[NAGDU] Gas, Dog Food quality, and Long life

[Peter Wolf]

I can’t weigh in about rabbit or gas.  But this brings up a general food inquiry.  We’ve done a lot of research.   It might be nice to share generally what we’ve learned and done for good long healthy lives with dog food.

Between my wife and me in our lifetimes, we’ve lost animals earlier than we might think is really normal for them.  Or, not being as healthy as they perhaps could have been, and also, dying early of things like diabetes - which just shouldn’t be.  In that case, it was the vet  who suggested that carbohydrate laden food weakened and ultimately killed her.  That was directed by a vet.  But if you look at junky commercial food and treats sold through vet offices, it puts us back to inquiry.  

We’ve been feeding the girls good balanced organic food, that seems sensible for their animal type and metabolism.  This, in (money) terms, might be the same we would have spent on medical/health issues in our dogs, possibly for premature death and high vet bills for managing breaking down dogs, becase feeding them this way is expensive.  But this isn’t about money, even if what we feed them costs a lot.  Most importantly, it’s that we want them to live and feel their best, and live the longest healthiest possible lives in the most wonderful shape they can.     

So we’ve done a big amount of research, to find that only some dog foods are really clean and organic.  And even if so, it’s necessary to check the food labels.  Companies come and go, and get bought and sold.  Only the brand label on the front of the package appears the same.  For example, we finally found something that was fantastic food.  We used Castor and Pollux “Organics", which was outstanding and very well balanced food…until we found out that they got bought by Purina.   We switched.  And recently, we read an “Organix” ingredients label.  We won’t use it again.  It’s necessary to stay on top of ingredients.  

Another thing is the use of canola oil.  Canola is essentially a waste oil, which would be great for machinery.  But go consult Dr. Google and you may be as convinced as we have been that it doesn’t belong in food, for anybody.  Canola (from the 
“rapeseed" plant) grows in Canada and now elsewhere.  Nonetheless, unless organic it still gets the chemical treatment of other plants you wouldn’t want to eat.  At one point the found that the plant blasts out of the ground like a weed so successfully in Canada, that when they found that they could press the seeds and get an abundant source of oil, they had a potential goldmine.  And so they had to invent a marketing strategy.  They probably figured out that they wouldn’t have much success with “rape”, so they named it "Can-ola".  

Canola gets put into dog food, even really premium expensive ones, cyclically.  That’s the same reason you’ll buy potato chips one month and it will say “Sunflower oil”, and then later the same brand might say “Sunflower, Canola and/or other oils”…whichever supplies and costs less at that time and I’d understand as “not sunflower”.   In dog food, for one couple of months, it might be chicken fat or something else that’s ok to metabolize.  Then the next time you buy a big bag of the same flavor, it might have canola.  That’s why to stay on top of the labels.  Did you guys know that?  It’s what we've found out once we got it home.  

But this is ok, because it’s good to cycle a dog’s food.  Different meats, cycled on and off every few months gives dogs’ immune systems variety and adaptation.  Corn, soy and wheat aren’t things dogs metabolize well, and can lead to systemic inflamation and allergies, which are a result of it.  That’s in a lot of the low grade commercial foods, as is “fish or meat meal” instead of real meat or fish.  I won’t gross you out on what can be in “meal”.  Unless you want to look up the five or more definitions of “condemned animal”.  

So many names that harken “the wild” or such terms are great marketing.  But most dog food products are all made by a few companies. And we got curious after periodic food recalls of them to begin researching.   In the past couple of years, we’ve arrived at using dry food from Acana.  They are made by Orijen.  Same little company, two products.  Orijen is super high protein.  If we buy it, we mix it with Acana, because protein alone isn’t great for kidneys.  That’s why we like Acana.  It’s a good mix.  We’ll spend a bunch of money on it, but again, we won’t be surprised if not stressing our dogs systems on junky food costs the same or less than tearfully financing chronic or acute vet bills for broken down dogs in the long term.  

Then there’s raw.  We give them a little raw morning and night.  It might be Primal nuggets, but more lately we’ve given them chicken or other meats/organs.  Just a little is great, like one or two tablespoons worth.  In one day, “dog breath” was cured, and their breath has been sweet ever since.  And their teeth and gums began looking better over a longer term of it.  We think it’s about the natural enzymes in raw food.  

On cycles:   We’ll do chicken when it’s in the dry food chicken cycle.  That’s a couple of big bags worth.  Then we’ll get them off chicken when we switch to another flavor, etc.  We’ll buy packages of organic boneless chicken breast for example.  

For possible concerns about chicken bacteria from processing plants, here’s what I do for preparing a bunch at once:   I’d be content just to rinse well and freeze raw chicken, but my wife likes to be sure it’s clean.  Not a big deal really, so I’ll clean the sink, cut open a bunch of packages in it, rinse all well, and then ziplock and throw in the freezer.  Quick follow up scrub of sink again, wash hands, and we’re back in business.   Bacteria attacks are rare.  But my wife is more concerned.  So to prepare a few days worth, I’ll just throw a frying pan with a quarter to half an inch of water on the stove, bring up to a quick boil, and drop two breasts in, either defrosted or frozen solid.  It’s only the surface that would carry bacteria.  Hot water, or the steam from it in a covered pan kills everything in seconds. Turn over with a fork, leave a few moments, and out they go.      A few minutes of cooling, and … Seared clean raw chicken…just like the high dollar tuna item in a restaurant!  The girls go NUTS!

I hope this contributes to your pups’ well being.  It really seems to show in our girls health.  
-Peter


On Sep 26, 2016, at 5:00 AM, nagdu-request at nfbnet.org wrote:

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> Today's Topics:
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>   1. Gas attack! (Tracy Carcione)
>   2. More distractable when the seasons change (Tracy Carcione)
>   3. Re: More distractable when the seasons change (Tami Jarvis)
>   4. Re: Gas attack! (Raven Tolliver)
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2016 10:20:42 -0400
> From: "Tracy Carcione" <carcione at access.net>
> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,	the National Association of Guide Dog
> 	Users'" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [NAGDU] Gas attack!
> Message-ID: <00ac01d21737$ff758e20$fe60aa60$@access.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"
> 
> I've been trying Krokus on a new food, Nature's Variety Instinct Rabbit.  It
> doesn't seem to be agreeing with him; he has gas that could clear the room.
> For some reason, it seems to get worse as the day goes on-OK in the morning,
> deadly in the evening.  I'm thinking of giving up the rabbit experiment.
> 
> I'm wondering if it's a temporary thing that will pass as he adapts to the
> new food, or if rabbit is just not the thing for him.  My feeble old brain
> can't recall previous experiences of this nature.  Anyone have any thoughts?
> 
> 
> 
> If you hear on the news that a building near the UN was evacuated because of
> fears of poison gas, that will be us.
> 
> Tracy
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2016 10:50:21 -0400
> From: "Tracy Carcione" <carcione at access.net>
> To: "'NAGDU Mailing List,	the National Association of Guide Dog
> 	Users'" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: [NAGDU] More distractable when the seasons change
> Message-ID: <00b901d2173c$24074ae0$6c15e0a0$@access.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"
> 
> Rachel commented that her new dog seems more distractable these last couple
> weeks, and she's taking steps to get her back on track.  Krokus is more
> distractable now, too.  In my experience, something about the change in
> seasons makes dogs more sniffy, or so it seems to me, especially Spring and
> Fall.  Maybe it's that it's getting cool, after being hot, or vice versa in
> Spring, and it peps them up.
> 
> Tracy
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 3
> Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2016 08:54:10 -0700
> From: Tami Jarvis <tami at poodlemutt.com>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> 	<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] More distractable when the seasons change
> Message-ID: <1e19e1a6-c496-bd33-f7ce-8119cc2fb570 at poodlemutt.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed
> 
> Tracy,
> 
> I notice that, too. Definitely, the cooler weather of fall is a real 
> pepper upper, and who knows what scents are hiding in all those leaves? 
> A good rain really brings out the aromas, requiring further 
> investigation. Then in spring when the snow melts away, it lets out all 
> sorts of new odors that have been hiding under there. That definitely 
> calls for a sniff fest! Some of the things that start to thaw out beside 
> the sidewalk are things I do *not* want to pull out of my dog's mouth, 
> but I seem to need to at least once a year. Ewww! Convincing the dog to 
> pass those things by is not easy, either.
> 
> The funny thing is that I know this is going to happen, but it still 
> takes me by surprise. Hey! What's wrong with my dog? Oh, right. It's 
> just the season. /lol/ We work on it, and things get back to normal. 
> Until next time.
> 
> Tami
> 
> On 09/25/2016 07:50 AM, Tracy Carcione via NAGDU wrote:
>> Rachel commented that her new dog seems more distractable these last couple
>> weeks, and she's taking steps to get her back on track.  Krokus is more
>> distractable now, too.  In my experience, something about the change in
>> seasons makes dogs more sniffy, or so it seems to me, especially Spring and
>> Fall.  Maybe it's that it's getting cool, after being hot, or vice versa in
>> Spring, and it peps them up.
>> 
>> Tracy
>> 
>> 
>> 
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> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 4
> Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2016 19:12:18 -0400
> From: Raven Tolliver <ravend729 at gmail.com>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,	the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> 	<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Gas attack!
> Message-ID:
> 	<CACQ+kov3z7Gk0-33CFOT+kGaR+RGtWOx61R8t4=krj6BYO8W9Q at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
> 
> I'm not sure if you've fed him this brand of food, but it could either
> be the rabbit protein or some other ingredient in that formula that's
> causing tummy upset.
> There's too many options to make him tough it out, and suffer the
> smelly results.
> Next food.
> -- 
> Raven
> Founder of 1AM Editing & Research
> www.1am-editing.com
> 
> You are valuable because of your potential, not because of what you
> have or what you do.
> 
> Naturally-reared guide dogs
> https://groups.google.com/d/forum/nrguidedogs
> 
> 
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