PET LOVERS: RESEARCH YOUR PROTEIN SOURCES!!!!

7/28/2010 Dear friends: I want to share this important research with you. This was done at the request of a friend whose dog emitted a terrible odor, no matter how many times she was bathed. Her coat appears dry and unhealthy, and she also appears quite underweight even though she is fed the recommended amount of dry kibble for her size. The vet has ruled out any type of disease; I truly believe it is because of the food they are feeding her. Read on: I am very concerned as a result of some in-depth research I just did on a little-known brand of dry dog food called “Exclusive.” First of all, you can't let the ingredients listed on the bag fool you! This brand called "Exclusive" has a decent-sounding list of ingredients, and it includes a supposedly pure protein as the first ingredient and meat "meal" as the second ingredient. However, Exclusive is part of the product line of a company called "PMI Nutrition" who was owned by Purina Mills (associated with feed mills) and then sold to Mars, a huge conglomerate. It actually took some doing to find out the parent company, because this product line has a bad reputation. A quality pet food shouldn't hide their origins, and you cannot find the name Mars associated anywhere in the PMI or Exclusive Website! Exclusive’s other product (probably the lowest end) is called "Red Flannel", and there was a large recall of this product due to salmonella poisoning. I can get you that info if you want it. Here's an extremely vital point to consider in buying dog food: WHERE DOES THE PROTEIN COME FROM AND HOW PURE IS IT??? You can be pretty sure that the "stink" from this food is because it is END OF THE LINE protein - the offal from Mars Corporation (a food company) that pawns off their meat that is unfit for human consumption (what they call the three D's: dead, diseased, downed animals) and, happily, finds a source for it as the meat in their pet food division. Also: Why isn't this brand found in the really nice, up-scale pet stores? That is worth looking into. You can be sure to find it in feed mills, though. Ugh. Here are the brands of DRY FOOD I would recommend to you after my 13 years of intensive research into what’s really best for our pets. A. VERY HIGH QUALITY DRY: Innova (Evo), Canidae/Felidae, Blue Wilderness, Wellness, Nature’s Variety, Solid Gold, Eagle Pack B. VERY HIGH QUALITY FROZEN RAW: Northwest Naturals, Natures’ Variety, Stella & Chewy’s Every one of these has been recommended as VERY HIGH QUALITY from Whole Dog Journal, to which I subscribe. You can trust their protein sources! Your dog, as well as ALL DOGS, could use an Omega-3 oil supplement DAILY for their coat. I know that frozen raw food is pricey, but I can help you find good deals on that. For a great combination/raw diet, you can buy chicken quarters and bulk chicken legs at a great price; turkey legs/necks/wings are great; give her one of those a day, raw, and she will love them. I promise you that odor will go away, her coat will begin to shine, her teeth will be better, and she will get to her proper weight. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That's my take on it. Let me know your thoughts, and please feel free to share this letter with your other consultants! Emily B. Smith, Director PAWS Institute and Rescue Edgerton, WI 53534 pawsrescue911@yahoo.com www.pawsinstitute.org Note: The above information will be assimilated into my future book entitled “Kibble, Shmibble: Behind the Hype in Commercial Pet Foods.”