Is Corn Just a Filler in Pet Foods?
The number two question I have noted in response to my plea for questions from the head of Iams relates to corn. Why is corn in pet foods? Is it just a filler?
To answer this question I will rely in part on my own original research. I tested the corn-as-a-filler hypothesis personally.
When I was a freshman in college, dinner was served family style each night in the dormitory’s cafeteria. At that time I had not yet ascertained that I was destined to be a clinician rather than a researcher. Therefore I decided to undertake an experiment.
One night my table was served a portion of canned corn. A large volume was left over at the end of the meal. In the name of science I consumed the leftover canned corn. It amounted to at least two cups. In order to ensure the validity of my experiment, I took care not to chew the corn.
The next morning a scientific breakthrough occurred. I discovered, decisively, that unchewed corn is not digestible.
The key word, however, is unchewed. The outer husk of a corn kernel is not digestible by cats, dogs, or humans. Ground up corn is a different story.
I remember learning in nutrition class in vet school (and to answer, in advance, the skeptics who will bring up links between pet food companies and veterinary nutrition departments, I have this to say: give me some credit. You don’t think I’d see through that?) that corn is actually a good source of protein for pets.
When I was in Ohio (remember folks, it was Ohio. Not Hawaii, and certainly not Rio) on Iams’ dime, various Iams representatives pointed out that the price of corn has skyrocketed in the last year as demand for corn-based ethanol and other biofuels has taken off. They state that if corn were just a filler they would be wise to seek out a more economical filler.
I also asked about the future of grain-free diets. Dan Rajczak (head of Iams and and Eukanuba) states that the company is investigating these diets at their Louisville, Ohio research center. If their research shows these diets to be more optimal for pet health (and perhaps more profitable?), Iams may begin to move away from grains.
But enough about corn and grains. I also found out where the names Iams and Eukanuba come from. Iams is the last name of the company’s founder. Eukanuba apparently is something that young men in Dayton, Ohio would say when they saw an attractive woman about a century ago. In other words, Eukanuba means hot chick.
And that wraps up the Iams thread. Tomorrow the Vet Blog will be back to feline Q and A. Dog lovers, fear not. I’ll start adding in some dog topics again soon.
Photo: A scientific experiment waiting to happen! By Vassia Atanassova.
You have questions. 
What about corn as an allergen? Corn seems to be a pretty common allergen in dogs – one of my dogs will get near-constant ear infections when on a diet of any dog food with a significant amount of corn in it.
Corn Gluten is a cause of Celiac disease in humans, and our pets are mirroring this by the problems they have with allergies, skin problems, colitis, etc. Epileptic Dogs have actually recovered when this has been eliminated from their diets. Corn is cheaper to buy from China that is why they outsource to China for it. Sixty one percent of crops are Genetically modified and GM Corn is resisitant to herbicides and produces its own poison Bt. No wonder we have less Honey bees, and the FDA has no concern when it comes to GM foods in pet food. There is so much more to be concerned about when it comes to GM crops. Corn or grain in extruded dry pet food is further broken down by the extremes of cooking, and this form of starch goes into our pets bloodstream as sugar. Carbs cause obesity in cats, possibly leading to diabetes, as foods high in carbs do not signal to our carnivores when to stop eating, they are never satisfied on a carb laden diet. Also their Pancreas cannot handle the constant sugar load either. We believe that protein derived from plant source is not appropriate for a obligate carnivore, and that protein from meat is, plain and simple.
I personally prefer corn-free pet foods, that are meat-based. I agree with some of what Tina said, though the rest (about corn being cheaper from China) I’ll have to look up for myself before I can agree or disagree.
You nailed it, Tina. I’ve said for almost 30 years I’ve been saying that corn has no place in canine or feline diets, and about 15 years ago came to the same conclusion for humans based upon my own personal “research” and observations. It has nothing to do with “digestibility”….it has to do with what happens to ingested corn on a physiological, biochemical, cellular level once it is absorbed into the bloodstream. That’s where it does its damage, so it is actually more advantageous if it’s NOT digested. Nature never intended dogs nor cats (especially cats) to eat corn.
That said, the commercial foods we have now are immensely better than what we started with back when there began a public demand for commercial foods (which is what, ironically, led to the inclusion of corn in the first place: people wanted a dry, convenient-to-store, odor-free pet diet they could buy at an economical cost.) I have literally thousands of medical cases whose survival and increased lifespan can be specifically attributed to the special prescription diets made by the upper-crust pet food companies. My own Doberman who had a hereditary liver issue common in females of that breed out-lived her mother (also my dog) by more than 5 years (made it to 11 years), due to the fact I was able to put her on a combination of Hill’s k/d and u/d when she was still fairly young. Her mother’s liver had been completely cirrhotic and non-functional by the age of 6. Bloodwork on the daughter at that time (age 4 for the daughter) revealed that significant liver damage in her had already begun.
As I said, current common commercial pet food diets are light-years ahead of where we started and are allowing us to see pets live into their late teens and early twenties on a common basis as compared to just 10-15 years ago. But they are far from perfect. Based on what I have seen in my long career as a DVM, there is no doubt in my mind that elimination of corn products from pet foods would greatly reduce the numbers of obesity and diabetes (and to some extent, allergic skin and GI disease) in relatively young dogs back to the levels they were when I first began practice.
There is so much more to say about it than can be addressed in any blog, but Tina: you’ve done your homework and apparently understand the (poor) nutritional value of corn and corn by-products.
I’d like to state for the record that my previous post was NOT an endorsement of “raw” dietary plans for pets at all. That is a perfect example of someone taking an idea that is (mostly) correct IN THEORY, and then implementing it all wrong. People who feed their pets raw diets and/or “human” meats (e.g. table scraps) are what keep me in business due to the maladies caused by such dietary choices. That’s not the answer, either.
I can respect your opinion, Dr Deb, but I started my Papillon mix on prey model raw a little over a year ago, and he’s doing great. Softer and shinier coat, better breath, cleaner teeth, smaller firmer and less frequent stool are some of the benefits I have experienced. The vet i go to is against raw as well, but encouraged me to keep it up after seeing how well Treader was doing.
Any homeprepared diet is not to be done on a whim, because if you don’t know the guidelines, you could kill your dog. But once you know what to do, I’ve found it’s not very hard at all. And my dog is definitely healthier than he was on kibble. I previously fed him Lassie Natural Way, another corn-based food.
Here’s the basic plan I follow for raw:
Type of raw diet: Prey Model (PM)
Treader’s ideal weight: Approx. 15 lbs
Is fed: 4% of his weight
Gets: Approx. .60 lbs a day
Gets: Approx 1.80-1.85 lbs of organ a month
Gets: Aproox. .90-.92 1/2 lbs of liver a month, same amount of other screting organ
Gets: Approx. 18 lbs of food a month
Gets: Approx. 10% organ (5% liver/5% other secreting organ)
Gets: Approx. 10% bone
Gets: Aproox. 80% meat
Variety in meat and bone: Chicken, turkey, beef, pork, and other types when possible
Variety in organ: Generally just liver (chicken, beef) and pork brains
Here’s a collage I set up just yesterday, though the results are more obvious in real life than in photos:
http://fc09.deviantart.com/fs51/f/2009/264/1/6/Before_and_After_Raw_Collage_by_Colliequest.jpg
“That is a perfect example of someone taking an idea that is (mostly) correct IN THEORY, and then implementing it all wrong. People who feed their pets raw diets and/or “human” meats (e.g. table scraps) are what keep me in business due to the maladies caused by such dietary choices. That’s not the answer, either.”
LOL!!!! Wow. Way to massively generalize. I’m guessing you are seeing mostly people who are not doing their research and feeding incorrectly and causing deficiencies. Raw feeders who are doing it right are balancing, use nutritional spreadsheets, and basically keep a lot closer track of what nutrients are going into their dogs’ bodies than the average pet owner. In addition, there ARE lots of vets out there who are… gasp… pro-raw / pro-homecooked.
I do not keep my vet in business by feeding a raw diet…quite the opposite actually. My visits decreased to yearly checkups (where they always receive an “A+ report card” by the way)… as opposed to before where I was there every 10 seconds for allergies, yeast infections, and pumping my dogs full of steroids in attempts to “fix” it…. not to mention jumping through hoops to try and keep their teeth clean… if anything my vet’s profits from me have gone DOWN, but his satisfaction in their condition has gone up.
Corn can be a source of protein as explained here but I still do not buy that it is the most appropriate source. My dogs do not consume corn and they are healthier than they have ever been. To me it’s all about species-appropriateness.
I don’t understand why we continue to insist that dogs (and companion animals in general) should only be consuming processed foods while the current movement for humans is a push towards fresh, whole foods. I’ll never understand it, I guess.
Dr. Deb,
You forgot to mention we would also see a decrease/elimination not only in cases of diabetes, obesity, skin disorders and IBD, but also a decrease in the epidemic of urinary disorders in cats if we quit feeding all this corn and grain-based dry food (I am referencing cats here.)
Well, Hills diet worked for your dog, but with cats I think the science/prescription diets (and of course other dry corn and grain-based foods in general) are doing more harm than good. Case in point: the urinary diets. Why do they have to ‘artificially’ acidify a cats urine? First, dry food (which most vets say is fine and good, and what most cats eat) has a lack of moisture and makes the urine more concentrated, and, second, the plant/grain content makes the urine too alkaline…So we have a lot of cats with urinary problems (note: diet isn’t the only factor, but a LARGE one.) Then they create these acid producing foods which artificially acidify the urine, but then we may see oxalate stones and the food doesn’t really solve the problem. Correct me if I am wrong on any of that….So how about just feeding a species appropriate diet of meat-based protein which will help keep the cat’s urine at it’s natural slightly acid PH.
I also agree with Carissa about your comment about raw diet. If raw is properly prepared it is an optimal diet for cats. That is rather insulting to say “…That is a perfect example of someone taking an idea that is (mostly) correct IN THEORY, and then implementing it all wrong” So everyone feeding raw is implementing it all wrong. There are many very good, detailed websites with the information about correct supplementation, etc. Myself, I’m not completely comfortable with the “raw meaty bones” approach though I know many are (I feed canned and raw) And, yes, there are many vets who promote raw feeding done right. It does have to be done correctly, which isn’t so difficult to do — there is enough good information out there and many cats (and dogs) are thriving on a raw diet.
Hi Dr. Barchas,
I thought this would likely be the general tone this blog… So corn or grain-based foods are fine I guess you’re saying. Corn is a nutritious ingredient, added in dry food for the nutritional value it has… Sure, you can show that corn in some form has some protein value. But again, as others have said, what about the problems with feeding plant/grain-based foods to carnivores. Are there any?
You know, this food debate/issue thing is a BIG issue, it’s not just about having different opinions that we can debate about. Cats are being affected by eating foods they were not meant to consume. It may take time for the diseases to show up, but show up they do. Apparently you work in an ER. I assume you have had to work on cats in hypoglycemic episodes. Hypo episodes with cats who are diabetic in most cases due to years of eating inappropriate diet and their pancreas finally burning out. Diabetes takes a lot to manage — talk about needing to get it right. This is but one of the chronic diseases that is related to diet. I could post more about obesity, urinary ailments, skin disorders, even crf and more…
Maybe someday we’ll have lots of big studies (which are unbiased,
not flawed and not funded by pet food companies) which will show these problems, and then perhaps you won’t say “any food that is adequately nutritious is fine” (you said something like that in a blog). Well, fortunately there are those who have looked at the food issue and the biology of cats and decided it doesn’t matter if we have big studies. They have seen enough anecdotal and experiential evidence, and have used common sense to consider what we should be feeding cats who are obligate carnivores and dogs.
It gets tiring to go over the same information and responding to these type blogs and posts, but I will keep talking about it. It’s very important. I mean no disrespect with any of my comments, I just have strong feelings about this issue since learning about feline nutrition and health the hard way, by having had a sick and diabetic cat — who is now doing great by the way eating a quality grain-free canned and raw diet. :)
Thank you.
Dr. Deb, Im a little confused at your post. Please forgive me if im incorrect, just trying to understand. You said that I was right about the Corn being inappropriate, but then in the next sentence you were saying how good the Hill’s K/D andU/D was for your dog.
Both of these foods have either Corn Gluten, or Corn starch. So I am confused. These foods I believe do not help our pets but just cause other problems in the long run with the inappropriate ingredients. They use things like powdered cellulose ( sawdust)
also salt, BHT/BHA, and the list goes on.
The book that I have recently read really needs to be read by all Vets coming out of Vet school. “Not fit for a Dog”, by Michael W. Fox,(B.VetMed.,PH.D.,D.Sc.,M. R.C.V.S.) Elizabeth Hodgkins,(D.V.M.) and Marion E. Smart.(D.V.M.,PH.D)
“…various Iams representatives pointed out that the price of corn has skyrocketed in the last year as demand for corn-based ethanol and other biofuels has taken off. They state that if corn were just a filler they would be wise to seek out a more economical filler.”
I think it probably takes quite some time (and money) to reformulate their foods using a more “economical filler.” Pet food companies have a lot tied up and invested in their formulas and ingredients. I’m sure the corn increases will be reflected in their prices and sizes — they have to make that up somewhere. I just don’t buy that they are using corn because it is such a healthy, beneficial ingredient, especially for carnivorous cats. They have to use some large portion of grain or carb to make extruded dry food. And it is still a cheap ingredient compared to meat – especially whole, human grade meat and meat products.
I just don’t believe our carnivorous cats should be eating plants.
Commentor, the price of corn has dropped like a rock in the last 6 months. It went from around $6.50 per bu. to currently $2.69. I.a.m.s is not telling the entire truth here, are they. Look at the market reports, and you will see that I am!
Very funny. Your little experiment with the corn doesn’t mean anything. You don’t seriously think that you can compare humans and cats that way? Cats are obligate carnivores. Humans are “all eaters”. Sorry, I dont’ know the scientific name for it but humans can eat anything, meat, veggies, whatever. Cats are CARNIVORES = meat eater. It is very disappointing that you believe the lies of the pet food industry.
I find it sad that people do not understand the meaning of “Carnivores” and mistakenly lable cats under “Obligate Carnivore” and therefore attack others when they discuss the idea of BALANCED nutrition with regards to cats.
Where as it is true that a cat MUST eat meat in order to obtain 2 different amino acids that they are unable to produce them selves and are only available to them through the flesh of other animals and that yes they CAN NOT survive with out meat.
They are NOT OBLIGATE CARNIVOIRE (which means that an animal can ONLY eat meat).
This can be confirmed from the simple fact that cat owners are cautioned not to keep certain plants in the home as they are poisonous to cats. Humans do not provide the plants as a source of food but cat DO eat plants at thier OWN discretion as well cats eat other types of plant matter and CORN just happens to be a favoite of MANY cat. And yes plant matter can and does provide SOME nutritional benifits to cats.
Oh and by the way an animal that can eat anything and derive full nutritional benifits is called an “OMNIVOIRE” as short list of omnivoires are Dogs, Humans, Pigs. FYI
Just a quick note to add.
In the relm of nutrition there are very little or no “Obligate” anything, be it Carnivore, Herbivore, Insectivore,
The only one that I can think of is the Venus fly trap as an “Obligate Carnivoire”.
Even cows some times consume insects and such as they are eating hay and grass these insects do provide them with some nutritonal benifits and there for leave the cow OUT of the “Obligate Herbivore” catagory.
Hey Desest Forest Gosmot,
Please read Dr. Debra Zoran’s (DVM, PhD) article “The Carnivore Connection to Nutrition in Cats”.
Here is the link, I hope this works: http://www.catinfo.org/zorans_article.pdf
Cats are strict/true/obligate carnivores, you can’t dispute that. How should we balance a carnivore’s diet?
Also, cats will instinctively eat grass and plants, but not for the nutritional benefit, but as a way to help them expel hairballs and other non-digestible matter that carnivores will consume.
Here is a link to an article at Feline Future about this: http://www.felinefuture.com/?p=1435
And just because cats show interest in eating foods like corn or other non-carnivorous things doesn’t mean they should, nor does it indicate that they will derive nutrition from those things. Cats behavior and thus eating habits are affected by many things…Feeding cats corn and grain-based food is just not a healthy way to go. There is plenty of information out there (most of it scientifically based) if you want to look into this.
Best wishes :)
Hey Desest Forest Gosmot,
Please read Dr. Debra Zoran’s (DVM, PhD) article “The Carnivore Connection to Nutrition in Cats”. I couldn’t get a post with a link to go through. You can find it at catinfo.org or goggle the title. Cats are strict/true/obligate carnivores, you can’t dispute that. How should we balance a carnivore’s diet?
Also, cats will instinctively eat grass and plants, but not for the nutritional benefit, but as a way to help them expel hairballs and other non-digestible matter that carnivores will consume.
There is a good article at Feline Future about this (again couldn’t get a link here).
And just because cats show interest in eating foods like corn or other non-carnivorous things doesn’t mean they should, nor does it indicate that they will derive nutrition from those things. Cats behavior and eating habits are affected by many things…Feeding cats corn and grain-based food is just not a healthy way to go. There is plenty of information out there (most of it scientifically based) if you want to look into this.
Best wishes :)
Taken from Wikipidia
An obligate or true carnivore depends solely on the nutrients found in animal flesh for their survival. While they may consume small amounts of plant material they lack the physiology required for the efficient digestion of vegetable matter and in fact, some carnivorous mammals eat vegetation specifically as an emetic. The domestic cat is a prime example of an obligate carnivore, as are all of the other felids. The ability to produce synthetic forms of nutrients such as taurine in the lab has allowed feed manufacturers to formulate foods for carnivores (zoo animals and pets) with varying amounts of plant material.
A hypercarnivore feeds exclusively on meat and presents specialized dentition for a meat-only diet
If you read carefully catinfo.org and feline future are trying to sell something. This makes me highly skeptical about the information offered there just as much as I would question Iams or any other comercial pet food company (they have vetrinary dietians there too).
Too bad you missed the begining of the Wikipidia comment. Let me post the full infomation from Wikipeidia. Everything can be manipulated to suite an argument. I always find it best to provide the full infomation and let an individuals sense of reason take it from there.
Sorry I don’t know how to create a link.
A carnivore (pronounced /ˈkɑrnɪvɔər/), meaning ‘meat eater’ (Latin carne meaning ‘flesh’ and vorare meaning ‘to devour’), is an animal that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of vertebrate and/or invertebrate animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging.
[1][2] Animals that depend solely on animal flesh for their nutrient requirements are considered obligate carnivores while those that also consume non-animal food are considered facultative carnivores.
[2] Omnivores too consume both animal and non-animal food, and apart from the more general definition, there is no clearly defined ratio of plant to animal material that would distinguish a facultative carnivore from an omnivore, or an omnivore from a facultative herbivore, for that matter.
[3] A carnivore that sits at the top of the foodchain is an apex predator.
This info follows the Obligate Carnivore
[edit] Characteristics of carnivores
Characteristics commonly ‘associated’ with carnivores include organs for capturing and disarticulating prey (teeth and claws serve these functions in many vertebrates) and status as a predator. In truth, these assumptions may be misleading, as some carnivores do not hunt and are scavengers (though most hunting carnivores will scavenge when the opportunity exists). Thus they do not have the characteristics associated with hunting carnivores. Carnivores have comparatively short digestive systems as they are not required to break down tough cellulose found in plants.
[edit] Plant material
In most cases, some plant material is essential for adequate nutrition, particularly with regard to minerals, vitamins and fiber.[citation needed] Most wild carnivores consume this in the digestive system of their prey.[citation needed] Many carnivores also eat herbivore dung, presumably to obtain essential nutrients that they could not otherwise obtain, since their dentition and digestive system do not permit efficient processing of vegetable matter.[citation needed]
If you go to the list of carnivores on Wikipidia you’ll notice that they list dogs or caniforms which most people know can be vegetarian as they DO NOT NEED the meat to create certain required nutriants.
So if read carfully you will notice that this site acctually contradicts it’s self on the “Obligate” nature. As they use the word “Solely” quickly followed by stating that some plant material is essential (NESCESARY) for adequate (BALANCED) nutrition.
Hi,
Dr. Debra Zoran’s article is posted on catinfo.org, but it was first published in JAVMA. Catinfo.org is not selling anything, but providing information authored by a forward thinking vet. True, Feline Future is selling something, but they have done years of independent research and have lots of informative articles as well.
Wikipedia is not a place where I find the most reliable information. There has been some controversy about the amount of incorrect information there and how the information is authored. I can’t rely on it, but use it for some quick info searches.
Best wishes ;)
This is taken form the Wictionary Obligate Carnivore An animal that necessarily subsists on a diet consisting mainly of meat, because it does not possess the physiology to digest vegetable matter. Such animals may consume other materials (vegetable or mineral) for non-nutritional purposes
Our cats are not Omnivores, herbivores or fuculative.
I posted what was under the heading obligate Carnivore.
My other Concern is the way that Corn, and grain is handled, it sits in wet silos in the heat of the day, causing mycotoxins, aflatoxins, etc, then it gets packaged and sits on a shelf for who knows how long. Then the whole other subject of GM (Genetically Modified) Crops, Eek!!!!! there is so much to know about this
Occassionally the U.S. imports corn from China. Instead of grasshoppers and the like being at the top of the list of contaminents, guess what it is? Human clothing-shoes, shirts, etc. I guess those kids didn’t get out of the way of the combine in time. What they were doing there in the first place is unknown. I will also repeat my last reply, aimed at Iams. raising prices due to corn prices on the increase. Corn price has dropped about 50 percent in the last 6 months. Iams is not going to tell the truth about market reports. It is all about money. I myself will stick with the raw diet. I have seen hips that were OFA good changed to OFA excellent in a matter of 6 months on the raw diet. I would venture to guess that any dog with good hips put on IAMS will not have excellent hips in 6 months, if the dog lives that long.
Corn is a filler. Cats do not need it. Period.
From Iams’ own website (http://www.iams.com/iams/pet-health/corn-ingredients.jsp):
“It is more appropriate to associate the corn used in our products with “corn bread” rather than “corn on the cob.”
Corn grits and corn meal are used in our foods as high-quality sources of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are an important source of energy.”
I checked the formulas of many of their dry foods and they do contain corn grits and corn meal. I was not able to find one that contains corn gluten, which is the only one that contains protein according to the Iams website shown above “Corn gluten meal is a dried protein source”. How is it then that corn in Iams’ food is providing protein?
Now, I like corn bread myself, but there is no way that I’m feeding it to my cats!
What? Corn meal and grits are barely digestible. Not high-quality carbohydrate! Oh, the PFI….
[...] a reader brought up a question in the discussion of corn as a pet food ingredient. The reader was curious about the allergenic [...]
In general I think grain-free is best, but corn in particular is the worst and should not be in any pet food. What I also find really maddening is how every vet I’ve ever had here (in Canada) stocks and pushes Medi-Cal whose first five ingredients are (the dry preventive formula at least): rice flour, poultry by-product meal, corn gluten meal, poultry fat and corn. Hello? Not only is the stuff expensive, but it’s crap to boot. But hey, vets make money conning people into buying this, as I said, crap. So now I don’t trust any vet who hasn’t bothered educating themselves about animal nutrition. And yes, this is one of those issues that gets my blood boiling pretty quick. :)
Hello everyone! First of all, I want to let you know that I am a Veterinary Technician that works for Iams and had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Barchus during his visit to Ohio.
Our nutritional philosophy is based on science. There seems to be some confusion about how we use corn that I want to clarify.
In our cat & dog formulas, we use animal based proteins to provide the essential amino acids needed for our furry friends. This can help promote a healthy urinary tract system since it has a naturally tendency to make the urine slightly acidic. Corn is used as part of our carbohydrate blend in the diets that is a source of energy in the food, not as a protein source. The use of this carbohydrate blend helps maintain stable blood sugar and energy levels throughout the day.
If you would like more info about the use of corn & protein in our diets, feel free to visit our website at the following links……
Corn – http://www.iams.com/iams/en_US/jsp/IAMS_Page.jsp?pageID=A&articleID=351
Protein – http://www.iams.com/iams/MULTI/jsp/IAMS_Page.jsp?pageID=MLA&articleID=255
Yes, Kazumi Joy, I agree with you. Vets are pushing cr*p food on their clients and onto our beautiful cats and dogs. It’s an unethical situation as they are making a nice profit on the sale of food like Science Die-it, and cr*p.. And marketing it as “vet recommended or prescribed.”
“Not only is the stuff expensive, but it’s crap to boot. But hey, vets make money conning people into buying this, as I said, crap. So now I don’t trust any vet who hasn’t bothered educating themselves about animal nutrition. And yes, this is one of those issues that gets my blood boiling pretty quick.” Well said, Kazumi Joy, I agree!!!
So Emily, could you please clarify? You’re saying that IAMs dry food is a good urinary product for cats??? okaayy… Please explain this some more…
“In our cat & dog formulas, we use animal based proteins to provide the essential amino acids needed for our furry friends. This can help promote a healthy urinary tract system since it has a naturally tendency to make the urine slightly acidic.”
Well, yeah, a natural animal-based protein diet would help to keep the urine slightly acidic if you were feeding an animal-based protein wet diet, but you’re talking about dry food, right? Well, some dried processed poultry meal in dry food is not enough to provide what cats need to keep the urinary tract healthy. Dry food has lack of moisture and the grain/carb/plant content will also make the urine too alkaline (very brief explanation of the problems with dry food in urinary health). Please explain the “science” behind what you said.
If that’s what you’re saying, then all dry food that contains some “animal protein” aka dried processed poultry or meat meal, would be good for urinary health. I disagree completely.
And then you say: “Corn is used as part of our carbohydrate blend in the diets that is a source of energy in the food, not as a protein source. The use of this carbohydrate blend helps maintain stable blood sugar and energy levels throughout the day.”
First, Iams was one of the dry foods I used to feed my cat and he became diabetic at 12 years old! How does a carbohydrate stabilize blood glucose levels, particularly in cats, who are obligate carnivores. Should I be feeding corn to my diabetic cat to help his blood glucose levels? If I gave my cat corn or corn gluten his BGs would sky rocket. I test his BGs daily, and I know what happens when he gets into any form of carbohydrate. I don’t even know what to say to this. Where is the “science” behind this one as well?
I will say that I think Iams is less offensive than other pet food companies that market themselves as some superior vet-approved food, when as Kazumi Joy said so well, the food is just crap. Well at least Iams isn’t doing that. I suppose there will always be people who will want low cost, convenient, dry foods, which I obviously don’t think is a healthy or economical way to go; but come on, those points about urinary health and healthy blood glucose levels from eating Iams — please, come on.
That is right Jen, there is no Science behind these kind of foods.
The only Science is that our cats are obligate carnivores and their digestive tracts have not evolved as of yet to eat cereal high in carbs. It takes millions of years for this to evolve.
These foods raise the glycemic index, not regulate it, especially when most people find it convenient to free feed this food.
Also this causes cats to be prone to obesity,then even more problems occur.
what a load of houey.
“But enough about corn and grains. I also found out where the names Iams and Eukanuba come from”..gee that’s what we all wanted to know!
who cares about their animal testing or rendered meat.
you do know what the rendered meat comes from dr?
ohio or hawaii? nice slur for the buckeye state and a revealing comment on your ethics.
corn or cardboard?
this blog says it all:
integrity is for sale in almost every doctor’s waiting room.
While so many of you are jumping on the blogger about her stance on corn in pet food while promoting some variety of raw diet as being an all natural way to go – Soo how many of you really believe every cat owner in the country has time, energy and desire to go out and catch mice, lizards and snakes to give our felines?
Yes ladies and gentlemen rodents are what is what nature designed the cat to eat , I mean really how many times have you seen house cats go out and hunt cow, pig or chicken for dinner? How many cats do you think go fishing for tuna or shrimp? Hello – any one home yet.
Do I think pet food manufactures could do better ? Yes I do I think many of them could and I agree that corn has no business in cat food , especially as a primary ingredient. Do I buy the splurge about corn providing some benefit to out pets particularly cats – nope not any more than you do but I also realize that pet food manufactures do provide a service for profit – Yes the dirty word profit – as in do you work for free I know I don’t no one does. I think encouraging some improvement in the diet of cats is in order I do not think that is going to be accomplished by accusing the blogger of being bought.
While many will blame pet food for diabetes in your pet how many of you are ensuring that your pets get adequate exercise to go with those calories – Diet is only a partial portion of the problem lack of physical exercise is another piece of the puzzle. While it is easy to place the fault for kidney problems in cats in the laps of pet foods not once has any one really considered the facts of life as they truly are for the “wild feline”
See I “specialize” in the feral feline. I have a colony of felines living in the country on a some acreage I own. I doubt many of you are familiar with the life of the feline living in the “wild” – They do NOT LIVE long enough to get diabetes nor kidney failure Most cats living in the wild die of trauma just like most other wild animals do For contrary to the warm fuzzies we like to feel nature does not provide for “retirement” the minute the feline looses it’s edge or becomes ill they not only decrease their chances of getting a meal the chances of being a meal increase – Natural is not as pretty as many like to think.
I have 12 cats who were living in the wild eating what nature intended. They were half starved and their diet consisted of any thing and every thing that did not eat them first. Feral cats are amazingly not picky about what they ingest – I decided to assist nature in their care. Based upon this experience , the only aspect that improved the health and life of the feral colony more than dry cat food was sterilization. The same improvement is seen in the feral felines living in my back yard It would seem to me that a decent brand of dry cat food with some sort of meat meal as a primary ingredient {listed first} improves the lives of felines and may actually be a primary reason some cats actually live long enough to acquire kidney failure and diabetes
I do hope I have made my point . . . .
The thing is Mead that our domesticated felines in our home are descendents of the bigger african wild cats, and these bigger cats have the same digestive system as our pet cats, this has not changed, and these bigger cats do eat bigger animals like cows and such. Some raw feeders do feed rats and insects, etc to their pets, but no I dont think that most people are going to do that.
It is all in the convenience, us humans need that in our busy lives.
Though we can educate ourselves on feline nutrition, and I believe that we can give our cats longer, happier lives when fed a species appropriate diet, wether that be raw or a high protein wet cat food.
Sure profits are normal, nothing wrong with that, but…..when you look at alot of these companies, alot of them are trying to appeal to the humans by putting fancy pictures of fruits and vegies on the packages, when in fact this is not what are cats need. Also the whole thing about recalls/China, etc eek!!
Wild cats of course are not going to live long when they are outside, but the ones that we have as pets that live indoors with us we can give a long and healthy life to, but we have to do that they do not get to choose. Of course there are going to be some cats that genetically get some diseases, but alot of those diseases can be prevented on a proper diet alone. I would also hope that most pet parents would keep their pets exercised and happy.
Mead, no, I don’t really get your point, but…First, my objection to dry, grain-based, highly processed food doesn’t mean I think raw is the only way to go. Quality grain-free canned OR raw is most species appropriate for cats.
Yes, rodents, birds, etc are natural prey for cats. What we need to be doing is trying to replicate a cats natural diet based on the protein, fat, moisture and carbohydrate content of the food. You can do this with raw or canned food.
No, I don’t know many people who have the “time, energy and desire to go out and catch mice, lizards and snakes to give our felines.” That’s funny! I’ll leave the hunting to the natural hunters.
Other forms of protein are certainly acceptable for cats. Though there are people who feed a “whole prey” (whole frozen mice or other animals) it is not going to be a common thing. I don’t really want to do it, but I want to feed my obligate carnivore cats what works for their systems and promotes health.
There is nothing dirty or wrong with making a profit on a product. We all need to make a living and make money. What I object to is that the veterinary industry sells poor quality, species inappropriate food as if it were some gold standard, something wonderful and beneficial for cats. This is when the profit here does become dirty. It’s the worst thing cats should be eating, and vets and the pet food industry are making large profit selling food not fit for cats. Vets don’t question this. Why can’t they just make money selling quality, health-promoting food, species appropriate food? It is dirty when the pet food companies market themselves as caring so much about the health of your cat, when it is really all about the bottom line. Make a profit, but don’t profit with products that may exacerbate diseases.
Please don’t get me started about diabetes, I have had a diabetic cat for three years. With proper diet and insulin he continues to improve, his insulin needs continue to decrease and goes days without insulin. I don’t know if he will ever go into complete remission as his pancreas has been damaged from,YES, a constant overload dry food/ carb/grain=sugar/glucose which I fed in the past. Dry food certainly contributed, if not caused his diabetes. Again, I know what happens when he eats any form of carbohydrate. His health is compromised eating dry food, period.
Exercise is a factor for the health of all cats, including diabetics. And it’s not about “calories” to go along with exercise, it’s about the carbohydrate load in a carnivore’s system. Visit http://www.felinediabetes.com and the message board there if you want to learn about diabetes.
Sterilization or TNR are great for feral cats, but poor quality dry food is not healthful for any cat. Highly processed food out of a bag, day in and day out, wouldn’t be healthful for any living being. If all you can feed is dry food, yes, go for grain-free dry with higher protein content; there are some much more quality brands without all the grains which are reasonably priced. We do what we can.
Mead, have you look at http://www.catinfo.org? Dr. Lisa Pierson has a lot of great info on her site about nutrition and she is also involved with ferals and TNR.
Best wishes to you and your ferals. Very kind of you to care for them.
I do feel that raw is best, but I also realize that not everyone is in a position to feed raw. For one, because I can’t afford to feed my 75 lb GSD a 100% raw diet. You only only feed 2-4% of the dog’s weight, but imagine how much meat and organs I’d need to buy to keep her fed! Couldn’t afford that in my financial situation. My other dog, a Papillon mix, is on 100% raw, on the other hand. He’s a little fella, I get about 18 lbs of meat a month for him.