Dr. Jane's Message
Hello, my name is Dr. Jane Bicks. I'm a veterinarian and I know how much you all love your dogs and cats. That's why I need to get this extremely important message to you. What I'm about to explain to you may actually increase your pet's lifespan. Did you know that it's a scientific fact that an average size dog should live to the 27 years of age and the average cat 30? It's a tragedy that we're losing our beloved pets long before they reach those golden years. None of you would ever do anything intentional to put them at risk, take away their precious years. Yet, you're going to find from listening to this tape that you're going to in fact be doing that.
Besides genetics being one of the most important aspects in the life-span of an animal, nutrition is the other. Nutrition is important from the time to conception to birth, growth, and long into the golden years. What the mother cat or dog eats is going to help to determine the health of the puppies or kittens, including the number born in the litter and their size. Studies have shown that mothers eating poor quality or low amounts of protein will actually have offspring with smaller brains and livers. A lack of vitamin E has been proven to hamper the immune system. Studies have demonstrated that obesity in dogs and cats can decrease their lifespan. Thus we know that nutrition is vitally important.
As a veterinarian for over 15 years and the author of three nutrition books, I beg you please take charge of your pet's life and learn the basics about your pet's food. Most people just don't take it seriously enough. They don't bother to read the label. Pet food selection seems to be based n trivia, rather than nutritional data. Most pet owners buy a particular brand or brands food based on attractive packaging, commercial advertising, it might look natural, high tech, veterinarian quality, whatever. Some of this packaging or promotional support will promise rich supplies of all kinds of ingredients. Some will claim that their type of cooking makes their food better than the rest. No matter what the marketing blend is, many foods just do not provide the type of nutrition you pet deserves. As a matter of fact some foods can be harmful to your pet. Let me take just a few minutes to educate you on how to select the type of food that your pet should be eating to maximize his life. One way is based on the label and the other on the intricacies of food formulation. You're going to be surprised at what I'm about to say so please listen carefully. Pet food labels can be confusing and at times misleading. So let's take a look at two things that you need to understand: the ingredients and the nutritional statement.
There are chemicals that you must be aware of. They are deliberately put into the food. Examples include artificial preservatives such as ethoxoquin, BHA (Butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene). Artificial coloring is also added. Unfortunately, they've been associated with medical problems including allergy and liver disease. Look for them on the label and avoid them for the health of your pet. Most dog and cat foods generally contain many cereals: corn, wheat, and soy gluten meals that are the primary sources of protein. Many of the reasons for this are that pet food manufacturers produce feed for large farm animals and therefore they have an abundance of grain. While it benefits them financially to use these grains in pet food, they can actually cause problems. Corn and wheat causes or can cause severe skin problems and or gastro intestinal problems such as diarrhea. And determining the cause of these problems can be costly and stressful. You'll find meat and bone meal included on the label. This is a cost saver for the manufacturer. What you need to ask yourself is what is the mystery meat? We don't know. And we also don't know how much is meat and how much is simply bone meal.
Meat protein generally results in shiny full coats, strong healthy hearts, and healthy immune systems. But meat protein quality can vary since they add costs to the food manufacturers' food products, the quality and usage of them varies. It's unfortunate, but some manufactures cut cost by using what is known as the four ‘D's, meaning, dead, diseased, dying or decaying animals. The fact that your will never see one of these listed on the label is a crime. Also, not on the label is any chemical or toxic residue that could be in the food. Just recently, pento barbital, a chemical used to euthanize animals, was found in dogs and cats' foods sold all over the United States, including major supermarket brands. The FDA currently believes that the amount of the chemical in our foods is not enough to be harmful to our pets. Many veterinarians disagree and are worried about the feeding of this substance long term, just as I am and you should be.
Let's take a look at the nutritional statement. Don't let the hundred percent nutritional statement fool you. It may mean that there's adequate nutrition, not necessarily optimal. There are differences in the type of nutrition foods offer and you want the best for your pet. Let me give you and example. You decide to eat out and get a balanced meal. You order a fast food hamburger which contains your basic nutrients, protein from meat, carbohydrates from bread, vegetables from tomatoes; your three food groups. The next night your mother prepares the same balanced meal, but her hamburger is made with premium grade sirloin meat, whole wheat bread, and garden fresh tomatoes. Please note that while both diners sound the same, obviously Mom's dinner is better and provides a high level of nutrition. At the cost of your pet's health, many manufacturers cut costs by using the cheapest ingredients available at the time of manufacture. Since ingredient costs rise and fall they will vary the ingredients from batch to batch so they can save money. The label doesn't change so you believe you're buying the same product every time. But the nutrient value is changing with every batch. Changes in food can easily cause gas, loose stool, diarrhea and vomiting. So now that you know that pet food selection must be made carefully and that it's a difficult task. Let me help you.
I'm going to tell you about the food I formulated for HealthyPetNet called Life's Abundance. I had to find a way to feed my pets, your pets, as way that would deliver the kind of nutrition they deserve and must have.
Life's Abundance contains very high quality proteins from chicken, eggs, fish, turkey and liver. There is no corn, wheat or gluten meal. The chicken is hormone and steroid free. That's because studies have demonstrated the detrimental health effects of ingesting synthetic hormones and steroids. Obviously, I did not include any artificial food coloring or preservatives. It's preserved naturally. Life's Abundance has five friendly bacteria such as acidophilus to increase the digestion of nutrients, in insure proper intestinal movement and to fortify the immune system. Antioxidants are tools for health and our food is antioxidant rich. There's no excuse not to include them.
It's been scientifically demonstrated that antioxidants help to deter over 60 degenerative diseases, including kidney disease, heart disease, and even cancer. Life's Abundance antioxidants are derived from fruits and vegetables as well as pomegranate juice, which is a potent anti-oxidant. The minerals are chelated for better absorption. Flax seed meal is added not only for its ability to enhance the skin and coat but due to its richness in antioxidants and the current studies on its anti-tumor potential. Fish oils and fish meals are included because studies show their vital importance in the body's control of illness. A manufacturer must have integrity and dedication. Think of Mom's hamburger. Like her, we pay strict attention to detail. This will determine the selection of high quality, consistent, wholesome ingredients. Our food plant has very high standards of operation and control. It's a third generation plant with a father and son working together. And through the years our plant has learned how to use a low temperature fast cooking method, insuring nutrient retention. We take pride in the fact that our manufacturer is an APHIS Certified plant. This Certification allows sale to the European Market which has extremely high standards for pet food, higher than the United States.
Our ingredients come from the same places that you and I get our foods from. The finished food is always fresh. We make frequent small batches with the ingredients delivered just prior to the cooking. And of course, special bags are used to lock in the freshness.
You see, HealthyPetNet and I have a mission. Since nutrition is vitally important to the health of our pets, we have produced the high quality type of food that they must have. My entire life has been dedicated to helping pets. Your pets, my pets, they can't talk. They're just like babies and just as you would never feed anything that would harm your child, after listening to this tape and now that you know that the food you are feeding your pet may be harmful to them, please, please help us with our mission. Switch your pets to Life's Abundance and share this message with your friends and relatives. Thank you for listening.
Dr. Jane Bicks
