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Meet The
Toxic Fluoride Levels in 8 of 10 Pet
Foods destroys bones and breeding
programs; symptoms of fluoride poisoning and FDA
warnings.
Eating their way to bone-cracking health
problems, dogs
ingest toxic levels of
fluoride, a poisonous chemical element abundant in
pet foods despite decades of damage
reports.
Bone meal and animal byproducts appear
to be the culprits due to high
concentrations of fluoride caused by
long periods of steaming in fluoridated
water from municipal sources.
Researchers warn against steam processed
“meal ingredients” as the first 3
ingredients in pet foods. Processed
meat/bone meals include chicken meal,
turkey meal, lamb meal, beef meal, and
animal byproduct meal, as well as bone
meal.
According to the FDA the first
ingredient accounts for 95% of the
product, so if any of these are first on
the list, you probably should not feed
that food to any animal. A word of
caution: It would be best if none of
these ingredients were in pet food but
they are often scattered throughout the
list.
So what is the big deal about fluoride
levels? Fluoride contaminated food can
be responsible for health problems that
affect the brain, skeleton, nerves,
thyroid, pineal gland and teeth.
As industry developed and began to spew
emissions of solid and gaseous compounds
from the manufacture of aluminum, steel,
and fertilizer, grasslands and surface
waters became contaminated with
fluoride. Cattle grazing near industrial
facilities sickened and died in Europe
and America. As the contaminated waste
accumulated, disposal became a problem
until an astute business family found a
solution for the toxic residue.
The result was that safe drinking water
went down the drain when government
agencies were induced to add fluoride to
our community water sources.
Manufacturers paid damages in the
1800’s, yet the danger from fluoride was
dismissed because industry reaped huge
profits from this toxic waste material.
Dead cattle and crop losses were wake up
calls, yet the same lesson has been
repeated over and over again for two
hundred years!
Fluoride poisoning is progressive yet
most veterinarians and medical doctors
are not likely to look for fluoride
toxicity when trying to diagnose
symptoms that range from abdominal pain,
diarrhea, excessive salivation, nausea,
vomiting, headache, tearing, muscle
weakness, spasms, seizures, tremors,
dysphasia, electrolyte abnormalities, or
even organ failure.
The FDA requires a warning label on
fluoride toothpaste and mouthwashes, but
there is no warning (or testing) for
fluoride contaminated pet food. Fluoride
accumulates in your pet’s bones and
other body parts with each meal. Pet
foods with high fluoride content can
actually cause the skeletal problems
that breeders have worked so carefully
to breed out. While certain breeds may
be genetically predisposed to hip
dysplasia, osteosarcoma, kidney
dysfunction, or other problems, EWG
findings indicate that fluoride shares
the blame.
Researchers around the world suggest
that fluoride in our water sources
appear to be linked to osteoporosis,
dental fluorosis, irritable bowel
syndrome, and various other health
problems in the human population.
Skeletal fluorosis is on the rise, but
few of us would recognize early symptoms
in a dog or cat. The Fluoride Action
Network website explains the complexity
of skeletal fluorosis which involves
nutrition, vitamin D, protein, and ratio
of calcium to magnesium in drinking
water.
Fluoride is reported as a treatment for
overactive thyroids. Researchers believe
that fluoride in our diets may depress
healthy thyroid activity, suggesting a
link for a common cause of obesity.
Notably, obesity has become a serious
health problem in the nation’s pets.
The Poison Control center logs thousands
of calls related to poisoning from
toothpaste, mouthwashes, and supplements
but fluoride poisonings have also
resulted from accidental ingestion of
insecticides or rodenticides with sodium
Fluoroacetate containing fluoride. Yes,
fluoride is actually used for poisoning
purposes!
A 1971 University of Montana study
detected levels of fluoride in canned
pet food at almost 100 parts per million
(ppm) with levels in low grade foods
ranging higher. Testing of bones in dogs
and cats were shown to contain high
fluoride accumulations. Allowable
fluoride limits are set for cattle and
other farm animals but not for dogs and
cats. Could this be because they are not
a part of our food chain?
Research shows that fluoride is as
poisonous as lead. It is alarming to
learn that the EPA allowable level for
lead is zero, while the level for
fluoride is 4ppm. Fluoride does not
appear to protect us from skeletal fluorosis and it is time for the EPA to
revise its standards. We have the option
to drink fluoride-free bottled water but
we must stop the nation’s water supply
from being treated with fluoride. Then
and only then will meat/bone meals in
pet food be safe for your dog or cat.
We are unaware of any statement from pet
food makers regarding the EWG report but
surely the pet food industry is aware of
fluoride contamination and the health
risks it carries. We can only hope that
removing this contamination will not
take as long as it took with melamine.
The FDA requires a warning label on
fluoride toothpaste and mouthwashes, but
there is no warning (or testing) for
fluoride contaminated pet food. Fluoride
accumulates in your pet’s bones and
other body parts with each meal. Pet
foods with high fluoride content can
actually cause the skeletal problems
that breeders have worked so carefully
to breed out. While certain breeds may
be genetically predisposed to hip
dysplasia, osteosarcoma, kidney
dysfunction, or other problems, EWG
findings indicate that fluoride shares
the blame.
