble.com because I learn something — but also often have a good laugh. The best part of the Freekibble quizzes is that (right or wrong) by answering I participate in kibble from HALO going to shelters, so it’s all good! This DOG TALK® quiz is just for the heck of it — a snappy way to remind you to avoid low quality kibble and make a premium dry food like HALO fundamental in your dog’s dish, as I do.

Corn in dog foods is counted as a protein — this makes no sense because:

1)    Corn is not displayed in the meat department of a food store since it is not an actual protein food
2)    Corn is a plant which grows in a field — and makes good (although unhealthy) snack chips for people
3)    Corn is appropriate to fatten animals raised for human food like cattle and chickens — nobody wants to eat their own Labrador so why feed him as if they do?

Artificial colors and flavors should not be in dog foods because:

1) Dogs don’t need coloring in their food because they are colorblind
2) Synthetic flavorings are unnecessary since most dogs will eat food that is fresh and made from wholesome ingredients
3) Artificial enhancements are chemicals with potentially harmful effects

A dog’s body can get benefits from complex carbohydrates when they are:

1)    Carbs like whole grains which have digestive benefits
2)     Not in the food primarily as a cheap filler to make a dog feel full
3)     Fibrous vegetables but never corn

Brewer’s rice is (the discarded portion of rice after human food manufacturing has finished with the actual rice) is in many prescription dog foods so people are fooled into thinking it must be:

1)   A really nutritious kind of rice, used by brewers to make alcoholic beverages
2)   It is real rice and better than corn
3)    A good kind of multi-purpose rice like Indian Basmati rice

BHA, BHT, TBHQ & Ethoxyquin as preservatives in a dog food tells you something important about a kibble:

1)    Chemical preservatives can keep pet foods from going bad for a very long time on the shelf
2)    The “food scientists” developed some of these chemicals for human foods where they can’t use them anymore, so might as well give them to the dogs!
3)    These chemicals are proven to cause serious health threats to pets — quality kibble uses natural preservatives instead

Some dogs are so gassy they can empty a room. This is because:

1)    Intestinal gas in a dog — especially if it is odorous — is a sign of poor digestion; either a diet is too carb-heavy or may include lower quality ingredients
2)    Some dogs are just stinkers — keep a pack of matches around to light when they let one loose
3)    Dogs make gas because they cannot burp.

Dog foods that contain sugar or corn syrup add it because:

1)    Everybody loves sweet things and dogs deserve to have some fun, too
2)    Dogs have a sweet tooth so it’s natural for manufacturers to take advantage of that
3)    By adding sweeteners a dog food manufacturer can entice a dog to eat otherwise unappetizing highly-processed kibble that is mostly inexpensive carbohydrates

The word “chicken” or “lamb” in the first position on a pet food label is important because:

1)  You want to know what flavor the food is so you know what your dog prefers
2)  The first ingredient is the most plentiful in a pet food and you want a formula with quality protein predominating
3)  The order of words doesn’t matter as long as chicken is in there somewhere

Dogs are considered carnivores. They need meat. Some experts refer to dogs as omnivorous carnivores (they eat all sorts of things but basically need meat) or others call dogs carnivorous omnivores (they are basically meat-eaters but also can eat from other food groups). Whichever you call them, dogs need the protein and amino acids in meat as the foundation for their diet. Dogs are definitely referred to as carnivores and their diets are referred to as carnivorous, so any way you cut it, your dog needs protein from meat as the foundation of his diet, not a highly-processed carbohydrate like corn.

In looking at the shelves of dog food in supermarkets it seems to me that dog food manufacturers have gotten their alphabet letters mixed up because instead of respecting a dog’s basic need for meat — and formulating the recipes to acknowledge them as the carnivores they are — the inexpensive corn-based ingredients in those dog food bags suggests those companies are treating dogs as if they are “corn-ivores” like a chicken or  cattle! Corn is great for feedlot animals to fatten them quickly for human consumption — corn in a dog’s diet will have the same effect, even though it is not what we intended!

Dogs have a need for a high percentage of good protein in their diet, so they should be eating the feedlot animals that are fed corn to fatten them up for our dinner tables. Let me put it this way so it’s easy to remember: dogs should not be eating corn at all — they should be eating the animals that do eat corn! The reason I choose HALO kibble is because not only does it never contain corn or wheat or soy, it also derives its protein from actual meat, never from “meal” or “by-products.” It respects the dog as a true carnivore and supplies quality meat as the main ingredient.

We all know that a parent would not comply at dinnertime if a child requested corn chips as her main course instead of a chicken leg. “But I heard fried corn is good for, Mommy,” is probably not going to cut it! And dogs are different than junk-food negotiating children — unlike them; a dog would never try to swap corn for some nice chicken or beef! A dog would always choose the meat, fish or fowl that is true protein, A dog is a carnivore — not a corn-ivore — and his body craves protein and he knows it. Common sense will tell you that even the finest quality corn is not the kind of protein that a carnivore needs.