Taking a Closer Look at Commercial Pet Food

Reading time approx 7 minutes

Commercial pet food no doubt is the most convenient way to feed your dog but is it the healthiest?  In short, no is the answer because anything that has been highly processed and cooked to death has no life force in it. Dead food is a burden on the body. We call it dead food because it has no nutrients as the refining process takes out most of its vitamins, minerals and fibre. There are very few that are good, well actually there isn’t one that comes to mind because ALL processed food has been interfered with and contain many unpleasant ingredients including aflatoxins which are carcinogenic, more on this and how different types of processed dog (and cat) food are produced near the end of this post.

‘A staggering half of adult dogs will get cancer and this is primarily due to the food we feed them’. 

A brief history

In 1860 the first commercial pet food was developed by an American electrician named James Spratt. He observed dogs at the dockside in North London scavenging the dry biscuits sailors ate on long trips. The hardtack was made of flour, water and occasionally salt in need of a long shelf life. This gave him an idea so he ditched his electrician job and set out on a new career creating the first ever dog biscuit he called ‘Spratt’s Meat Fibrine Dog Cakes’ which were made from a mixture of ingredients such as wheat meals, vegetables, beetroot and beef blood, all mixed together then baked. Much to Spratt’s delight they went down well with English countrymen who gave his biscuits to their sporting dogs.  

By the early 1900s, more people were taking notice of the commercial pet food market and convenience was the name of the game. Canned pet food was a popular option and was produced in 1922 called Ken-L Ration which was made from horse meat. By 1941, 90% of the pet food market was stamped with seal of government approval and had 90% share of the market. When World War II broke out the canned food was rationed as it was classified as ‘non-essential’ so the creators had to get creative and that was when in 1956 the first dry kibble was produced by Purina through a process called extrusion.

By 1964 a tactful marketing campaign that was on the radio, television, in magazines and newspapers did a great job at imploring consumers to ‘Ban All Table Scraps’ and switch to dry kibble. The marketing successfully convinced the public and to this day many folks are scared into thinking fresh food; as in raw or cooked food is not good for pets and that by feeding a processed kibble is the only way our dogs will get a balanced diet; this couldn’t be further from the truth. By 1988 Nestle (yes, the company that make chocolate bars!) acquired the company for £715 million. In December 2001 Purina merged with Nestle Friskies division to form Nestle Purina PetCare Company. Spratt’s Patent – Graces Guide

Commercial pet food is commonly mislabelled, that contains ingredients which are not listed, or not containing ingredients listed on the label. Only 6% (6/97) of wet and 38% (30/80) of dry food were fully compliant.

Study here: Mineral analysis of complete dog and cat foods in the UK and compliance with European guidelines – PubMed (nih.gov) so there is very little regulation about the content of pet foods, it is hardly monitored, shocking isn’t it! Dog food companies also employ bright marketing staff who work out how to inventively promote dog foods to make them seem appealing to owners so don’t be fooled.  

The word ‘complete’ simply means that the food does not require any additional feed added to it and ‘complimentary’ means it does require additional feed, such as a biscuit mix to a wet food type food. It is not stated that the food is full of all the enzymes, micro nutrients and digestible nutrients that a dog’s body is in need for growth, health and well-being. Yet to be classed as complete, a dog food only has to contain ‘some’ of the essentials and not necessarily those essentials even being at the minimum required level. The general guidelines used by the pet food manufactures here in the U.K are set by (FEDIAF). Their original guidelines that list the minimum and maximum essential nutrients, do not take into account dogs as individuals or what a dog should naturally eat (as in food that mimics what they would eat in nature) so these guidelines are pretty useless and sends us down the completely wrong path. Sounds confusing doesn’t? and why wouldn’t we listen to a big establishment like this, surely they must know what they are talking about? They make the pet food industry a lot of money. It is all about profit and not the health of our pets.

By the time the food reaches its packaging, the nutrients originally present before cooked to extremely high temperatures will have been compromised and altered, so Imo these guidelines are meaningless, because the canine body cannot recognise or make use of these inappropriate ‘foods’ and other unfavourable substances they contain are stored in fat cells. In our dogs’ bodies, these wastes relentlessly circulate in the blood stream, get deposited in tumours or fatty tissues and generally wreak havoc with organs, particularly those tasked with eliminating waste from the body – the liver, kidneys, lungs, intestines and skin.

With thanks to Mr James Spratt the world has been conditioned into thinking that feeding a processed food is the only way to feed their dog. Here are just a few unpleasant and useless ingredients that can be found in commercial pet food.

Cereals: wheat, maize (or corn), rice, oats, barley and sorghum are primarily found in dried food. Many low-grade foods don’t state the actual grain they use and will come under ‘cereals’. Considering dogs have no nutritional requirement for grains and they have a very difficult time digesting them, these are merely added to bind the little biscuits together and bulk out the food, and basically used as a cheap filler! as carbohydrates are more economical than protein. This results in more money in the manufactures pocket and more disease created in our pets. Toxins found in dry food is produced by the mould Aspergillus flavus that can grow on pet food ingredients such as corn and legumes. They are also found in peanuts and tree nuts. The toxins can be present even if there is no visible mould on the pet food – Aflatoxin Poisoning in  Pets. Source here: Aflatoxin Poisoning in Pets | FDA

Most cereal based dry foods contain at least 50% highly refined starch including grains, potatoes, and pea protein or pea flour.

Meat and Animal Derivatives: or also known as by-products. According to European Law these are defined as: “all the fleshy parts of slaughtered warm-blooded land animals, fresh or preserved by appropriate treatment, and all products and derivatives of processing of the carcass or parts of the carcass of warm-blooded land animals”.

This is generally the parts of carcass that remain once the ‘good bits’ have been taken out for human consumption. This can be any part of the animal including beaks, feathers and hooves. Sounds delightful doesn’t it – not!

BHA/BHT: also known as butylated hydroxy anisole and butylated hydroxytoluene are artificial preservatives and antioxidants. A preservative is any ingredient added to food to slow down spoilage. Both BHA and BHT are amongst the most common used in pet food. According to a study here:  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3757972/ they are tumour promotors found in rats (poor little rats that were used for this experiment!). Despite the evidence both are currently permitted in pet food, and human food.

Colourants: artificial colourings are often derived from petroleum. Common colourings used are sunset yellow, tartrazine, ponceau 4r, patent blue V and titanium dioxide which often persist in the environment. Most studies indicate that dogs are colour blind so the only role of colourings is to appeal to the owner and not the dog! Many colourants are detected by ‘E’ number which scientific trials have shown a clear link between food additives and ADHD (attention deficit disorder) and hyperactivity in children. Unfortunately these ingredients have the same effect for our dogs leading to behaviour problems. This can go unnoticed and many owners don’t link their dog’s behaviour problems with diet. Source here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22864801/

Additives: Unhealthy additives like fat, salt and flavourings that are in commercial pet food is designed to be addictive. These make the food more palatable and mask the fact that the food is pretty unpleasant! Most dogs wouldn’t eat it without these addictive and harmful additives.

So these are just a few of the ingredients listed in processed dog food, there are many more! Whole fresh food doesn’t have an ingredients list, so something to think about there! This doesn’t only apply to dogs, it is the same for humans too.

“We are warned to read labels, the salutary truth is that we shouldn’t be eating anything with a label on it” – Author T.C Fry

Dried dog food comes in a category of cooking processes. I have listed them in order of lower to ‘better’ if there is such a thing with cooked adulterated food!

Extrusion: Most common dried food known as kibble. It is cooked at high pressure and temperatures that contain pre-dried ground ingredients in forms of powder. They are sprayed with oil and fats to enhance the aroma (which entice dogs to eat it), and artificial vitamins and minerals are added due to the naturally occurring nutrients largely being destroyed. Artificial colourings can also be added to resemble the appearance of meat and vegetables.

Baking: Cooked at lower temperatures than extrusion which may leave more of the nutrients intact.

Cold pressed: Is cooked at lower temperatures and dried and ground before pressing. This type of food is growing in popularity due to their marketing strategy convincing consumers that the lower heat preserves more of the nutrients.

Air drying: Ingredients start fresh rather than ground or pre-cooked. The heated air removes water through evaporation thought to reduce the damage to proteins, vitamins and enzymes.

Freeze drying: Initially freezing then gently heating the ingredients within a vacuum to remove any moisture. This is the ‘most natural’ form of dry food available and is often marketed as – freeze dried ‘raw’ dog food, which of course it isn’t raw, this is just another marketing ploy (also the most expensive!) this supposedly comes with a good shelf life, and without need for artificial preservatives. Some manufactures advise to add water.

Canned dog food: As already mentioned it became popular in the early 1920s. Wet dog food today comes in cans, pouches and trays. It has more moisture than dried so it is kinder to the kidneys and easier to digest than kibble, but that is the only positive I can say about wet food! The quality of ingredients varies and also the way it is manufactured. Less heat and the number of times it is cooked the better. This is called the ‘sterilising’ process where the food passes through a retort, or heating chamber. The cans are heated to about 250 degrees Fahrenheit (121celsius) for 80 minutes, though the cooking temperatures and times depend on contents, steam pressure, and can size. A vacuum is used when sealing the cans and have a shelf life of three to five years! Imagine that, yuk!

Identical to the way kibble is made, a ‘premix’ of synthetic vitamins and minerals are added because of the loss of nutrients due to the high temperatures that are involved. This synthetic premix is added to most processed dog and cat foods. The majority of these wet foods are basically wet kibble! Because they are made the same way and start off as a ground up powder.

Prescription diets: Your vet has a financial interest in selling you commercial foods. They have been conditioned themselves into believing this ‘food’ is suitable by the big companies that make them; who also influence the curriculum at universities that lecture trainee vets on nutrition. They also own all the research funds too. Prescription diets are much more expensive although they have poorer quality ingredients that are all packaged in plastics that disrupt the endocrine system. These are made by an industry with no oversight that essentially regulates itself who are more interested in making big profits than the health of our beloved four-legged friends.

Cooked Diets: Has become popular in recent years as dog owners are realising that feeding dry or canned food isn’t such a healthy option and want more for their dogs. But are these cooked foods any better? There are a couple on the market that come to mind, both are expensive and contain a concoction of inappropriate ingredients that complicate digestion and dogs can’t make use of. As they are cooked, automatically nutrients will be denatured so to replace them, synthetic vitamins and minerals are added – similar to dried and wet foods, feeding fractionated and refined ingredients that many supplements contain would never be found in nature. The main minerals that will be added synthetically is calcium and phosphorus due to the lack of bone (that naturally contain these) as they are essential for optimal health. These cooked foods are an improvement over feeding processed kibble and canned food but they still go against the principles of what a dog should naturally be eating. Inevitably this will sadly lead to disease.

According to PMFA (Pet Food Manufactures Association). To date (July 2022) the pet food industry here in the U.K is worth £3.3 billion! Staggering isn’t it.

All commercial foods are extremely dehydrating for the body. Kibble is between 5 and 10% water. Canned foods are around 75% water (also known as ‘moisture content’ on labels). As already mentioned, canned food is made from the same debris as kibble so don’t let the labels fool you!

Water is one of the most important elements of the body, and is needed to create energy. This is called Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) a molecule that carries energy within cells – all living things use ATP. Water is also used to create mucus, dilute and transport toxins and hydrate the body.  

All fresh, biologically appropriate foods contain significantly more hydration than their cooked, denatured counterparts. Most fresh, whole, raw foods are around 70-80% water, every cell in the body appreciates water. The body is made up of around 60-70% water, so you see, there is an equilibrium in nature! When the body becomes super hydrated by feeding the appropriate food almost all burdens are lifted.

Let’s talk about Raw Commercial Pet Food

Kudos to you if you have made the switch and are feeding your dog fresh real food! Raw food isn’t treated equally so don’t be fooled into thinking that the commercially prepared ‘complete’ or 80:10:10 you are feeding is going to be the healthiest choice, just because it is a raw diet! I come across many owners who have fed their dogs raw food (as in BARF) for many years but are still facing health issues and disease in their dogs. As I have mentioned in previous blogs, over consumption of fat can be found in many of the pre-made minces. If the manufacturers of commercial raw pet foods trimmed the fat from the fattened up for market animals they buy for the addition to their products they would not make a profit, they are in business after all. 80:10:10 has become very popular over recent years and as long as they continue to be in demand, and consumers believe that this is the best way to feed their dog, they will carry on producing them.

Preparing food in your own kitchen is the only way to keep dogs (and cats) healthy as we have control over what they are actually eating. Many of us are led to believe that they can only achieve a ‘complete’ and ‘balanced’ diet by feeding a commercially made food  (steer clear if you hear this as there is no such thing as balanced premade food. Dogs are pretty simple creatures when it comes to diet. All they need is real actual food that consists of a few essential nutrients that is found in nature, and what we see their wild counterparts eating. Mother Nature is rarely wrong). No one really knows exactly what a dog should be eating – especially the pet food industry! In this crazy modern world we live in, we are constantly surrounded by unnatural commodities that are so far removed from nature. When we go against what our dogs’ bodies (and humans) are designed to eat, the onset of disease will occur. If diet is not corrected, disease will progressively get worse. Indeed dogs need certain nutrients to thrive but it really isn’t as complicated as we are led to believe. We have been conditioned into believing the nonsense that these big companies promulgate (that are also backed by our conventional vets). Vets are amazing surgeons and we wouldn’t be without them in emergencies, but many vets know very little about how to feed a dog (and cat) which is shocking isn’t it? considering diet is the foundation to health and well-being! Not only ‘what’ we feed them is important, it is the ‘way’ we feed them that is crucial too. Perhaps you already feed your dog a raw diet and are still dealing with health issues? Contact me if you are looking to feed your dog fresh wholesome food that promotes health and not disease. All this can be achieved and prepared in the comfort of your own kitchen.

For many reasons that has been mentioned in this post, I do not use or support processed food of any kind. I provide step by step healing diet strategies using whole foods only, the type you can pick up from the supermarket that can be added to your weekly shop! Yes, it really is as easy as that. I provide easy to follow, bespoke weekly meal plans to suit your dog’s nutritional and healing requirements. If you need one to one support, get in touch.

Thank you for reading.

Teresa