Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Wysong's 100 Pet Truths--You May Be Shocked!

Some time ago I subscribed to the free emails from Wysong entitled "Wysong's 100 Pet Truths". Wysong was the first pet food manufacturing company, many years ago, that started publishing information about the myth that dog food manufacturers constantly marketed concerning "complete and balanced". Dr. Randy Wysong published a video and numerous written materials about the importance of feeding fresh food, not just commercial pet food, to our animals. As the years have passed, my confidence in this company has increased. Recently I asked, and was granted, permission to reprint these "pet truths" so from time to time I have shared them on my Knowing Dogs blog. Today's post from Wysong contained such great information that I decided to share it with my Poodle friends. If you would like to receive free informational emails like this from Wysong, visit their website: www.wysong.net.


TRUTH 47: AAFCO FEEDING TRIALS DO NOT PROVE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) has created another device to supposedly prove to consumers that packaged processed pet foods are perfect "complete and balanced." These studies are flawed in many respects. For one, they are short-term, denying that nutrition can have an effect beyond the few weeks used in a feeding trial. Undetected nutrient imbalance in youth has been shown to affect susceptibility to many chronic degenerative diseases which appear later in life (far beyond the scope of the few weeks of a feeding trial). Even the health of future generations can be affected by diet through transference of nutritionally-induced genetic weakness.

In the past, animals being fed "complete and balanced" pet foods, as determined by the food meeting certain nutrient percentage requirements (National Research Council [NRC] requirements), have succumbed to disease. So feeding trials were introduced. But, as shown in a previous Truth, foods that have passed the feeding trials have produced disease as well.

An AAFCO feeding trial requires a manufacturer to send food to a laboratory where it is fed to caged laboratory breeds for a period of 26 weeks. Hair coat, weight, body measurement, and a few blood tests are run to determine nutritional perfection "100% complete­ness." Only six of the eight animals in the test need to pass in order to stamp the food complete and balanced. Such a testing method is like trying to measure the length of a virus with a yardstick.

Obviously, a few general measures do not fully reflect either nutritional adequacy or long term optimal health. "Caged" human prisoners of war have survived for years on little more than water and rice. Survival, or passing crude measures of nutrient deficiency, does not equal nutritional "completeness" (perfection).

Additionally, results from an unfortunate laboratory-bred puppy or kitten living on concrete or in a stainless steel cage, under fluorescent lights, breathing conditioned air, do not correlate to real animals in homes and back yards. Obviously not. If feeding trials worked, thousands of cats fed feeding-trial-proven diets with "100% complete" claims on their labels would not have died from taurine deficiency (see Truth #45).

Any animal lover must also object to the unnecessary cruelty of imprisoning animals for months and years, testing them with every manner of junk food to see if they will get sick. Particularly is this so since feeding trials do nothing more than perpetuate the complete and balanced myth. This myth is intended to deceive people into feeding their pets with the deadly practice of using one dead, devitalized, processed food meal after meal.

This practice benefits only the pet food industry and their regulatory enablers. Having the AAFCO feeding trial stamp of approval on a processed pet food you are feeding meal after meal, will do nothing for the health of your pet. You, taking charge of feeding using the common sense you use with your own meals and the wisdom of nature, can.

Thought for the day: "Dogs' lives are too short. Their only fault, really." Agnes Sligh Turnbull

Word for the day: Longevity: noun: length of life span. Trick is to make health span equal life span (longevity).

(c) Wysong, Inc, reprinted with permission. For more information about Wysong products, visit www.wysong.net.

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