The Benefits of Proper Nutrition

what a misleading slide show! As if pet food manufacturers are using fresh meats and the optimal nutrients for pet health in their kibbles.
Ingredients for kibble are necessarily DRY, and overloaded with more grains and other plant-based materials and carbs than pets should be eating. This is bad for dogs, and even worse for cats! And according to the Merck Veterinary Manual, there is no known requirement for carbohydrates in the diet of dogs and cats.
Thousands of pets have been sickened and killed by "complete and balanced" pet food. It is a myth to believe that any one food product can possibly be "complete and balanced". Freshness and variety are the key components of healthy and wholesome foods.
Along with the grains that are unfit for human consumption, our pets also receive various poisonous mycotoxins. According to a 2006 article in the International Journal of Food Microbiology and available in PubMed, "aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, and Fusarium mycotoxins have been found in both raw ingredients and final products of pet food around the globe. Aflatoxin, a hepatotoxin and carcinogen, has caused several food poisoning outbreaks in dogs, and aflatoxin content is regulated in pet food in many countries. Ochratoxin A and Fusarium mycotoxins including trichothecenes, zearalenone, and fumonisins may have chronic effects on the health of companion animals."
There have been deaths due to overdoses of minerals in pet foods and there have beeen deaths due to vitamin deficiencies. So much for "complete and balanced". Yet the pet food companies keep churning out their propaganda studies....performed by those hired by the companies that produce the food.
The type of omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) that dogs and cats need come historically from prey animals, like rodents and birds. But dog food companies use flaxseed almost exclusively as a cheap source of Omega-3 fatty acids. Flax is NOT a source of DHA or EPA, but it is a source of ALA. Dogs and cats cannot reliably convert ALA into EPA and DHA. The optimal source for these nutrients is fish or seafood.
Do your pets a favor and avoid commercial pet foods. Check my four-part article on Topics in Nutrition for more information:
mysite.verizon.net/res8w765/id57.html

Almmost forgot to mention the huge problem with ingredients sourced from China. Have we all forgotten so quickly the thousands of pet deaths from melamine and cyanuric acid that was INTENTIONALLY used in pet food ingredients sourced from China?
Virtually all pet foods add powdered taurine (an essential amino acid) to their mix to avoid the inevitable taurine deficiency that results from cooking commercial pet foods under high heat and pressure. However, most all powdered taurine is sourced from China. A simple change to feeding fresh meat and eggs will provide a natual source of fresh and healthful taurine for your pet.