The site of the Chamber of Food Manufacturers for Dogs, Cats, Birds and other pets (FACCO) offers a diagram that details all stages of the manufacture of a kibble. The important steps in this process are first the mixing of all the ingredients (dosed beforehand), they will then be ground and prepared for cooking.
Extrusion cooking is the process that technically makes it possible to manufacture a kibble. It is a mixture of high temperature condition (sometimes 200 ° C) and high pressure (35 times atmospheric pressure).
Once extrusion cooking is done, the croquettes are dried, coated (often with a layer of fat to increase the palatability of the product), cooled and then stored. The suite consists of packaging steps to serve customers.
An ingredient is essential in the manufacture of these dry kibbles, it is the carbohydrates. In the form of starch, this macronutrient is an essential compound to technically enable the production of croquettes. We will see later in this book, that this is partly the reason that explains the high concentration of carbohydrates in industrial croquettes.
The origin of raw materials
Dry kibble must provide the essential nutrients for the proper development of puppies and kittens, but also for pregnant pets and during maintenance, when adulthood is reached.
These pet food products must therefore contain a balanced ration between the 3 main macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins and lipids (fats). The ration of croquettes must also contain essential minerals (zinc, copper, calcium, phosphorus, etc.), vitamins, amino acids and fibers.
We will see in this section that the sources of nutrients (vitamins, minerals, macronutrients) are extremely varied: slaughterhouses, agri-food products, supermarket waste, etc. The quality of the product used is closely linked to the supplier and the sources of its supply.
The quality of all raw materials, whether good or bad, will be discussed and detailed.
Animal raw materials
According to the SIFOC (Union of French Industries of Animal byproducts), all animal by-products (poultry, pigs and ruminants) can enter the production chain of the dry feed for pets. These by-products are collected from "slaughterhouses dedicated to each species", according to SIFOC.
Viscera, heads, necks, hooves, legs, or bones are defined as animal by-products according to SIFOC. It must be understood that all pieces of meat, more or less noble, have been removed to feed the human consumption of meat.
SIFOC does not mention the presence, rather obvious, of beaks but also feathers in this production line.
In French, animal by-products can be identified by the slightly flattering term "dehydrated animal protein". In English, it will be more the terms "by-product" or "meat meal" for meat meal, for example.
For example, here is the composition of a dog kibble sold by Royal Canin for adult dogs, of medium size [adult dogs (11 to 25 kg), with cutaneous or digestive sensitivity, of more than 12 months]:
Concretely, croquettes are composed of by-products of poultry and pigs, that is, viscera, feet, legs, hooves, heads and carcasses.
In fact, we have 3 sources of animal protein in these kibbles, and the mention in bold will not have escaped you. Animal protein hydrolysates are animal proteins that are less allergenic than others because they are free of allergenic factors by hydrolysis. Nevertheless, these hydrolysed proteins are derived from animal by-products, of which we do not even know the species (pork, beef or chicken?).
(...)
Are dogs omnivorous?
We have reviewed in the previous chapters the ingredients that integrate daily and classically the croquettes, and which are part of the diet of our pets.
Dry dog food contains cereals, corn, rice, soy, beet (as a by-product), wheat, sometimes barley and even gluten. These same croquettes also contain animal proteins, mainly in the form of cooked powder obtained from the by-products of the human diet. Fat, or the lipid part, has several origins (animal and vegetable).
As soon as we observe the composition of a package of dog kibble, we can wonder if his dog is an omnivore or not. Omnivores, as we are, can and should eat a lot of plants to meet their nutritional needs. But is this the case of the dog?
I suggest you read two scenarios straight out of my mind, the fruit of my imagination. You will tell me which scenario seems the most plausible, the most realistic, the most normal.
Packs of omnivorous dogs
Ten thousand years ago, in a temperate forest in North America, there was a pack of wild dogs made up of a few puppies, a dominant couple and the rest of the pack.
To feed, the dogs hunted mainly the least ears of wild corn, when they found a wheat field near a stream, the pack occupied the area to the last rod. Sometimes the pack spotted a game nearby and decided to hunt it for valuable booty. The dangerous stalking ended up paying, and we could observe the dogs skinning the animal and throw all the pieces of noble meat on the sides to eat only the carcass, hooves, head, tripe, and stomach contents . It happened that some packs do not eat the raw carcass, and decided then to move it on embers still hot (created by the Man or naturally) to appreciate the effects of a strong cooking.
End of story # 1.
The packs of carnivorous dogs
At the same time, and in a forest not far from the previous pack, was a family of wild dogs. This family spent most of their time hunting terrestrial mammals. They hunted ungulates, micromammals, birds, or reptiles.
The diet of this family consisted of 90% raw meat and bone, offal, while carefully avoiding eating the stomach contents of large mammals.
At feasts, dogs could ingest some fruits or berries contained in the gut of prey, but they avoided plant parts, plants, etc.
End of story # 2.
So which of these two stories seems most likely?
It is obvious that there is a world between what wolves and dogs ate in their traditional ecosystem, and what they are given today to eat in industrial croquettes.
The Low Down On The Dog Food Industry
A Book Written By A Veterinarian Reviewed By Dr Sebastian Kfoury.
In "Toxic Croquettes", Dr. Jutta Ziegler a self published, Austrian veterinarian tackles industrial feeding, over-medicalization and veterinarians themselves as causes of the frequent chronic diseases afflicting our pets.If you ever wondered "what dog food is made of" this is a must read!
Dr. Sebastien Kfoury, veterinarian and host of Animo , has read this controversial book about the dog food industry to see the impact of dog food on man's best friend. How can you say you love your dog if you have never even bothered to find out what commercial pet food and in particular what dog food pellets are made out of and how this affects the mortality and wellbeing of your dog?
Although he criticizes the author for her lack of rigor on certain subjects and not going into depth about those issues, Sébastien Kfoury steadily agrees that croquettes are not the best foods for dogs a d cats. He recommends that customers, as far as possible, cook for their cat, but mentions that there are now very high quality croquettes.
The veterinarian agrees with Jutta Zieglar and her book that,general speaking, there way too many prescriptions for pets these days and suggests healthier alternatives that are based on 100% organic plant medicine. He also states that it is not necessary to have your beloved pets vaccinated each year and this certainly has its affects on the wellness of dogs and cats.
Comments
Post a Comment