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  1. #1
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    Interesting read for the die-hard GF fans...

    I pulled this off FB and shared it this morning. I've long wondered why it was bad to feed grains yet OK to feed white potatoes or peas. Apparently peas are not good either. Just something to be aware of. Goes to show it's best to feed what works for your dog, and not follow the marketing hype of the latest fads. And there is probably a good reason to rotate so that your dogs get a variety...



    A MUST READ IF THERE ARE PEAS IN YOUR PET FOOD OR PET’S DIET!

    Peas are the so-called “answer ingredient” (a legume, which are the seeds of plants) for consumers... who are demanding grain-free dog and cat food formulas.

    According to the PetFoodIndustry: “[…] the lowly pea (Pisum sativum) has been gaining in popularity. Not to be confused with the fresh or succulent green pea, the type that is being used in an ever widening array of applications is the dried pea.”

    Many years ago, surfing through Susan Thixton’s (one of my biggest mentors) articles, I stumbled across one titled: “Disappointing Trend In Rising Pet Food Market” written by Kimberly Kalander (aka “The Ingredient Nazi”) and I was drawn in instantly! After reading the article my jaw hit the ground! I had no idea this was happening.

    Today, I’ve teamed up with Kim to relay this super important health warning about feeding peas, day in and day out, to our pets. Have a read below!

    Written by Kim Kalander of Murphy's Premium Pet Food:
    What do you want from your commercial pet food? I would assume it would be the healthiest, most nutritious diet available. Correct?

    How is it, then, that pet food marketed as biologically appropriate, while conjuring images of wolves tracking instinctively through the wilderness, contains peas and pea protein? I realize I am an ingredient zealot. However, I am baffled at how successfully these pet foods are marketed when almost all contain peas as well as other legumes. When I point this ingredient out to a customer, their usual response is: "What's wrong with peas? I thought vegetables were good for animals." My reply: "Yes, vegetables are good for animals.” Peas are legumes. Legumes are not vegetables." I almost expect their next response to be "Who's on first?"

    At this point I imagine myself banging my head against the wall because the success of this marketing frustrates me as much as the illusion that feeding kibble will keep plaque off dogs’ and cats’ teeth when the great majority of pets fed kibble require their teeth to be scraped yearly to remove plaque.
    As a pet food storeowner, I have a unique vantage point to observe what has happened as each manufacturer included pea products in their recipe. Lines that were sold abundantly with terrific results were returned with complaints of digestive upset, ear infections, inflammation of old injuries, while other pets simply stopped eating it. When the food was replaced with a pea free alternative, symptoms disappeared. Over the past several years I have viewed countless allergy test results revealing pea allergies. This is where I began to research this so-called "vegetable protein". What I discovered is legumes, including peas, lentils, and chickpeas, contain lectin proteins.

    Let’s start with the fact that lectin proteins are used to create industrial glues. They are also used to splice or "glue" genetically modified organisms' genes together. Could this be why GMO foods are coming under scrutiny? The natural duty of the lectin protein contained in plants is to detour predators from consuming the plant, more specifically, its seeds. Lectin proteins can travel through the walls of the digestive tract. Once in the blood stream they can attach themselves to tissues such as joints, thyroid, pancreas, and the intestinal villi therefore blocking the absorption of nutrients at a cellular level. The body's immune system can then send out antibodies to attack the protein along with the tissue it is attached to.

    Researchers believe this inflammatory process can lead to a multitude of inflammatory diseases including thyroid, diabetes, arthritis, and cardiovascular disease. These conditions are quite the opposite of what we have been taught about the musical fruit. The fact that legumes cause so much gas should have given us a clue as to their ability to disrupt the gut. I am not saying that a bowl of legumes here and there will cause havoc. Consider this: these pet foods have concentrated pea proteins and, when fed on a daily basis, have the potential to tear up the digestive tract and lead to inflammatory disease.
    My last point is the AAFCO and the FDA gave pea protein a legal definition in January of 2014. It was approved as a pet food ingredient in July of 2014. I am aware of its use dating back to 2007. There are no studies to determine if long term feeding of this ingredient is beneficial to carnivores. Why are products being used in pet food without research? More importantly, why are ingredients allowed when they are not approved by the agencies responsible for compliance?

    Full article - https://wearemurphys.com/pet-food-trends/

    For more information:

    “Dietary Lectins as Disease Causing Toxicants”

    Department of Biochemistry, University of Kashmir, Srinagar-190006, -https://www.pjbs.org/pjnonline/fin1120.pdf
    https://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6823/5/10
    https://dogtorj.com/lectins-the-missing-links/
    Pet Nutrition Blogger - Rodney Habib

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  3. #2
    Senior Dog voodoo's Avatar
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    I have noticed that certain foods that I have fed reduce his dandruff/eye goop while others increase it. Of the 10+ different brands I have fed chili, only 2 so far I am impressed with on the basis of coat/dandruff/goop. Dont really know what else to look for to measure a foods performance. all his stools have been firm since last 8 months.
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  4. #3
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    I think that's about it too...coat, dandruff, eye goop... although Grizz is on raw and has bad eye goop right now, so not sure what that's about.

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  6. #4
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    I appreciate an article that gives it's research sources and I'm off to read them now.

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  8. #5
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    i never thought it ok to feed white potatoes. sweet, yes, white no.

    and as far as peas and legumes- not really.

  9. #6
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    Yes, but the list of some of the well loved GF foods are full of peas and potatoes...so it's worth just keeping this in mind.

    Fromm's Beef Frittata Veg...Beef, Peas, Dried Whole Egg, Potatoes, Pea Protein
    Wellness Core GF Original...Deboned Turkey, Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal, Peas, Potatoes, Dried Ground Potatoes
    Taste of the Wild High Prairie....Bison, lamb meal, chicken meal, sweet potatoes, peas, potatoes
    BB Wilderness Chicken...Deboned Chicken, Chicken Meal, Potato Starch, Turkey Meal, Peas
    Dr. Tim's GF...Chicken meal, dried white potatoes, dried field peas, dried beet pulp (sugar removed), chicken fat
    Earthborn Great Plains...Bison Meal, Peas, Pea Protein, Tapioca, Dried Egg Product, Canola Oil

    I guess if it really mattered to me, in my quick research, Orijen is the only one that doesn't have white potatoes and peas in it. And Earthborn (at least the formula I buy) doesn't have potatoes...

  10. #7
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    what about the other fromm's?
    what about farmina?

    i know farinia has a not gf, but nearly gf, and different grains that we have in the US (spelt?) and that's in the cod, which for some ungodly reason, doesn't make vangie puke. sorry no other way to say it.

    and they also have gf which vangie and jake get too.

    I'm not necessarily a fan of wellness core, tho i did try it with vangie during her episodes. she seems to need more novel protein and sadly i get stuck with a brand I'm not in love with but…..
    TOTW would never enter my house as it's a diamond food. they could give it to me with bells on and no no no.
    dr tim's was touted for a while, had some packaging issues and not a lover of all the ingredients, touting or not.
    earthborn i did use but then there was some issue with too much ash so i canned that one too.

    truthfully, the roller coaster is always gonna be there, and i won't or don't, go for any that had recalls, making it rather difficult to shop for vangie.

    i think if the legumes are down in the list i can get over it. sort of.

  11. #8
    Best Friend Retriever Sue's Avatar
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    Oh I don't know. I worry more about GMO ingredients than I do about peas. Now, the food I normally feed doesn't have peas, but it does have potatoes.

    Oh, and I'm not worried about GMO included ingredients because of some fear of frankenfood, but because your dogs (and yourself) are eating Roundup with every bite.

    Think about it, these crops are bred to be resistant to Roundup, so the farmers can spray their crops heavily to kill the weeds. You don't think it doesn't get absorbed into the plants? Think again. And a side problem is the creation of super weeds, that naturally become more resistant, therefore requiring farmers to use even more Roundup.

    Also, it has completely decimated the Monarch butterfly population by killing off its main food source, milkweed. Anecdotally, I used to see hundreds of them. But the past two years not a single one. And this is even around milkweed.

    So, I look for the lack of these following ingredients when choosing a food:


    1. Corn
    2. Soy
    3. Canola Oil
    4. Beet Pulp
    5. Alfalfa (maybe)


    It's harder and harder to find a food without the above ingredients.
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    “It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them. And every new dog who comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are.”

    Cheryl Zuccaro

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  13. #9
    Senior Dog charliebbarkin's Avatar
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    I've always wondered about this as well. Thanks for sharing.

    Natures Logic is a good one. It's always been my favorite kibble.

    Sue, I like alfalfa and add it to my dogs diet.
    Charlie and Burton


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  15. #10
    Senior Dog doubledip1's Avatar
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    I look for a lack of ingredients and a lack of recalls. Great article.
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