HSUS DOG FOOD INHUMANE TO DOGS
By
Nel Liquorman,
TheDogPress
Health
Editor
July 7, 2010
Humane Choice, the new vegan dog food
from HSUS, reads like bird seed and
looks like a bad choice for your dog and
the economy!
Heavy on seed and oil content, the new
dog food from the Humane Society of the
United States (HSUS) appears to be more
about a non-profit organization making
money than it is about producing a
healthy dog food.
With a list of
ingredients looking like a seed catalog,
the product contains no meat protein, is
grown and processed off-shore, and the
origin of supplements is unknown.
According to HSUS, their dog food is
produced by a certified organic grower
and manufacturer in Uruguay. Their
product created no new jobs for
Americans and unless your dog is some
rare kind of “bird” dog that thrives on
seeds, he may be upset with this
particular “Choice.”
Could the new dog food simply be a
clever way for HSUS to impose their
vegetarian and animal rights views on
uninformed dog owners?
Dog owners know
dogs are carnivores but there is no
meat in Humane Choice. We
view this as a bad diet for dogs but
here is the ingredients list so you can
decide.
Organic ground canola seed
has been genetically modified to remove
the bitter taste so cattle will eat it.
Formerly known as “rapeseed”, it belongs
to the cabbage family. It is processed
for cooking oil, protein meal, and
bio-diesel. As the main ingredient,
canola seed is noted as a risk for bloat
(GDV).
Organic brown rice
is a safe grain, but dogs are meat
eaters.
Organic soybean meal
is a cheap protein used in animal
feeds in spite of the fact that
phytoestrogens in soybeans are linked to
infertility, hypothyroidism, thyroid
cancer and other debilitating and
deadly diseases.
(see Spilling The Beans On Soy)
Organic buckwheat
is considered good for people but in
spite of what vegetarians say, dogs need
meat.
Organic flaxseed,
an ancient plant used by the Egyptians
to make cloth, it was not even a
part of the human diet until marketed as
“health food” in the 1980s. Large
intakes of flaxseed are known to upset
hormonal balance and cause birth
defects.
Organic sunflower seed
can cause severe anaphylactic reactions
in susceptible humans. It is possible
that seed producers remove the oil for
sale in that market.
Organic carrots
are okay in reasonable
quantities, but dogs are carnivores.
Organic beets
are okay in reasonable quantities
but beets have been questioned as
converting to sugar. They are added to
cause firmer stools.
Organic broccoli
is controversial because it contains
isothiocyanate, a toxic substance which
can cause gastrointestinal irritation.
Organic sunflower oil
is questionable. According to a Perdue
University School of Medicine
veterinarian, it is considered a risk
factor for bloat (GDV) if found in the
first 4 ingredients. Sunflower seeds
may still contain the oil, thereby
making it possible to reach the amount
required to cause gastric torsion.
Organic canola oil
is more oil, and a potential cause of
bloat.
Organic peas
are a good veggie for dogs with
no risks likely.
Salt
is okay but should contain iodine for
the thyroid gland. Many table salts
today do not contain iodine and human
goiter and hypothyroidism is on the
increase.
Organic
garlic
can produce
the same toxicity as onion, which causes
dogs to develop hemolytic anemia if
consumed in large amounts.
Organic oregano
is a safe herb for the human population.
Organic thyme
is a safe herb for the human
population.
Organic rosemary
contains
natural neurotoxins
which may affect a small pet. It is
considered GRAS (generally regarded as
safe), i.e. not tested, studied, or
restricted by the FDA or USDA.
Organic green tea extract
is believed to have benefits in the
human population, but studies suggest
that dietary polyphenols such as
falconoid, may actually have adverse
effects and no benefit to canines has
been established.
These are the remaining ingredients:
choline chloride, ascorbic acid –
vitamin C (as a preservative), mixed
tocopherols – vitamin E (as a natural
preservative)
Vitamins:
vitamin E supplement, calcium
pantothenate, Niacin, vitamin B12
supplement, vitamin A supplement,
Riboflavin, vitamin D3 supplement,
pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine
hydrochloride, folic acid, calcium
carbonate, dicalcium phosphate.
Minerals:
ferric sulfate, zinc oxide, sodium
selenate, copper sulfate, manganous
oxide, calcium iodate.
The preservatives, vitamins and minerals
are pretty standard in the pet food
industry. However, since the recent pet
food recalls, we now know that vitamins
and minerals are often added to pet
foods in the form of a pre-mix. So
where the pre-mix is made becomes
vitally important but - there is no
country of origin information. We can’t
forget the history of melamine and how
it got into the wheat gluten purchased
from ChemNutra, a Chinese import company
in Las Vegas, owned by a Chinese
National.
Hopefully knowledgeable dog owners will
reject any “dog food” label that
reads like
bird food,
does
nothing to help our failing economy, and
is marketed for carnivores by a
vegan seller whose non-profit
status (integrity? honesty?) has been
challenged
http://www.thedogpress.com/DogFood/HSUS-Dog-Food-10072_Liquorman.asp
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