AAFCO. Nope this is not a typographical error. These are the initials of the agency which oversees the standards which regulate pet nutrition standards. In truth the initials spell out the Association of American Feed Control Officials. Wow! Lets stick to AAFCO for conservation of printer inks! While the association will give its approval to both high and low quality feeds they do require labeling which will alert you to the nutritive value of the food you buy. It is necessary to learn to read these labels in order to provide your pet with good and save foods.
Problems with lower qualities of food were brought to light in the year 2007 when over 39000 cats and dogs across the nation were poisoned through contaminated foods. These animals became either extremely sick or died from ingestion of bad foods. The industrial chemical melamine was found to be an ingredient in more than 100 brands of imported pet foods.
Further investigation also revealed ingredients such as rice gluten and possibly Tylenol were also found in these foods. Another chemical found was cyanuric acid which is used to slow the breakdown of chlorine in swimming pools, not exactly what we wish to feed our puppy dogs! It was speculated that the chemical ingredients of melamine and cyanuric acid were added commercially to increase the reported amount of nitrogen in the foods and the rice gluten was added to simply act as a filler. The kindest description of these acts would be sneaky and unethical.
While these recalls did very little to stop the use of fillers in lower grade commercial food it did serve to increase public awareness of these practices. More and more pet owners are learning to read labels and consider the ingredients prior to serving to their animals. Still many "fillers" are not included in the labeling and the possible use of them needs to be recognized. With the continued use of low grade foods your pet can still be ingesting such things as:
*cereal byproducts
*cottonseed hulls
*citrus pulp
*straw
*corn and corncobs
*feathers
*soy.
These fillers are unfortunately used in the place of quality filler, and can irritate the walls of your pets intestines. Feeding of older dogs, puppies or dogs with decreased immune systems can increase this irritation and possibly cause severe health issues. Yet with the currently rising prices of foodstuffs fillers will continue to be used to reduce manufacturing costs.
Fillers such as the above grain products also are at a risk of being contaminated with toxic herbicide or pesticide contamination which could further sicken your animals. The soy products which make up a large amount of filler are one of the top allergens cited by veterinarians and may trigger severe reactions in your dogs. Reactions (as in humans) can include sneezing, hives, itching, swelling, fainting, shortness of breath and possibly anaphylactic shock which would be the absolutely last thing we would want to subject our friends to.
By choosing higher quality food we can increase the chances of nutritious foods for our animals. Products that have ingredients which provide the desired amounts of fats, proteins, fibers and carbohydrates are what we should seek in our purchases. A great start on this search would be the website of the AAFCO. There we can learn the desired amounts of the proteins, etc. that we should look for in a food product. You then can take this knowledge and apply it to the labeling on the containers where you shop. Additional research would be into the reputation of the manufactures. Knowing who you are purchasing from should be high in your search for quality foods. Generic brands and foods priced low for the bulk purchased should be suspect of hidden fillers. Avoid listings on the ingredient label such as potato products or rice hulls. Diligence in searching out quality foods will also help you avoid foods that are advertised as "moist and chewy" or "contains vegetables".
Pet food companies pay employees very good salaries to market their products. Their job is to come up with advertisements which will entice you to buy their products. By knowing desired ingredients and recognizing product labels we can help protect our beloved pets from injury or death through their diets. So visit the AAFCO site, familiarize yourself with the requirements and then purchase according to labels on the products. Loving your pet in this manner should help with a healthier and longer lifetime to share with you.
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