The Truth About "Owner Surrender"

A response to Dr. Chris Collis a Veterinarian in Victoria B.C.

We were lucky enough to have the Times Colonist write a story about what we do here at Growlies on Dec 10, 2011 –http://www.timescolonist.com/business/This+deal+good/5839618/story.html (PDF). We could not have been happier with the article and the warm response to it. Just to clarify, a mistype in the article stated that we make raw food when, actually, we retail raw pet foods from a variety of Canadian manufacturers.

A few days later one of the people who run the plant at Buddies Natural Petfood contacted us to show us a letter to the editor that detracted from what we do. Here is a link to the letter written by Dr. Chris Collis a Veterinarian in Victoria, B.C. that was published in the Time Colonist –http://www.timescolonist.com/health/food+without+risk/5858502/story.html (PDF)

Needless to say I was surprised by Dr. Collis’ fearful response to our happy little article given that there is a long term ongoing discussion about exactly this topic within his profession. Obviously Dr. Collis has never come by to ask about what we do even though his offices are very close to our store. Yet he presumes an awful lot about what we do without any investigation.

See, Dr. Collis says, and I quote “ All pet foods are made from the discarded waste of the human food industry, including those contaminated with salmonella, e.coli and campylobacter. Commercial diet “cooking” destroys the infectious diseases and additional testing ensures the freedom of foreign material, mould and chemical toxins.” While this is possibly true of the foods that Dr. Collis sells in his Veterinary practice it could not be further from the truth for the food we will allow in our store, to be sold to our community.

None of the foods we allow in our store have ever been considered discarded waste. All of the raw food products we sell are made from human grade ingredients. That means none of them were rejected as diseased, discarded and disgusting things our pets should never be exposed to let alone as a food source, cooked or not. We even carry a line of canned food that is kosher and safe for passover.

So my question to the Veterinarian Dr. Chris Collis is that if you know that all of the food you sell is discarded waste of the human food movement, why do you sell it? Why do you tell people it is healthy? That food does not sound to me like it is something I’d want to feed any of my family members, I don’t care how much you cook it.

If Salmonella is such a concern then he should be advocating the food safe handling of all pet foods, especially the high risk foods he advocates within his letter. We tell everyone that food safe rules apply to all of our products.

You can see how many pet food recalls are current in the US herehttp://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/newpetfoodrecalls/ and in Canada herehttp://www.inspection.gc.ca/about-the-cfia/newsroom/food-recalls-and-allergy-alerts/eng/1299076382077/1299076493846 in Canada the list is mixed in with human food recalls.

One of the things you will quickly notice that the list is primarily made up of kibble type products and occasionally a canned product and then rarely a raw food product, usually from the largest companies, because as you scale up you increase the risk of contamination. Quickly reviewing these two lists shows anyone interested in looking the risks involved in feeding the foods this Vet recommends. It also shows how few recalls there are for raw pet foods he warns against. Remember that song when you were a kid “One of these things is not like the other”.

We have been retailing raw pet foods for almost five years now and not one of the raw brands we carry have had a single recall. There was a recall for some raw pet food in BC in this time frame for a raw pet food product purchased direct from a meat packing plant in Surrey, BC. while in commercial kibble diets there have been hundreds possibly thousands of recalls in that same time frame.

I agree with Dr. Collis that if a dog or cat eats salmonella they may then shed salmonella. What this list of pet food recalls shows me and this vet fails to mention is that kibble is a far more likely cause of a pet shedding salmonella than any food you recognize when you open that package as simply meat, fat, bone and organ, but also it is reassuring that it is from the same food chain as the food you buy for your family, unlike the kibble ingredients which this Vet was kind enough to point out to us should not be fed to anything.

So please, when using all pet foods, do use all the common sense food safe rules that you were taught in the kitchen when handling all food. Also if you, like me, own a dog that is all jowly and loose faced you may even want to wash their face after eating all pet foods. But to me, unlike this vet, this is common sense everyone should follow for ALL pet foods.

I ask one thing of people. Question authority and make up your own mind. As long as all pet owners are trying to do their best by their pets, well that’s what counts. Just do not accept blanket statements from anyone and hopefully you will have a pet who thrives rather than just survives.

http://growlies.ca/2011/12/response-dr-chris-collis-veterinarian-victoria-b-c/

Raw Feeding - The REAL Deal

Written by guest, Katie Cagney  

Once upon a time, in a beautiful island kingdom where the north wind blows, there lived a busy modern career couple.  After many years of living the busy modern career lifestyle, the couple decided to break away and chose to try a quieter path.  Now, since the couple loved choc- (err, I mean) - their pets, they thought it would be wonderful to open a choc- (hrm) -  pet boutique that featured a special kind of pet food.  As the north wind blew, they traveled the beautiful island kingdom and found a little town that just happened to have an empty shop on Main Street.

  

The couple opened their boutique, and shared their special pet foods with the townspeople.  Now, this special choc- (ugh!) - pet food was quite the novelty to some, although it really was just a matter of something old being rediscovered.

  

At first, the clientele trickled in, shy and curious; but gradually, as word spread about the wonderful benefits of this special food, the townspeople became more accepting.  The couple were happy with their new life, sharing their pet foods and knowledge.  

This raw deal a good one

Couples leave the rat race to make raw food for pet owners

By Andrew A. Duffy, Times Colonist December 10, 2011

The plan was to do it for the health of their dogs, but Neal and Jo-Anne Cropper have found opening a pet food store that specializes in raw, real food for dogs and cats has had a big impact on their own health.

No commute, no cellphone, no work stress, no boss. 

"It's been fantastic. It's all about quality of life," said Neal, who gave up his position as CEO of software firm Comtech Systems to join his wife, who left a bookkeeping job, to open Growlies For Pets in Langford. "Now my day is talking about dogs and cats. Quality-of-life-wise, it's been tremendous." 

Added Jo-Anne: "I was coming into town from Metchosin every day. The stress from work was getting to me, and this has been a great change. Being your own boss has made a big difference." 

For Neal, one of the biggest transitions was dumping the cellphone. 

"That was the big one, getting rid of the phone and not being tied to it 24 hours a day," he said, adding there was also a change in direction at the software firm that no longer lined up with his own goals. "Ultimately, you have to believe in what you're doing, and as a pet lover this is an easy one." 

The idea came to the Croppers in 2007 in the aftermath of the largest ever pet food recall in North America. The recall involved more than 100 brands of dog and cat food that had been found to contain contaminated wheat gluten from China. "Trusted names in pet food were coming off the shelves and we didn't know what to feed our dogs," said Neal. 

Jo-Anne started looking into raw food for their pets as an alternative. 

Driving by an empty store front on Happy Valley Road every day on the way to work the couple saw an opportunity to bring raw healthy pet food to the West Shore. 

"It's simple. It just made sense to us. If processed food is bad for us. If we're not supposed to live off processed-food diets, it shouldn't be good for our pets," said Neal. "Often, the advice for pets was processed is better, but that didn't make sense to me." 

So with a few left-over freezers from what had been an ice cream store, the couple opened Growlies four years ago, selling frozen raw food designed specifically for cats and dogs. 

"Demand has been growing steadily, but it was a slow take-up," said Jo-Anne. 

The couple, who have since upgraded their freezers and installed glass-front standing freezers for ease of shopping, boast 1,200 members of their loyalty program and have a nextday delivery service that has found an audience all over the region. 

The popularity of it seems to have grown, mirroring the movement to slow food and the 100-mile diet for humans. "That's become really important. We get a lot of people asking where the food comes from," said Jo-Anne. 

The answer is as local as possible. Growlies is supplied by three Island producers, one on the mainland and another in Alberta. There are a few products imported from Australia and New Zealand. 

"If we can, we bring in only Canadian brands, and it's all human quality food," said Neal, though he quickly added few humans would actually eat it given there is no spicing. It often contains some organ meat that humans tend to stay away from and the odd bit of bone. "But we try to offer the variety that would be required in a real-food diet." 

The store's offerings include stuffed (with sweet potato) Cornish hen, whole tripe, whole herring, elk bones, lamb necks and pretty much any kind of protein you can imagine. It's also available online (www.growlies.ca) and can be delivered for a charge of $5. 

"It's real food, it's live food, it has enzymes and nutrients that haven't been cooked away as kibble," said Jo-Anne.

But not everyone was happy.  

There was a preacher – (I mean) - a veterinarian who was studious and dedicated to his discipline.  Many hours he spent pouring over the teachings of the PFC Bible.  He watched fearfully as his church pews – (err) – some of his clients visited less often.  Desperately, he fashioned a passionate speech:

“I’ve studied the PFC Bible for many years”, he stated, reminding the townspeople of his authority on such matters.  “It’s dangerous,” he pleaded.  “It’s unscientific. It’s… it’s raw!  The PFC Bible clearly says that pet food must be cooked.  It’s the only way to be sure that all the bad stuff is taken care of.  Surely, someone could be hurt by this careless practice of feeding raw pet foods.  A child could even die!” he finished grandiosely. 

Re: "This raw deal is a good one," Dec. 10.

I have been a veterinarian for 22 years. The article on the pet food venture has me profoundly concerned. I'm a big advocate of small business, but the raw pet food business is fraught with substantial risk. 

The article neglected the dangers associated with feeding raw meat to our pets. A nutritionally balanced, consistent quality and biologically safe food requires an understanding of biology, nutrition, biochemistry, disease and quality control. There is no routine standard testing of pet food by government agencies. 

All pet foods are made from the discarded waste of the human food industry, including those contaminated with salmonella, e.coli and campylobacter. Commercial diet "cooking" destroys the infectious diseases and additional testing ensures the freedom of foreign material, mould and chemical toxins. 

An ill pet fed a raw diet entering our hospitals would be handled as a potentially infectious communicable disease risk and a quarantine protocol would likely be instituted for the protection of our staff. 

The use of commercial diets are the safest, most complete and balanced way to feed 99 per cent of our pets. I wait in anticipation to see the end of this fad and can only hope that the catalyst for its inevitable demise is not the death of a toddler from a raw food feeding pet owner who thought they were doing the right thing. 

Who would want this type of risk on their conscience?

Chris Collis B.Sc.(Agr.), DVM

Like the cold north wind, the preach- vet’s words sent a chill through the internet, and there were many voices of protest.  One such voice tried to address each of the vet’s points one by one:

I have been a raw feeder for 4 years. 

There is no more danger in handling raw meat for our pets than there is in preparing the turkey for our own Christmas dinner.

I have a BFA; my college education included a 3 month course in biochemistry.

The pet food industry invests millions in veterinary “education” every year.  This education might include a weekend course in nutrition… taught by pet food representatives.

The only reason one would need to understand all the scientific intricacies of nutrition, is if one is not getting a naturally balanced meal in the first place.  When one is consuming a healthy, natural, non-processed diet, only a bare minimum of supplementation should be necessary.  This goes for people and animals alike.

Pet food companies are well known for using sub-par ingredients. They can because the extrusion process kills practically everything, including the nutrients.  Supplements are added in, but even then they play a guessing game to get the correct balances.  By the way, everyone should check the USFDA pet food recalls pages to see how safe their pet foods really are.

Most “rawbies” feed human grade products.  In fact, the Croppers stated that their products are human grade.

Feeding raw, natural, healthy foods to our pets is not a fad.  People actually did it for centuries.  Kibble is the fad.

Enough with the hyperbole, Henny Penny.

Use common sense when handling raw meat, whether for humans or pets.  “Wash your hands, and don’t eat the poop.”

Mrs. X. Xxxxxx

Now, the movie had many little threads throughout, and this story is no different… 

Will the townspeople continue to spread the word about the benefits of healthy pet food?

Will the Vet win over his followers? Or will the voices of the internet be heard?

Though we may not know how this particular story will play out, we do know one thing....

It's quite likely we'll hear it again, from some other little corner of the world... maybe even in yours.

Meg Smart also spends some time in kitchen, brewing up a concoction of work boots, crankcase oil, wood shavings and vitamins. She sends it off to a lab where it passes the minimum industry nutritional standards. The beleaguered industry, meanwhile, says that it’s strictly regulated by the FDA but in fact the rules are written by the industry, and they’re not enforced. Hodgkins wants to see changes such as clear and honest labelling as a start.

 http://redstarcafe.wordpress.com/2008/01/25/a-dogs-breakfast/

The FDA Sends Hills Pet Food A WARNING

FDA Dept of Inspections, Compliance, Enforcement, and Criminal Investigations

Warning Letters Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc 11/23/11

This letter concerns Hill’s Pet Nutrition’s marketing of the Science Diet® Healthy MobilityTM Adult Dry Dog Food (“the Healthy Mobility Diet”)[1]. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviewed the label and labeling of this product, including statements made on your website at the Internet addresses www.hillspet.com and www.sciencediet.com. Based on claims made by Hill’s Pet Nutrition for this product, the Healthy Mobility Diet is a drug under section 201(g)(1)(B) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (“FD&C Act”), [21 U.S.C. § 321 (g)(1)(B)], as it is intended for use in the mitigation and treatment of joint disease in dogs.   As discussed below, this product is an unapproved new animal drug and your marketing of it violates the FD&C Act.  

snip:

Some structure/function claims, however, imply that the product has an impact on disease.  

snip:

The content on your website implies that the Healthy Mobility Diet has an effect on joint disease, including arthritis, by referring to identifiable characteristics of the disease. 

snip:

This letter is not intended to be an all-inclusive review of Hill’s Pet Nutrition’s products and their promotion. FDA has significant concerns about the promotion of other pet foods marketed by your firm. We strongly encourage you to contact Eric Nelson, Director of the Division of Compliance, at the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine to arrange a meeting to discuss these concerns. It is your responsibility to ensure that all of your products are in compliance with the FD&C Act and its implementing regulations. Failure to promptly correct the violations specified above may result in enforcement action without further notice. Enforcement action may include seizure of violative products and/or injunction against the manufacturers and distributors of violative products.

Newsletter From Feline-Nutrition.org

Newsletter posted with permission.

Join Feline-Nutrition to receive your own copy of the newsletter.  :)  Membership is FREE.

Greetings to all Society members and welcome to all of you who have joined since our last update. We've been busy lately and I'd like to fill you in what's up at Feline Nutrition.

We have now passed our goal of 1000 members worldwide and are moving to the "engagement" phase of our work. We need to reach the average cat owner, those people who don't give much thought to cat food. We need to change the minds of people who don't even realize their minds need changing. It's time to move beyond our raw fed comfort zone and get to the people that may or may not accept our message.

I think a lot about how to accomplish this, short of grabbing people and shouting "stop feeding that junk to your cat." That might have the desired effect of getting their attention, but also might get me carted off. But, don't think I haven't been tempted. Reason, common sense and a bit of critical thinking are the better way to go. After all, when you apply these to the whole subject of feline diet, most people will get it.

We have spent time becoming a valuable and reliable resource on feline diet and health. We have spent time gathering members who think like we do. We have a place to direct people to and a large community they can be a part of. Now, we're ready to open some eyes.

We are contacting mainstream media with press releases and I am available for interviews via Skype video. I feel passionate about this subject, but I combine that passion with reason and logic. I promise, no shouting. Well, only if I need to. Every time a feature gets done on the benefits of raw diets for cats, it exposes more new people to the idea and gets them thinking about it. For many people, that's the first step, getting past the "new idea" stage.

We're getting retailers and manufacturers more involved. These are the people making raw diets both available and easy, which are vitally important for transitioning the average cat parent to accepting the idea of raw diets. Hah, and here we thought it was the cats that were hard to transition! Several raw diet manufacturers are working as Society Strategic Partners and going that extra step to help our outreach and advocacy efforts, by including Feline Nutrition printed material in their shipments or by promoting Feline Nutrition on their websites. We also have many retailers that promote the Society and make our Guides available to educate their customers. The raw diet manufacturers and retailers are often the ones on the front lines in the diet wars and they can make a huge difference in what foods people choose for their cats.

We are engaging with local advocates worldwide. Many of you have become active in your communities, both online and on the ground, promoting better feline diets. Online, we encourage members to write about and comment on their experiences in their blogs or pages. Virtually everyone who switches their cats to a raw diet raves about the results. So, go ahead and rave. Please. On the ground, people are getting involved with their local retailers about what foods they want to see, or don't want to see in the case of kibble, on the shelves. The stores want to sell what people want. If you don't see raw food for sale, ask for it. It means many more people will then be exposed to the idea if it's in the stores for sale. Members are also helping rescue groups and shelters educate new pet parents about feline nutrition. A great example: a Society member who is working with a local shelter by providing a raw diet to a specific cat in need and then monitoring the ca t's improvement, to demonstrate what a simple diet change can accomplish. Everyone has the potential to make a change in what cats are fed.

One of the things we have always viewed as important to our advocacy is that the Feline Nutrition website is a safe destination. And by that we mean that individuals and organizations feel confident in directing people to us knowing that when the person gets there, they won't be met with advertisements or an attempt to sell something. That's not what we are about. The only things we are selling are an idea and knowledge, and those are freely given.

We've gone through the second round of paperwork with the IRS for the Feline Nutrition Foundation's 501(c)(3) application. Lots of hoops to jump through. I'll be glad when that part is done. Meanwhile, we have been making contacts with organizations involved in feline health research and making plans for the Foundation's website and its first projects. We've heard from some of you that want to get involved with the Foundation and we are eager to hear from more. Let's get some science going.

We're starting a redesign of the Feline Nutrition website. We'll refresh the look by changing the color scheme, do some navigation improvements, make better use of the space and add new menu items. We never want to let the look of the site get stale; adding new content isn't enough. In addition to the recently added new menu categories of One Page Guides and Answers, new menu items will include a Press category, to make our press releases and information for the media easy to find. We'll also add a category for the Foundation, once it's up and running. We're adding a live news feed and pointers to our new Feline Nutrition Facebook page, in addition to the RawFedKitty page.

Margaret Gates

Director

Dilemmas of an Obligate Carnivore

See my teeth? As sharp as knives,

like scissors they will tear;
It's a good thing I have 9 lives
because it really isn't fair ...
that my jaws don't rotate -- neither will they allow me to chew...
LOOK! No teeth for grinding, either! So what's an obligate carnivore to do?

Well, for one, just get fatter and fatter, as our naturally low thirst drive doesn't make things any easier... so when we spit up that which we can only shatter, just give us antibiotics and Predisone when we keep getting queasier!

If I were also able to process (or taste) something sweet ... not be dehydrated clinically ...
there would be no limits to the things I could eat
instead of being labeled "finicky"!!

So just keep chucking the kibble into my bowl,

as long as it's smelly, won't hear me complain.
Just remember that I'm likely to just swallow it whole
and those vet bills can be downright insane!!