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How to choose your dog’s food?
A. By the color of the bag?
B. By responding to catchy television ads?
C. By following the advice of the Whole Dog Journal?
D. By
avoiding foods that include by-products, animal fat, or sunflower oil?
E.
None of the above.
E. None of the above is the right answer.
If you are enamored of a pretty
bag, buy it and hang it on your wall. Catchy ads are designed to
catch you. The foods they promote have, as this article will
reveal, little or no substance behind them and despite the
profound-sounding rhetoric are the foods that are causing all the
problems. Following the advice on nutrition of the Whole Dog
Journal on nutrition will often steer you in the wrong
direction. Their opinions generally are scientifically invalid and
often lack basic common sense. (More proof of this to come later in
this article). Avoiding foods that include by-products, animal fat,
or sunflower oil is absurd. No dog food can be adequate
without the first two. The third ingredient, sunflower oil, is the
most valuable back-up source of omega 6 fatty acids. It is the only
non-toxic oil in the market place. Omega 6 fatty acids are
the most essential and valuable fatty acids in nutrition.
Life cannot proceed without them. How then should you choose
your dog’s food? By its record.
Dogs and cats have come to us over
the millennia without the need for medical intervention. For them
to survive they had to be sound, strong, reproduce abundantly, and
be resistant to all the problems they encountered from the beginning
of life to the end. This could only have taken place because
their diet promoted self-sufficiency. That then is the standard
every ration manufactured today has to meet, but doesn’t. Based
on this profound insight we can safely assume that virtually every
breakdown condition is food-caused. Very simply, every breakdown
condition that crosses breed lines and is repeated all over the
country at pandemic levels can only be food caused. There is no
other valid explanation for this phenomena. Dogs and cats are
carnivores (meat-eaters). Industry (companies small and large),
feeds them as if they were omnivores or herbivores (primarily plant
matter eaters) offering a level of nutrition far below the level
they require in order to be self-sufficient. This proves beyond a
shadow of a doubt that deficiencies are the causes of the
vast majority (if not all) breakdown conditions that fit into the
category described above. A second important point is
poisoning. Plant-derived toxins (called saponins and phaseolins),
are the defense mechanisms of some plants, many of which are
commonly included in commercial rations and are poisonous to dogs
and cats. More about this subject later in the article.
The following conditions and many
others are at pandemic levels, occurring all over the country in
virtually every breed of dog. New conditions emerge with every
non-species appropriate ingredient that enters the feed supply.
All skin and coat problems, including but not limited to: dry
coats, “hot spots,” foul smelling oily coats, allergies,
interminable bouts of itching, scratching, excessive shedding and
chewing of the feet can be traced to non-species appropriate
ingredients and to improper dietary structure. Equally commonplace
are gastrointestinal disorders including “sensitive stomach,”
“finicky eaters,” “irritable bowel syndrome,” inability to absorb
nutrients, autoimmune disorders, certain types of seizures,
diabetes, thyroid, heart and kidney breakdowns, colitis, anal sac
problems, bloat and torsion. Non-species appropriate
ingredients and inadequate amounts of food also cause virtually, if
not all, breakdowns during growth including hip dysplaysia, elbow
dysplaysia, HOD, PANO, OCD, and others. There is still more! A
host of reproductive disorders including: failure to conceive, small
and shrinking litter sizes, many birth defects including cleft
palates, umbilical hernias, open brain and chest cavities at birth,
chronic uterine infections, uterine inertia, re-absorptions,
abortions, restless mothers often leading to crushed puppies,
agalactica (lack of milk), poor recovery of bitches after whelping,
cannibalism (mothers that kill and eat their own very young
puppies), lack of desire to breed in males, lack of stamina in
breeding, low sperm counts, ascending and descending testicles,
missing testicles and urinary tract disorders to name a few.
What are the characteristics of
commercial rations that create the profound deficiencies that result
in the pandemic of breakdown conditions that exist today?
The following will help explain what they are, and what it is about
them that leads to deficiencies.
Most dry foods today are extruded
or baked (formed into hard chunks or pellets). For simplicity we
will call both types kibble. These ways of making dog or cat
foods may be the worst methods of production ever devised, setting
the stage at the outset for future health problems. Here’s
why. Kibble is made up of a number of ingredients of which 75% is
grain (50 to 60% is carbohydrate), gluten, small amounts of animal
tissue or/and animal meals, fats, oils, vitamins, minerals and
flavoring agents. The various ingredients can be separated into two
groups: those that require high levels of processing, the grains,
which furnish most of the energy in the rations (albeit in a very
inefficient way), and the tissue-building nutrients (TBN’s) - the
animal tissue, meals, fats, oils and vitamins from which the entire
physical structure and chemistry of the animal are built and
maintained. The reason the grains require so much processing is
that raw grain is unusable by carnivores and to make it
usable it requires the application of high levels of heat and
pressure in order to convert the starch into a usable, albeit
inefficient form of energy, dextrin. Tissue-building nutrients, on
the other hand, can be damaged by high levels of processing. Very
simply, because of the limitations in the process the least
important ingredients, the grains, dictate the level at which the
entire ration is prepared. This process is designed to prepare
grain for consumption by dogs and cats, and is antagonistic to the
TBN’s (which include animal meals, fats and oils that are a superior
form of energy to carbohydrates or vegetables), the damage from
which can result in deficiencies of the vital nutrients.
Another shortcoming of the kibbling process – plaque formation
Plaque is a big issue in dogs; it
causes gum disease and tooth loss. The chewing of hard kibble is
touted as being both the prevention and cure. Doctoral theses have
been written on the benefits of kibble in the cleaning of
teeth in support of industry propaganda. The facts, however,
indicate that the opposite is true, that chewing kibble is
the cause of plaque in dogs. Chewing kibble causes particles of
food to accumulate in the crevices around the teeth. Although some
companies take the approach that rough fibrous food can help clean
teeth, it is absolute nonsense. Fibrous food is not
appropriate to the feeding of carnivores, it is for herbivores
(ruminants). Additionally, there is no way to clean teeth with
food. In Nature, the texture of the food (internal organs,
meat, fat, etc...) is slippery and does not leave residue. It is
ripped into pieces, pulled apart and swallowed, not chewed.
Prevention is the only way of keeping teeth clean.
Kibble on the other hand is high in
carbohydrates, the foundation of plaque formation. Clearly
chewing kibble is the primary cause of plaque accumulation.
Only the Abady Company has successfully addressed these two
critically important issues by creating a special process that does
not penalize nutrition while improving energy production. It
includes more animal fat and oils and fewer carbohydrates. Fresh
animal tissue is processed once. The animal meals are also
processed only once, as are fats and oils, unlike kibble in which
animal meals are processed twice. Importantly in Abady
granular products the vitamins are never exposed to heat or
pressure. Dogs do not have a requirement for carbohydrates and
generally fare better with lower levels. Only the Abady Company’s
special process permits the levels of each ingredient to be included
independently, allowing an increase in fats, an increase in protein,
and a decrease in carbohydrates according to the requirements of
that formula. In Abady granular most of the grains are fully
processed, independently of most of the TBN content. Both grains
and tissue building nutrients are blended together at the end
of the process, (after each has been appropriately processed), not
at the beginning. In addition this special food has a granular
texture that does not require it be chewed. This prevents plaque
from forming, just as in Nature, thereby maintaining cleaner teeth.
If one wishes the dog to exercise its jaws, a marrow bone or pull
toy should fit the bill, not the food. While Abady’s granular
formulas are the most advanced scientifically (proven over 30 years
on the market), the Abady Company also produces several kibbled dog
foods, in which the disadvantages have been reduced in innovative
ways. These we must keep secret to prevent other companies from
copying them.
As we proceed we will explain how
the faults in commercial rations (ordinary, Premium, Holistic, and
Veterinary) have come together to create the profound
deficiencies and the poisoning that lead to the pandemic of
breakdown conditions evident today. Read the following
carefully. You will not find this information anywhere else, and
Industry will fight to maintain its defective yet profitable
practices. That is where the money is. First and foremost,
commercial diets are seriously lacking in quality animal protein.
Protein is the single most
important nutrient in the dog’s diet. The word protein, in fact,
was coined from a Greek word meaning “of the first importance.”
Innumerable studies have amply confirmed its necessity and
predominance for life itself. Protein is a primary constituent
of almost every biological process. Primarily dependent on protein
are the formation of structural and protective tissues, hormones,
enzymes, and body secretions and all the basic chemical reactions of
the body e.g. the acid/base balance, the regulation of fluid
balance, antibody formation, and resistance to disease and
parasites. It becomes readily understandable – in view of its
extraordinary importance – that if there were to be any inadequacies
in a ration, the very last place one would wish to see them would
be in the area that involves protein. Deficiencies come about
through a number of circumstances; outright shortages of quality
ingredients, which is the overriding factor, shortages brought about
through over processing, through the inclusion of large amounts of
factors (grain and fibrous material) that speed up the transit time
of the food including the protein through the stomach and small
intestine reducing the amount of time the body needs to
process the ingredients fully, diminishing their value. Large
amounts of carbohydrates and fiber crowd out the most
important TBN’s, like animal protein and fat. Shortages are also
brought about through interference factors like fibrous
material that block access of digestive juices and enzymes to the
food materials reducing their nutritional value. Shortages are
caused by chemical linkage of vital nutrients with fibrous
material that carries them out of the body and by the inclusion of
gluten which lowers the biological value of all the protein in the
ration, factors like saponins that interfere with the absorption
of vitamins needed to properly process protein, and chemical factors
in ingredients commonly included in kibble (phaseolins) that destroy
the body’s ability to utilize protein. All of these
anti-protein factors are alive and well in modern commercial dry
diets, and in many canned and frozen foods as well with no effort
being made to address these shortcomings by most of Industry.
These shortcomings are not present in products designed and
manufactured by the Robert Abady Dog and Cat Food Company. This is
the only company in the world market to offer this advantage.
Shortages of animal protein are often disguised
Here is a typical example of food
promoted as being chicken-based which, in reality, is gluten-based.
Gluten is the protein of grain and has a nutritional value of zero,
making it the worst source of protein in the industry. There are
serious side effects associated with the inclusion of large amounts
of gluten in a ration as well. Gluten destroys the villa that line
the intestines through which nutrients are pushed into the
bloodstream. The gluten filters into the villa and hardens when it
dries, causing the villa to break off. Since the villa cannot
regenerate themselves, the damage is irreparable and permanent.
The destruction of the villa can
result in an inability to absorb nutrients because nutrient
absorption is site-specific. If the sites at which specific
nutrients are absorbed are nullified by effects of the gluten, the
animal may not be able to absorb these particular nutrients –
creating deficiencies that could be irreparable. The food described
is promoted on the basis of its exclusion of by-products or
by-products meals, implying that these ingredients are undesirable
and that their avoidance makes their products superior. This
unscientific and nonsensical approach to food making was quickly
adopted by the Whole Dog Journal who made it the spearhead of
its approach to nutrition. That is one of the many reasons that
its recommendations are invalid. Avoiding by-products, (one of the
most important sources of animal protein available) has
become the marketing tool of the ignorant and in many cases the
deceitful. The claims by the WDJ and manufacturers of
products that are marketed on the basis that by-products should be
avoided and should be replaced by muscle meat is a deliberate and
irresponsible distortion of the facts for a number of reasons. This
simply cannot be done. The largest amount of raw muscle meat that
can be included in a dry kibble is 20% of the ration, which
includes 75% moisture, leaving 25% solids of which roughly half is
protein. This represents no more than 10% of the total protein
in the ration, leaving 90% of the protein in a ration (on a solids
basis) to be filled with protein. The manufacturer has two options,
to fill that 90% with by-products meals or with gluten. The
by-products meals are very nutritious, composed of heads, intestines
(which are literally dripping with nutrients since these are the
sites where nutrients are processed and absorbed by the body), feet,
internal organs, and gluten – which we have already noted has a
nutritional value of zero and potentially serious side effects.
Under pressure from the Abady Company, the WDJ claims to have
modified its stance against by-products – the WDJ will now
“accept by-products providing they are in a supportive role.” What
does this mean? It actually means nothing. As explained
above, the maximum amount of raw muscle meat that can be included in
a dry kibble is 20% of the ration. This represents only on a wet
basis 10% of the protein in the ration on a solids basis. If
by-products are included as a supportive entity, they would
become part of the 10% protein, lowering the amount of raw muscle
meat that is included in the ration. This still leaves 90%
of the protein in the ration to be filled! But with what,
gluten? Typical of the WDJ is the promotion of the
inclusion of whole grains and high fiber such as wheat, brown rice,
and others. Because of their high gluten content they are
significant sources of allergies in dogs. Dogs and cats have come
to us over the millennia consuming tissue from a variety of
animals, each bringing in factors unique to each animal. The WDJ
in its absence of knowledge considers this a minus rather than a
plus. Can anyone believe the nonsense they espouse and still remain
in business? Poultry or chicken by-products meals are among the
most nutritious sources of protein available to dog food makers
today. They are often the nutritional equivalent of muscle meat.
Because they are not consumed by people their cost is relatively
low and can be used abundantly in rations while keeping the cost of
the food moderate and the quality high. Intelligent dog food
producers (like Abady) recognize this and take full advantage of
it. In fact, it is impossible to make a dog or cat food today
that contains enough quality animal protein without the liberal
inclusion of by-products.
The nutritional significance of
by-products can be verified by the following observation. There is
a pond on the property of the Abady testing facilities which is
visited by wild geese and ducks. There are also a number of
resident foxes on the property that don’t mind helping themselves to
a duck or goose dinner from time to time. (Foxes are close
relatives of dogs). The foxes eat only the head, feet, and
internal organs including the intestines (today they are called
by-products). They don’t touch the muscle meat presumably because
the feathers are attached and are indigestible. Luckily for them
that they don’t read the WDJ and discover that they should
not be eating such stuff.
In order to further emphasize the
“brilliant” analytical powers of the WDJ’s brain trust, the
WDJ often chooses as its top foods the worst products
imaginable such as foods that include numerous sources of saponins
and phaseolins. As stated previously, saponins interfere with
reproduction, can cause resorptions and abortions, gastro-intestinal
disorders, and hemorrhages in a number of internal organs. They are
found in beet pulp, soybeans, sorghum, tomato pomace, alfalfa, oats,
potatoes, peas, beans, yucca, and garlic. Phaseolins stimulate
rapid growth while interfering with the body’s availability to
utilize protein. They are commonly found in ingredients that
contain saponins. To make matters worse, many of these “pick”
products contain very little animal protein, but lots of gluten (the
protein of grain with a nutritional value of zero and serious side
effects). They also contain large quantities of expandable fibrous
material, which is undesirable and problem-causing. But, of course,
they do not contain by-products.
Poisoning
The next major breakdown-causing
aspect of commercial dry diets is their inclusion of ingredients
that contain saponins and phaseolins. They are poisons and can
be fatal. Ingredients that contain saponins are: beet pulp,
sorghum, soybeans, potatoes, alfalfa, tomato pomace, peas, beans,
oats, garlic, and yucca.
All of Nature’s creatures are
equipped with defensive and offensive capabilities. While the
natural food sources of carnivores are capable of running, hiding,
and defending themselves with hooves, horns, or teeth, plants
cannot. Plants, however, in addition to producing bitter tastes and
developing thorns, possess elaborate chemical weapons-systems to
ward off, injure, sterilize, or even kill the animals that would
consume them. Plants produce a wide variety of allergy-causing
substances that can cause facial eczema in animals (in ways that are
similar to the way in which poison ivy or poison oak affect humans)
which deter animals from feeding upon them. A number of plants
contain estrogenic substances that will interfere with the estrus
cycle rendering animals sterile (soybeans, for instance). Plants
produce chemicals (phaseolins) that prevent their protein substances
from being utilized by the animals that ingest them, causing them to
become nutritionally impoverished and run-down; their weakened
immune systems inviting attack by parasites and viruses. Others
interfere with the reproductive cycle, causing abortions and death.
Some plants cause heart attacks in animals or dissolve their red
blood cells. Saponins in beet pulp, tomato pomace, alfalfa,
sorghum, and soy do all of the above and more. Some produce
chemicals, like cyanide, which can stop animals from breathing or be
poisonous in a number of ways. The defense systems of plants are
potent, and in many instances deadly, (as deadly in fact as the
deadliest snakes), but they are infinitely more varied. Some
chemical structures such as saponins have come into common usage
only for economic reasons. To the proponents of commercial
nutrition Science is to be avoided at all costs because it would
discredit them. Don’t you remember the “to-do” over what causes
bloat? First it was genetics, then gluttony, then gulping air, now
another nonsensical explanation advanced by a veterinary school –
citric acid. That is how Industry protects itself. By
preventing you from discovering the truth about any breakdown
condition so that Industry can continue producing foods that are
based on wholly unsuitable but highly profitable ingredients.
How the defects of commercial nutrition are expressed during growth
While veterinarians recognize that
dogs on commercial rations grow too rapidly for the quality tissue
that commercial rations generate they try to slow down the rate of
growth rather than intensifying the tissue-building aspects of the
ration, which is totally illogical. One must bear in mind
that growth is the period in life when nutrient demand is at its
greatest. Intentionally failing to provide the nutrients
required to meet the demands of growing dogs by recommending foods
that are clearly unsatisfactory, or worse yet restricting intake of
inadequate foods borders on criminality - particularly when such
recommendations are institutionalized. These are not innocent
mistakes! They have to do with conflicts of interest.
Interfering with growth patterns by restricting food intake can only
result in consequences that will plague the animal for the rest of
its life or cost it its life. This article has already demonstrated
that commercial rations are inadequate for maintenance, in
the face of greater demand for nutrients how could the feeding of
such a ration be justified? It can’t. Commercial rations
cannot be used for growth. Because of this absurd notion that
nutrients should be restricted during growth, growth foods today
are being produced with fewer calories and nutrients and even higher
levels of fiber. Selecting such foods while restricting feed intake
is incomprehensible. Food intake must be determined by
the individual animal. It is up to the manufacturer to insure
nutritional adequacy of the ration. If the food is inadequate (as
is apparent from the record number of breakdowns created by
commercial rations) it should not be fed at all. Food which
includes holistic and veterinary diets should not be double-edged
swords. Foods should be properly characterized in energy and in
vitally important tissue-building nutrients in the proper ratios to
support and foster sound development. Abady growth foods are.
They may be the only ones that can support the growth of large and
giant breed puppies as well as all other breeds of dog. The first
call of the body is for energy (calories). If energy is
undersupplied by restricting food intake, whatever small amount of
TBN are included in the diet will be used by the body for energy
production, making the nutritional situation even worse.
Second, the ration must provide all the nutrients the body requires
to grow soundly. Restricting food intake can also create stool
eating. Stool eating can result in malnutrition and even bloat.
How Do Deficiencies Come About?
The problems associated with too
much grain and too much fiber: because grain is not an ingredient
that is natural to carnivores (neither are vegetables) it is rushed
through the digestive processes much faster than ingredients that
are species-appropriate. This causes diarrhea, which is a
terrifying happening to Industry, because it would cut down on
sales. In fact, no matter how it is accomplished, preventing
diarrhea is an obsession of Industry. That is why fiber
(whether grain fiber or vegetable fiber) has become the core of
every ration. It is the only way of creating a firm stool while
avoiding the production of a quality ration. The most popular
sources of fiber are beet pulp, tomato pomace, cellulose powder and
of course the fibrous material in the whole grains and vegetables.
This makes whole grains less acceptable than grains
where the husk has been removed. It does not make vegetables
acceptable at all! Pearled barley, for instance, is better than
whole barley, and white rice is better than brown rice. An example
is that you will rarely see pearled barley used because it costs
about three times as much as whole barley.
Fiber on a weight basis is
usually included in the 3 to 7% level. While this is bad enough,
it is the volume occupied by these materials that is the real devil.
For example if 1 pound of food contains 5% fiber by weight.
The amount of beet pulp or like
ingredients that is required by weight to yield the 22.7 grams of
fiber (5% of the ration) in the diagram above is calculated by
(dividing 22.7 [the amount of fiber in the ration] by 16% the amount
of fiber in beet pulp) = 141.875 grams or 31.25% of the ration,
revealing that 1/3 of the ration (+) is made up of beet pulp
by weight. These are approximate figures.
On a volumetric basis, beet pulp,
tomato pomace, cellulose powder, cellulose or flour and other like
ingredients when saturated with digestive tract fluids can expand by
as much as 250%. It is this enormous volume of cellulose
that causes damage. Beet pulp (and vegetable fiber) and like
ingredients reverse the digestive processes and raise havoc with
nutrient values – lowering them. They are not appropriate
ingredients for the feeding of carnivores.
Why Large Amounts of Fibrous Material are Included in Commercial
Rations
The way in which fiber creates a
firm stool is by slowing the passage of the food through the large
intestine (the colon). The colon is the organ in the body which
absorbs moisture from the forming stool. The longer the food and
fiber remain in the colon the drier the stool. It takes large
volumes of expandable fibrous material to create firm stools
artificially. The only other way to create firm stools
is by including large quantities of species-appropriate
ingredients – that is the right way. That is also the way
that the Abady Company designs its products – another first in the
industry.
Fibrous material speeds up the
transit time of the food through the stomach and small
intestine, diminishing the time the food remains in the
digestive tract to be processed. This lowers the nutritional value
of the ration, leading to deficiencies. If the food were composed
primarily of species-appropriate ingredients, as is the case in all
Abady products, i.e. muscle meat, by-products, eggs, fat, bone,
blood etc. it would move slowly through the stomach and small
intestine ensuring that the ingredients would be fully processed.
Fibrous material included in dog foods is indigestible (whether from
grain or vegetables) because the dog does not produce the enzymes
necessary to break down cellulose. Therefore the massive volumes of
fibrous material included in dog foods, in addition to the speeding
up of the transit time of the food through the stomach and intestine
interferes with the breakdown of food in the stomach by shielding
the particles of food from attack by digestive tract fluids and
enzymes. The greater the volume of fibrous material, the less
access the enzymes and digestive juices will have to the molecules
of food, lowering the nutritional value of the food and invalidating
the nutrient listings in the Guaranteed Analyses. NO fibrous
material is added to Abady products.
Excess fiber interferes with the absorption of vital nutrients by
chemically rendering them unabsorbable
Fiber can interfere with the
absorption of iron (causing anemia). Iron is absorbed early in the
digestive phase and the speeding up of the transit time of the food
through the upper digestive tract may limit its absorption. In
addition, binders in some fibers link chemically with a number of
vitally needed minerals; including calcium, zinc, and manganese and
may carry them out of the body. This can be serious for a number of
reasons. First, the depletion of these critical nutrients can
result in a host of deficiencies, and second, the binding of trace
elements can cause all nutrients in the ration to be malabsorbed.
For example, in the gastric phase of digestion, specific hormones
are released which initiate the enzymatic breakdowns of foods. One
of the most important hormones is gastrin, which is released by
cells in the back of the stomach; this release is initiated by
dietary protein. Meals that are too low in protein or that are
reduced in protein value (protein value is low when gluten is a
major contributor to the protein in the ration and when the amount
of quality protein is minimized) interfere with the secretion of
gastrin (which is not stimulated) resulting in poor digestion.
Gastrin stimulates cells within the stomach to produce hydrochloric
acid, which causes the food that is starting to be digested to
become acidic; a necessity for full digestion to take place and
protect against food borne bacteria, like salmonella, E. Coli
etc...that is why raw meat can be utilized by dogs, and the bacteria
it contains is neutralized by the stomach acid. A protein-splitting
enzyme called pepsin is also released and begins the breakdown of
protein. Most of the digestive enzymes, such as pepsin, are
secreted initially in an inactive form called zymogens. This
prevents the body from digesting itself. The conversion of these
enzymes to their active forms requires adequate levels of other
converting enzymes called co-enzymes, which are affected by the
levels of zinc and manganese in the body. The binding of trace
minerals by fiber (phytic acid) can, in this way, also interfere
with protein breakdown, contributing to the nutritional
impoverishment of the animal.
Allergies – the direct connection
Allergies are one of the great
problems facing dogs today. They are caused entirely by
commercial diets. While dogs are allergic to some certain
grains, particularly the ones that are genetically engineered and to
gluten (the protein of grain), the great majority of allergies
are caused by the high volume of fibrous material included in dog
foods – this is how they come about. Don’t expect your
veterinarian to be aware of this connection. It will be denied by
his or her nutritional advisors, the manufacturers of
omnivore-targeted, high fiber foods which they promote and sell.
By expediting the food through the gastric phase the fibrous
material introduces large molecules of partially broken down protein
and other food substances (whatever is included in the dog food)
into the small intestine, which can lead to serious complications.
The damage caused by incompletely digested protein and other
food materials being introduced into the bloodstream can bring about
immune reactions – which we call allergies. The large molecules
of incompletely digested food often behave as allergens – producing
allergies. This indicates that the improper digestion of dietary
protein may lead to widespread allergies or hypersensitivity
particularly to protein-based foods. It has also been found that
certain dietary-protein molecules, when incompletely digested, may
cause a reduction in the capacity of the immune system to respond
appropriately by producing a state of low-zone tolerance, resulting
both in skin infections and other types of recurrent infections.
Excess fiber and colon health
While the small intestine is the
site for the digestion and absorption of many nutrients, the large
intestine (or colon) is where moisture from the stool is recovered,
and bacterial action that produces some of the B vitamins takes
place. A few nutrients and other substances are also absorbed from
the colon, including the valuable tripeptide glutathione. Fecal
material is composed of water, dead bacterial cells, the breakdown
products from hemoglobin and bile salts, and undigested fiber. The
colon is extremely important in the maintenance of nutrient balance
and gastrointestinal function. There are millions of bacteria that
inhabit the colon, and if the colon is healthy the bacteria are
of a beneficial variety. The host-friendly bacteria convert
sugar into lactic acid (lactobacillus). They are present in the
skin, the digestive system, and in the vaginal mucosa where they
perform many functions and protect their hosts against harmful
bacteria. These lactic bacteria keep the numbers of pathogenic
bacteria in check by competing with them for attachment sites and
growing room. Furthermore, lactic bacteria create an acid
environment around themselves that is hostile to pathogenic
bacteria. The basic products of lactobacilli fermentation are
lactic acid, acetic acid, benzoic acid, and hydrogen peroxide. All
have significant anti-microbial activity. In addition, the various
strains of lactobacilli produce antibiotic substances, acidolin,
acidophilus, lactocidin, and bulgarican all of which inhibit
the growth of the worst pathogens, including Staphylococcus aureus
and Echerichia coli. Unlike antibiotics like penicillin, the
substances produced by lactic bacteria do not indiscriminately
attack useful bacteria, they only attack pathogens.
Lactobacilli of a strain that has been going for over 60 years
(named LB-51) produce a substance that has significant anti-tumor
activity and also has the ability (unlike all other agents)
to confer upon its host lifelong immunity to those tumors. It is
obviously very important to encourage these friendly bacteria in
every way possible. There are a number of other benefits associated
with a healthy colonization of lactic bacteria. When bacteria in
the colon are provided with a healthy environment, the intestinal
tract is healthy, wastes are properly eliminated, and good nutrient
absorption takes place. If bacteria in the colon are in a state of
chaos, or are killed off as a result of the use of antibiotics,
or as a consequence of the feeding of an improper diet which causes
an overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria in the colon (a diet that
is high in fibrous material), the attachment sites of the “friendly”
bacteria are quickly taken up by resident, fast-multiplying,
opportunistic pathogens. Pathogens are parasitic, not symbiotic,
and if there are enough of them, they will begin to produce toxins
in the colon. Toxic colon disorders (such as colitis) are
associated with higher levels of anaerobic bacteria (those that do
not require oxygen). The integrity of the colon and its
functions is controlled by the acidity of the mucosa produced by the
“friendly bacteria” and by the volume of fiber in the diet. If
there is too much fiber in the diet it will bring undigested food
into the colon which will ferment and putrefy, causing large numbers
of pathogenic bacteria to be generated. These anaerobic
bacteria can proliferate wildly, potentially reaching levels a
thousand times greater than normal. The delayed colon
transit time associated with high volumes of fiber encourages the
absorption of toxins and pathogens into the blood stream. In
extreme cases the buildup of fibrous material can jam the ileocecal
valve (the valve that separates the small intestine from the large
intestine) in an open position, allowing bacteria to migrate into
other portions of the digestive tract. It is therefore important
that the level of fibrous material be kept to as low a level as
possible to prevent this damaging chain of events from ever
beginning.
This is what can happen when the
diet deviates so radically from Nature. Understanding these
concepts the Robert Abady Dog and Cat Food Company
keeps the
level of fiber to the levels found in the raw material.
Now that you have learned how
destructive fibrous material actually is to dogs and cats,
contributing to deficiencies by speeding up the transit time of the
food through the stomach and intestines and by interfering with
nutrient absorption, how it damages the digestive processes, creates
an unhealthy environment by increasing the absorption of toxins by
decreasing the transit time in the colon. Why do you think
beet pulp and its like ingredients are included in large amounts in
virtually every commercial diet? Because it is the only material
that creates firm stools in the absence or relative absence of
quality species-appropriate ingredients. Abady-fed dogs have
even better stools, due to the high levels of
species-appropriate ingredients that characterize them– no other
company designs its products this way.
Transition to Abady products is
easy. Simply administer acidophilus orally until proper function is
restored from the effects of the high fiber food from which one is
switching.
Saponins and their relation to bloat
The cause of bloat is not a
mystery, never has been, never will be. It is caused primarily by
saponins. Saponins are
a class of potent neurotoxins that have a wide range of metabolic
effects. They have caused bloat in every species of animal in which
they have been tested including dogs and cats. Saponins paralyze
the digestive tract and can, thereby, shut down the avenues through
which gases caused by the fermentation of food would normally
escape. Saponins also shut down the vomiting reflex. This
interference with the escape of gasses causes them to accumulate in
the digestive tract to the point of crushing the animal’s vital
organs, killing it in the process. Saponins can interfere with
conception, causing resorptions and abortions. While saponin
molecules are large and not readily absorbed from the intestinal
tract they can corrode the intestinal mucosa if consumed at
sub-lethal dosages over a prolonged period of time, causing them to
be absorbed directly into the bloodstream as if they were injected.
Saponins also create a firm stool by partially paralyzing the
colon. They cause lesions and hemorrhages in the intestines,
brain, heart, spleen, stomach, and uterus. They also cause colitis
and torsion. They dissolve red blood cells, cause anemia, and can
overtax the blood-forming organs that have to compensate for the
hemolytic action of the saponins. Phaseolins contained in
these same ingredients stimulate rapid growth while interfering with
the enzymes that are essential for the synthesis of protein. This
combination of promoting rapid growth while preventing the animal
from developing the tissue strength needed to grow soundly is
undoubtedly a critically important factor in the creation of
structural disasters.
Saponins can cause inflammation in
the digestive organs, often resulting in death through simple
contact with the digestive tract mucosa. Saponins can also cause
selective localized inflammation that can interfere with the
processing and absorption of nutrients that normally would be
processed or absorbed at those sites. This may cause malabsorption
of only one nutrient at the site of the inflammation while other
nutrients absorbed elsewhere in the tract might be unaffected.
It is also known that a number of vitamins are absorbed only when
bound to specific carrier proteins in the intestinal tract.
These binding proteins are produced by the intestinal cells and help
promote the absorption of the vitamins. If the intestinal cells are
inflamed or damaged by saponins, the intestinal mucosa may be unable
to secrete the level of carrier-proteins needed for vitamin
absorption. The symptoms of internal damage (diarrhea) are masked
(sometimes) by the high levels of fiber that are included in
commercial diets, thereby interfering with the proper diagnosis and
treatment of intestinal derangement. The above should be reason
enough to reduce the level of fiber to the lowest level possible.
Saponins are not neutralized by the processing of the food –
quite to the contrary their potency is intensified by cooking.
Despite some non-injurious aspects of saponins, the dangers of
including them in dog and cat foods takes precedence – ingredients
that contain them must be avoided for maximum safety.
Time to wake up, learn, listen, and
protect your animals
Fats and the Omega’s
Fat is absolutely necessary. It is
the body’s chief storage of energy. The storage of fat is a
valuable evolutionary mechanism for animals that must live a feast
or famine existence. Fat enables them to remain alive during
famines. They provide most of the energy to perform work,
especially muscular work. Fat in the body surrounds and cushions
the vital organs and serves as a shock absorber. The fat blanket
under the skin insulates the body from extremes of temperature, thus
assisting with internal climate control, protecting unborn puppies
during pregnancy. Some essential nutrients are soluble in fat –
vitamins A, D, E, and K and the essential fatty acids. Fat is
important to all the body’s cells.
The essential fatty acid linoleic
acid and its derivatives are the omega 6’s. Linolenic acid and its
derivatives are the omega 3’s. They cannot be synthesized by the
body - they must be present in the diet. The most important of the
two are linoleic acid and its derivatives, the omega 6’s because
they have more tasks to perform; they can even replace the omega 3’s
if the omega 3’s are deficient or absent. Those tasks may not be
performed as well, but the regulatory functions will nevertheless
continue to be performed. Most tasks require that the essential
fatty acids, either the omega 6’s or the omega 3’s be of the 20 to
22 carbon length variety. These long carbon chain fatty acids are
only derived from animal (lamb or pork) fat or fish fat. This
demonstrates that notions advocating that there are benefits
associated with the absence of animal fat in a diet for companion
carnivores are baseless. In fact, the absence of animal fat in
a diet makes the body work very hard to overcome the deficiency of
the 20 to 22 carbon variety. When plant oils are used they provide
the 18 carbon chain fatty acids which the body has to lengthen in
order to be able to use them. In that competition the omega 6’s
have the advantage. Given equal amounts of the 18 carbon starting
materials (omega 6 and the omega 3’s), the enzymes will prefer to
use linoleic acid to make its longer chain derivatives and will use
very little linolenic acid (omega 3’s) to make its
longer-chain derivatives (EPA & DHA).
In short both the omega 6 and omega
3’s are very important in the diet. The ratios between the two that
are present in the diet must be accurate. Here is an example of how
this works. The omega 6 fatty acid may lower blood cholesterol by
causing it to degrade faster. The omega 3 fatty acid will also
lower blood cholesterol by reducing the availability of carriers for
it. In this scenario the omega 6 is the most important. On the
other hand the growth of certain tumors is slower in the presence of
omega 3 fatty acids. There are notions being circulated that
because sunflower oil (a premier source of plant-based omega 6 fatty
acids) was used to demonstrate that tumors grow more rapidly in the
presence of omega 6 fatty acids than in the presence of omega 3
fatty acids that it was the sunflower oil that is at fault.
Sunflower oil was selected because it has the highest concentration
of omega 6 fatty acids, is the purest, and the only non-toxic oil in
the marketplace. Virtually any other omega 6 oil could be used.
Sunflower oil is a marvelous source of omega 6 fatty acids and for
proper dietary balance it should be combined with adequate supplies
of omega 3 fatty acids. Overstating the amounts of omega 3
fatty acids in a diet in relation to the amounts of omega 6 fatty
acids is a prescription for disaster (we know of one company that
makes this error and brags about it as if it were advantageous - it
isn’t) particularly because the omega 3’s cannot substitute for the
omega 6’s, while the omega 6’s do substitute for shortages of the
omega 3’s. The Abady Company was the first company, over 30 years
ago, to recognize the need for omega 3 fatty acids and to address
it.
In Summation
ABADY RATIONS FOR DOGS AND CATS ARE
NOT ONLY THE BEST IN THE WORLD, BUT MAY BE THE ONLY GOOD ONES.
The key to such excellence lies in
Abady rations being conceptually sound. They have been designed for
carnivores and are produced according to the strictest standards of
species-appropriate nutrition.
Abady products center around
protein adequacy. They are the only products in which the animal
protein content ranges in the 80 to 90 percentiles. In addition, in
Abady products the entire ration is focused on protecting the
protein so that it can be used effectively by the body. Other
brands offer very little quality animal protein regardless of how
the ingredients are listed on the label. They offer mostly grain
protein, gluten, which has a Biological Value of zero and has
potentially serious long term side effects. Foods in which gluten
is added as a source of protein attest to lack of importance
attached to protein quality by companies that include it in their
products. The level of carbohydrates in Abady is moderated and the
level of fibrous material included in Abady is so miniscule that it
will not interfere with nutrient digestion and availability. The
opposite is true of all other feeds in the marketplace. There are
other foods on the market which include vegetables, potatoes, and
fruit. These products are not species-appropriate and many of these
substitutes for grain (like potatoes) do not offer any advantages
over grain. Potatoes, peas, beans, and garlic contain saponins.
The last point as to what makes
Abady products so outstanding is that what is included is as
important as what is avoided. The Abady Company does not include
ingredients that contain substances that are poisonous like saponins
or phaseolins. It has been explicitly explained in the body of this
article why saponins are the cause of numerous breakdowns including:
bloat, torsion, and reproductive disorders including reduced litter
sizes, resorptions and abortions. They also cause gastrointestinal
disorders (among others). Phaseolins promote rapid growth while
interfering with the body’s ability to utilize protein (essential
for the building of a sound body). One last review of the
ingredients that are commonly included in both dog and cat foods
containing these toxins are: soybeans, beet pulp, sorghum, tomato pomace, alfalfa, peas, beans, oats, potatoes, garlic, and yucca.
None of these ingredients are included in Abady’s dog and cat
foods. Abady products are not only the most effective but are safe
as well. There may not be any other products in the marketplace
that meet these stringent criteria. Certainly, we do not know of
any.
The Robert Abady Dog & Cat Food Company, Ltd |