BarfWorld: Fresh Frozen Dog Food

This is the season for the nasty flea and tick problems. They carry diseases and can certainly cause much discomfort to both humans and their pets. The objective is to control these pests. The modern treatments are proven to be safe and effective treatments. The pets get relief quickly and are much happier campers. Treating other skin diseases however, can be aggravating and it can be a frustrating experience. The diagnosis may not be as obvious as it seems at first. Many diseases have a much deeper root cause and quick fixes with cortisone will only exacerbate the problem. Treating the root cause of skin conditions can become a lifetime endeavor. I firmly believe that trying to maximize the immune system strength is the best overall treatment to eliminate allergies and skin conditions. THE BEST MEDICINE COMES FROM WITHIN!

posted by Rob Mueller

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There is significant confusion regarding the need for essential fatty acids. I think an explanation would help to clarify the need and the required ratios. Why are they important?

Essential fatty acids are dietary constituents that promote good health. In addition to the need for omega- 3 fatty acids we also need another essential fatty acid known as omega 6. For optimum health we need to consume roughly the same amount of omega-3s and omega-6s. The pet food industry prepares some pet foods with high levels of omega-3s that are effective for treating various inflammatory diseases. However, omega-3 fatty acids are quite sensitive to heat and are destroyed and can easily become rancid during processing. Omega 3 and 6 supplements can provide the needed balance and prevent many skin and coat conditions. Omega-6s contain the fatty acid arachidonic acid. This substance turns into eicosanoids. Omega -6 eicosanoids are strongly inflammatory. Omega-3 eicosanoids are only slightly inflammatory or they can even be anti-inflammatory. That’s why is is so important to balance the two fatty acids.

The American diets developed for human foods contain 10 to 20 times more omega-6s than omega-3s. When the ratio of the 6s far outnumber the 3s we end up with a inflammatory condition. That’s why the ratios are so important. Without balance, uncontrolled inflammatory responses can damage virtually any organ system in the body.

The highly inflammatory eicosanoids produced by omega-6s are great infection fighters, but when left unchecked by omega-3s, they can damage healthy tissue. The result can be a digestive disorder such as Crohns disease which causes the gut to become inflamed. It can cause rheumatoid arthritis resulting in joint deformity, and asthma where the airways become inflamed.

It is my perception that a high percentage of a veterinarians income is due to the devastating effect of feeding our pets dead and devitalized food. Modern pet foods contain an overabundance of omega 6’s at the expense of omega 3’s. Therefore, our pets become deficient in these vital nutrients and they need to be supplemented to gain the needed balance of essential fatty acids.

posted by Rob Mueller

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I read a recent article in a newsletter that I subscribe to called the Bottom Line. In todays ISSUE 4/22/08 they have reported that consumers are being defrauded with dietary supplements. They report that dietary supplements are not regularly tested or regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or any other government organization. In contrast to prescription drugs which must pass an extensive checklist of requirements to the satisfaction of the FDA before they can be released. In addition they are subject to close monitoring to insure public safety. The regulation of supplements are virtually nonexistent. The problem is that even thought the labels are supposed to state exactly what is in the package- no government agency routinely checks for compliance. Thus the supplements are not required to be manufactured under specific standardized conditions. It has taken the FDA 13 years to publish a set of rules on how they should be made but they include no basic standards for purity or how to test for ingredients. Even more scary is that the FDA has not allocated the resources needed to see that the regulations are properly enforced. Consequently, it becomes caveat emptor- meaning let the buyer beware. This opens the door for manufacturers to produce supplements that contain too little, poor quality or even none of the active ingredient they claim to contain- even those that advertise -high potency. It is outlined that many supplements contain incorrect dosage levels, insufficient ingredient information, unsupported medical claims, contamination and pills that failed to release their ingredients properly.

This article portrays an alarming situation for those that rely on supplements to fill the deficiency of an improper diet. It reminds me of the inattentive sourcing of ingredients with the recent Menu Foods recall. We rely on our private label manufacturers to produce a product to our specifications. It is our responsibility as a company to make sure that our due diligence and our internal checks and balances are in place to verify that our product is made according to our specifications and that it would stand inspection by any government agency to conform to the proper labeling requirements and tests for consistency and purity.

posted by Rob Mueller

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The dry dog food companies would like to convince you that there is a definite need for grains. That is because that is what they use for a cheap ingredient source. It is used as a filler in dry dog and cat foods and there is no nutritional need for grains with either dogs or cats. In fact an animal that is diabetic should be warned against feeding a dry kibble diet because grains will exacerbate hyperglycemia. A good rule of thumb for those that are feeding dry dog and cat foods containing these fillers is that the total grain content should be no more than 10% of the total diet. I have advocated in the past that caution should be used when feeding a high carbohydrate source. Refined carbohydrates are the major cause of obesity and ill health in our pets. There are some grains that are highly nutritious but only if you follow the 10% rule can you get away with using them. We are noticing a much higher incidence of diabetes in pets and the high carbohydrate content is responsible for this increase. It isn’t any different in humans. Just look around and you can visibly see the results of carbohydrate overload. Even though humans are more able to process grain- we still exibit the same results from carbohydrate overload.

posted by Robert Mueller

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I’m sure we have all experienced the frustration and aggravation from having to learn a new computer system or program. This week I was all excited about getting a new MAC PRO computer. It was time to upgrade into the newer technology. Well- yesterday I spent over 8 hours with three different tech organizations, and was on hold for hours trying to find someone that had the experience and the know-how to recommend a solution. I spent the better part of the day funneling through the recorded messages and trying to get through to the right areas. I can’t imagine the patience that is required to work as a computer tech. I finally got to the right person that was knowledgeable enough to solve the problem. I hate to admit it but it took a young girl to fix it! It is obvious that the younger generation is more savy in the computer area than the older generation.

I mention this today because I know that many of our customers feel the same level of frustration in trying to uncover and learn about a new philosophy of feeding for their animals. Our function and purpose is to be that technical representative that solves the questions and concerns about raw feeding. I saw yesterday the satisfaction that I got from dealing with someone who could give me correct answers. Our goal is to provide the very best customer service possible.

posted by Rob Mueller

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Each day we are poisoning ourselves and our dogs and cats into disease because of industrial pollution, environmental hazards, dietary applications and medical decisions. These conditions are the basis for the movements toward ecology and health foods. We all know that environmental pollution is hazardous and it creates volatile toxins. We have scientific proof that cooking and processing alters the chemical properties of food, destroying nutrients and creating volatile toxins. We also know that deficiencies and volatile toxins cause disease. Deficiencies and toxicity, not microbes, cause loss of cellular integrity and degeneration resulting in disease.

Consumption of any cooked or processed food, and exposure to pollution creates toxicity, imbalance, and deficiencies. When enough toxicity accumulates, resulting in compound cellular damage and degeneration, disease develops.

How much does it take to develop disease and how do we reverse it? In weaker bodies a little toxicity is enough to create disease. Toxins must be dissolved and discarded. The accumulations of the by-products formed and released from dissolving or discarded toxins also must be isolated and removed. That isolation, dissolution, neutralization, secretion, and excretion of toxins is call detoxification.

Symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, edema,lethargy, and even immobility are indications of detoxification. Detoxification is necessary to reverse disease. It is the body’s way of cleansing itself of toxins. Swelling for instance, is a sign of increased circulation required to dilute and remove toxins and to increase nutrients to toxic areas.

Healing follows detoxification. Proper healing is when the body reproduces cells to repopulate areas where toxins destroyed cells. Improper healing occurs when the body cannot reproduce cells because of deficiencies. in this case it must relocate live or mummified cells from other areas of the body when the cells cannot reproduce. This process weakens the entire body.

What I have experienced in the last 32 years is that a raw food diet gradually reverses almost every disease that has been created from improper feeding of processed foods. Over the last 32 year period, empirical and scientific evidence has proven to me that raw, unheated, non-irradiated, unprocessed food promotes and generates good health and well being and reverses disease. Empirical and scientific evidence has proven that cooked and processed food promotes disease. I can testify to those truths from experience. I have found that pets fed health-giving food which is raw food that is suited for them anatomically and biochemically, is the food of choice. It is Biologically Appropriate Raw Food that makes the difference.

posted by Rob Mueller

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I have recently attended the annual Pet Food Forum show in Chicago where the industry manufacturers and suppliers exchange interests. It is always interesting to see the many changes and new products that are introduced at this show. This year alone there were over 800 new treat products introduced for dogs and about 400 treats for cats. The market is exploding and interest has never been higher for new innovative products and natural foods. The Organic niche market and natural food diets have headed the list of new products. Consumers are concerned about ingredient quality and sourcing of ingredient materials- as well they should be. It has been a real wake up call for the industry in general to make sure that all trace-back programs and recall strategies are in place. More manufacturers are demanding ingredient certification and new regulations are being proposed to tighten labeling laws and being able to enforce the changes. I feel that in general it has been an eye opening experience to have such a vast recall happen and especially at the expense and demise of all the animals that were affected by the scare.The bottom line is that all pet food consumers have become far more vigilant regarding the food choices for their companion animals.

posted by Rob Mueller

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This week I am attending the Petfood Forum Industry show in Chicago. This show is attended by all pet food industry manufacturers and suppliers. This years show is truly different than the agendas that were covered last year. Last year we were thrown into the Menu Foods recall. It seems that the industry has benefitted from this experience even though it has been at the expense of the damages that resulted from that recall. The result is that most companies have taken a positive step to become more responsible for their ingredient choices and have developed recall strategies that will offer more complete trace-back systems in case of future problems. It has been a wake up call for the industry- one that was well needed. The average consumer has been educated and become more aware of the potential problems that exist with modern commercially produced kibble diets. There has been a major shift of confidence to new and improved diets both based on organic and natural ingredients. There has been a significant recent shift to raw foods thanks to increased public awareness.

posted by Rob Mueller

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I am concerned, because for the last week I have had numerous calls regarding pets with renal (kidney) disease.The number of calls has me concerned that there is an escalation of this disease. I also see that these symptoms appear with the 6 to 7 year old dogs. I’m suggesting that at this age the disease has had time to progress to this stage. In most of the cases the dogs have been fed a variety of heat processed grain diets. I have related earlier my theory about putting the right gas in the engine to have it operate most efficiently. At some point (could that be 6 to 7 years) the engine breaks down and in this case it may be the organ systems that malfunction first?

For the last 50 years, dietary protein restriction has been the recommended treatment for renal failure patients. This turns out to be a myth because actually a dog fed a higher than normal protein diet tends to have enhanced feelings of well-being. There are undesirable results associated with restricting dietary protein. If you restrict the dog or cats protein needs you end up with a reduced glomerular filtration rate, protein depletion (decreased body weight), muscle mass, anemia, and acidosis. It is ironic that the energy needs and the minimum protein requirements for dogs and cats with chronic renal failure are actually HIGHER than those of normal dogs and cats. In other words there are disadvantages to restricted protein diets. These include a reduced kidney function, a negative nitrogen balance, and the aggravation of a catabolic state. The obvious conclusion is that the pet must be put onto a raw food and raw meat diet. There is overwhelming evidence that high protein diets enhance renal function in normal dogs. Modern research has clearly shown that the concept of increased workload, protein intake causing injury to the kidneys, and reduced protein intake slowing the progression of renal disease ARE INCORRECT. This should be good news for all those pets that have been diagnosed with kidney function problems and are looking for a better solution than the recommended protein restricted diets.

posted by Rob Mueller

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Raw fat is the most utilized nutrient in the body, especially in our toxic industrial world. It helps stabilize and relax the body markedly when in combination with raw meat. Fats help white blood cell production, assist microbial activity and provide for lubricants to accomplish a variety of functions. In addition, fats provide the greatest, strongest, and most efficient energy possible.

Before modern man encroached upon the native Eskimo populations, the natives consumed fat as 40-60% of their caloric intake. They did not suffer any heart maladies, as long as they ate their natural diet of raw meat and raw fat, absent of sugar and cooked starches.

Raw meat provides easily used proteins to build, rebuild, regenerate, and reproduce cells throughout the body. Raw meat is the only protein that facilitates nerve-tissue regeneration and cellular reproduction. Although all meats help regenerate every type of cell, particular raw meats more readily help the regeneration of certain types of cells. Red meat such as beef, buffalo, venison, lamb etc helps regenerate and develop most glandular tissue, blood and muscle. White meat such as chicken, turkey and other fowl, helps build and regenerate connective tissue, nerves, lymph, skin, and tissue in general.

Knowing that there is a definite difference of meats to accomplish different areas of regeneration is the sole reason for us recommending a VARIETY of meats to your animals. You will notice a much healthier pet once you have adopted this principle of feeding.

posted by Rob Mueller

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