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Freedom
From Illness:
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| July 2019 | ||||||||||||||
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Welcome to the monthly Freedom From Illness
wholistic newsletter from Russell Louie and Margaret Auld-Louie at Optimum
Choices. To receive this newsletter by e-mail or to unsubscribe, see the footer
at the very bottom. Contents NEW WEBSITE coming-
please read if you order online
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Current News
GoFundMe:
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FDA Investigates Potential Link Between Certain Diets and Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM)The purpose of this newsletter article is
to share our holistic insights and give you suggestions on how to raise
healthy, thriving pets and not let them become a Dilated Cardiomyopathy
(DCM) statistic. The following is a summary
In July 2018, the FDA began an investigation into reports of canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs eating certain pet foods, many "grain-free" labeled, that contained a high proportion of peas, lentils, other legume seeds (pulses), and/or potatoes in various forms (whole, flour, protein, etc.) as main ingredients. Main ingredients are listed within the first 10 ingredients in the ingredient list (before vitamins and minerals). The FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) and the Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network (Vet-LIRN, a collaboration of government and veterinary diagnostic laboratories), believe the potential association between diet and DCM in dogs could be caused by multiple factors and requires scientific investigation. For the purposes of this report, cases include an illness reported to the FDA involving a dog or cat that includes a diagnosis of DCM. Many of the reports submitted to the FDA included extensive clinical information, including echocardiogram results, cardiology/veterinary records, and detailed diet histories. The numbers below only include reports in which the dog or cat was diagnosed with DCM by a veterinarian and/or veterinary cardiologist. It is obvious just from the number of cases reported, there was a sudden spike in 2018.
If you want to know which specific breeds are most affected and which brands of food are listed most often, go directly to the FDA report at:
Here is our holistic perspective. We all
remember the massive pet food recall
in 2007 involving wheat gluten, laced with melamine, from China. This
scared many people into investigating a more "holistic" dry food for
their pet. Grains became a holistic "dirty" word and rightfully so.
Substituting one group of undesirable ingredients with another questionable groupWhy do pet food manufacturers add grains to pet food? In order to get the dry kibble to stick together, they must add grains, a starchy vegetable or other carbohydrate as a binder. They also use vegetable ingredients to boost up the nutritional value of their nutrient-deficient meat by-products, meat meal and other indigestible materials such as beaks, feet, feathers and hair that they are allowed to put into pet food. Since carnivores do not have the necessary enzymes, stomach acid and other nutrients to properly digest a large amount of grains and vegetable ingredients, the usable biological nutrient value they actually receive is questionable. The main benefits are to boost the nutrients' value on the label, to meet the minimum AAFCO standards. So pet food manufacturers just substituted the undesirable grains they used, with another group of questionable foods, namely peas, lentils, other legume seeds (pulses), and/or potatoes, without safety or nutritional studies substantiating if these new ingredients were safe in the long-term for your pet. In essence, they rushed to market a "grain-free" alternative and used your pet as the proverbial experimental "guinea pig." Legumes not prepared in a holistic mannerHere is a holistic fact you will not learn
from the FDA. Dr. Weston A. Price studied the diets of traditional
cultures all over the world, from remote villages in Switzerland to
Eskimos to the South Pacific. His work is now being carried on by the
Weston A. Price
Foundation. Sally Fallon summarized Dr. Price's research by
identifying the 11 underlying characteristics of
healthy traditional diets. One of
the characteristics of traditional diets is that they took great care in
preparing their seed foods. Seed foods include any
In our "wholistic" opinion feeding any dry kibble (even grain-free) food is nutritionally equivalent to feeding meat- and vegetable-flavored cookies to a child every single day as their main food and wondering why they are lethargic, obese and pre-diabetic after 10 years. Do not let your dog become a Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) statistic. Uncover our holistic requirements for our pets on our web page, Pet Food. Our good colleague and great animal communicator, Kate Solisti, has more details and holistic solutions on her July blog: Update on DCM and Dog Food Worries
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General Information:
info@OptimumChoices.com Location (available by appointment ONLY)416 Plateau Pkwy
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For
a very revealing report on pet food, click the link:
of
an FDA investigation in progress.
Consider these facts:
nut,
grain (such as wheat) or legume (bean). Unlike modern diets, where we
eat seeds whole with no preparation or just grind them up (as in flour),
traditional cultures would sprout, ferment and soak their seed foods
before eating. The reason for this special care is that these foods
contain enzyme inhibitors that block digestion, as well as phytic acid
which blocks mineral absorption. Also, they can contain gluten, a
protein that is difficult to digest. The reason for all these
anti-nutrients is that they act as a natural system of
preservatives, to keep the seed from sprouting until it is in the right
environment. A seed will sprout given moisture, warmth, slight acidity
and time; then these preservatives get deactivated. So it is much easier
for humans and carnivores to digest seeds if we provide them with these
four factors for sprouting, instead of eating them full of their natural
preservatives. Herbivores are able to digest seed foods because they
have stomachs with two to four chambers and bacteria, where they can
soak and ferment the seeds. Omnivores (humans) and carnivores (dogs and
cats) do not
have this type of digestive tract and traditional cultures intuitively
understood this. Therefore, traditional cultures would soak and ferment
seeds before eating them. In the 1950-60's, Russell's mother soaked
cereal grains and beans before cooking them. Wild carnivores would only
get pre-digested (soaked) grains from the stomach of their herbivorous
prey. Do you think pet food companies know this holistic fact and are
soaking the grains and legumes before using them in pet food? Could the
enzyme inhibitors that block digestion, as well as phytic acid which
blocks mineral absorption in grains and legumes be the cause for this
sudden spike in Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM)? 