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cultureslayer
Joined: 07 Apr 2006
Posts: 999
Location: NC
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 Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2008 7:10 pm Post subject: gluten free pet food, incorrect labeling |
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Ok, I have run into a situation I need advice on. A pet food company called blue buffalo labels all their foods "gluten-free" but they use barley as their main grain! Am I over-reacting asking them to change their labeling? I know that contact dermatitis is a common problem for some celiacs, and even if you can return the opened bag for a refund after you get a rash from feeding your pet if you don't read the ingredients, it's no fun. I mentioned to one of their regional managers that people with food allergies often try to avoid those ingredients in their pet's food for safety reasons, and she shrugged it off as "well some people think what's not good for them isn't good for their pet" 
Am I justified in being annoyed that they label their food incorrectly and are not concerned with human allergies to their pet's food, or did someone just piss in my cheerios the last couple days?
This situation arose when I applied for a part time job pimping their food at Petsmart, but I think I am going to quit based on their lack of concern I have seen so far. I can not recommend a food that's incorrectly labeled. Their training session was insultingly basic, the hardest part of the job will be sticking to their uber basic info instead of what I know from other sources.
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Lauren
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cardine45
Joined: 15 Apr 2008
Posts: 586
Location: Kalamazoo, MI
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| Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2008 9:34 pm Post subject: Re: gluten free pet food, incorrect labeling |
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| cultureslayer wrote: | | Am I justified in being annoyed that they label their food incorrectly and are not concerned with human allergies to their pet's food, or did someone just piss in my cheerios the last couple days? |
I think you're entirely justified in being annoyed. Obviously, some people can get rashes from touching it, but beyond that, it is possible to have accidental ingestion. I don't think anyone would purposely eat their pets food, but I know there have been instances where one of my dogs caught my lips when they were licking me. There is also the chance that my cat is cleaning itself after it eats, I pet them, then eat without washing my hands, and suddenly I get glutened. I know it's not highly likely for someone to get sick from their pets food, but it could happen which is enough for me to be concerned.
Anyway, my point is that I think it is wrong for a company to say their pet food is gluten-free if it is not. Some people may relax a little more if they think their pets food is safe. I would love to find one that truly is gluten free (treats too). I think it's gross in the first place, but I've seen my friends give my dogs a treat, and then wipe the slobber off their hand on the hand towel in my kitchen. What happens if I wipe my hands, transferring the crumbs to my hands, and then eat something with my hands and ingest it?
I had to reply to this topic because I was getting cat food yesterday, and I didn't read the label incredibly closely, but I think Bil-Jac dog food is gluten-free (I didn't buy any because the dogs have enough food). I also didn't notice wheat, barley, or rye in the ingredients of Eukanuba cat food, but I haven't taken the time to read the ingredients more closely. I plan to do more research when I have time.
(Sorry if this reply is a bit scattered. It's been a long day). |
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cultureslayer
Joined: 07 Apr 2006
Posts: 999
Location: NC
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| Posted: Sun Nov 09, 2008 10:53 pm Post subject: |
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For pet food, I'd strongly suggest California Natural. It doesn't contain corn, which is a major allergen for pets. The other one I'd suggest is EVO, no grains at all. I'd not feed Euk just because by-products can contain intestinal contents, and who knows what those chickens were fed.  That's just my preference. California natural does use barley and oatmeal in their herring and sweet potato line so there might be some cross contamination, but Natura seems to be one of the best pet food companies for QC, far above the conglomerate owned brands that are a dumping ground for waste from the human food industry. http://www.naturapet.com/about-natura/quality-control.asp
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Lauren
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cultureslayer
Joined: 07 Apr 2006
Posts: 999
Location: NC
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| Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 1:19 am Post subject: |
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been a couple years since I had a pet, turns out the grain free pet foods are FINALLY catching on. Lots of options, it was just EVO when I had my dog.
For cats, this does have oatmeal but low on the list and looks like some good ingredients so I may try it. NAtural balance ultra premium http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Natural-Balance-Ultra-Premium-Dry-Cat-Food/158038.aspx
Felidae should be fairly easy to find as well http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/products/Felidae-Cat-Kitten-Dry-Food/102033.aspx
And there's a bunch of other grain free options. The grain free ones are generally higher calorie, so for now I am looking for something with lower calories because my boyfriend's cat is used to free feeding and she's a little chubby. I want to switch her to good food for a while before limiting portions and don't want her to blow up like a balloon.
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Lauren
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ostrich
Joined: 30 Mar 2006
Posts: 5114
Location: Nebraska
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| Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 7:51 am Post subject: |
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We were feeding our cats Evo for awhile, but it was getting too expensive. Now we feed them Before Grain. No grains at all. I'm hoping the higher protein content will help our chubby cat slim down.
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cultureslayer
Joined: 07 Apr 2006
Posts: 999
Location: NC
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| Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 12:17 pm Post subject: |
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| ostrich wrote: | | We were feeding our cats Evo for awhile, but it was getting too expensive. Now we feed them Before Grain. No grains at all. I'm hoping the higher protein content will help our chubby cat slim down. |
If your chubby cat will tolerate some chewing (most cats are swallowers) raw chicken necks can be a good addition to the diet. They have to be chewed and worked on a little, so it makes the cat feel like they are eating more, and it has natural chondroitin to help with joints. Cooked chicken necks are bad news, but raw bones don't splinter like cooked ones do. It's also great for their teeth. I was able to avoid a dental cleaning for my dog by giving her lamb and turkey necks.
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Lauren
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ostrich
Joined: 30 Mar 2006
Posts: 5114
Location: Nebraska
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| Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 12:55 pm Post subject: |
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Interesting! I'll have to give that a shot. I knew cooked chicken bones were bad, but I didn't even think about raw ones. Of course, with my luck he'll end up dragging raw chicken all over the house, or try to bury it under the couch...
Since we switched to Before Grain I've noticed that both cats seem to have more energy. They spend much more time playing than before, especially tag. We've also switched them to free feeding, which helps. They don't inhale their food as quickly, and they don't cry at 5am for more.
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cardine45
Joined: 15 Apr 2008
Posts: 586
Location: Kalamazoo, MI
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| Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 7:52 pm Post subject: |
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Where exactly would one get raw chicken necks? I would love to get them for all 3 cats and 2 dogs especially if it will clean their teeth. It seems no matter what food I get them, there is always some reason not to feed it to them, and someone who will tell me so. Some foods make their breath better, some make them poop less, some give them more energy, some make their coats shinier, etc, etc, etc. Too bad I can't seem to find one that does it all.
Off topic funny story for all to wrap this up with. I bought a treadmill for my dogs because one of them has joint problems and isn't supposed to walk a lot in the cold. The other one, Myla, has decided she likes it so much that I have to have it on ALL the time. She doesn't even want to play with me anymore. She plays for about 5 minutes, and then she jumps up on the treadmill until I turn it on. She sits there and whines when I turn it off, but I don't think should walk more than an hour at a time. The dog I got it for wants nothing to do with it besides his 45 minute walk when it's cold out. At least someone is using it because I never will. |
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cultureslayer
Joined: 07 Apr 2006
Posts: 999
Location: NC
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| Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 8:13 pm Post subject: |
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Before grain was another food on my short list, I'll definitely have to look into it now.
Most cats aren't too keen on chewing, but it's worth a try. A couple chicken necks a week won't unbalance their diet. if you have a laundry room you can close them in there so they don't drag it through the house. I need to figure out a source for ground chicken necks around here so I can get Monster started on them, then maybe she'll like chewing them. I would feed her a raw diet instead of kibble but I want her to be easy to care for while I am out of town and if she'll only eat ground bone buying it can get expensive or I'd have to spend several hundred on a grinder, extra freezer, and several hours making cat food on a regular basis.
When I gave my parents cat a chicken neck he sniffed, bit it, realized he'd have to chew it, pushed it around on the floor a little, and gave up to go find the kibble bowl. Then the dog ate it and I gave up since my parents didn't want to give him necks when I wasn't there to do it.
I used to run a raw feeding email list, I'm sure the idea of giving raw meat and bones sounds dangerous to some people but it's really not unless you or the pet are extremely immunocompromised. The biggest problem is when people feed raw and kibble together. Raw is much easier to digest so it goes through quicker, taking the kibble with it and sometimes causing the runs.
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Lauren
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cultureslayer
Joined: 07 Apr 2006
Posts: 999
Location: NC
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| Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 8:33 pm Post subject: |
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| cardine45 wrote: | | Where exactly would one get raw chicken necks? I would love to get them for all 3 cats and 2 dogs especially if it will clean their teeth. It seems no matter what food I get them, there is always some reason not to feed it to them, and someone who will tell me so. Some foods make their breath better, some make them poop less, some give them more energy, some make their coats shinier, etc, etc, etc. Too bad I can't seem to find one that does it all. |
Every food claims it is the best, some claims are more valid than others. You should see all those results with with a super premium, California Natural or a grain free food being my preference. Usually ends up costing about the same since they eat less.
Anyways, do be careful about the warning in my last post. Putting a chicken neck on top of a pile of kibble in the bowl probably isn't a good idea, feed it separate.
When I just needed a few chicken necks, I asked the butcher if they had any chicken organ bags from cutting them up. The jack I fostered was so funny, he'd get so excited he'd jump in circles when he saw a bag come out of the fridge.  Loved to chew and chew on the gizzards too, and heart is full of taurine so he got some of those as well when he was really good. Chicken necks are also used to make soup stock, if you ask a butcher they might have some, and if you want to order a bunch to freeze in smaller bags I think a half case is 20lbs. Should run 40 or 50 cents a lb, if my memory is correct. The freezer space is the biggest issue.
Some large dogs will try to swallow chicken necks without chewing. I just held one for my german shepherd the first couple times, until she figured out that I wanted her to chew them.
You might not want to mention to the butcher what these are for, if they ask say soup stock. Some are fine with it, others will think since it's "just dog food" they can give you the ones they forgot to put in the fridge and left out overnight. I've never run into a problem, but have heard of other people that have. Most butchers are fine with it, they realize they'll have a regular customer for stuff people don't normally want if they treat you right. I think all those organ bags I bought might have made it into the trash can otherwise. Some will even freeze the organ bags and let you pick them up every week or two if they don't have anyone else that wants them.
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Lauren
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Fidissimus
Joined: 17 Mar 2006
Posts: 1979
Location: Portland, OR.
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| Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 2:21 pm Post subject: |
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You could also use the neck they stuff back into the cavity of a whole fryer chicken. It wouldn't be as frequent (people can only eat so many chickens a week!) but then you both get a nice "treat". I love to stick a whole bird in a dutch oven (or crock pot) for the day - till the meat falls off the bone. Mmmm.  Of course keep the neck raw for the fur babies.
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Jenn
GF BD: Feb. 2001
Free of wheat, barley, rye, oats, dairy, eggs, almonds, pineapple and brewers yeast.
http://graindamaged.blogspot.com/ |
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cultureslayer
Joined: 07 Apr 2006
Posts: 999
Location: NC
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| Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 11:36 am Post subject: |
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Sent Blue my "I'm not putting up with this crap, goodbye" email. "I can not honestly encourage people to buy a food made by a company that has mislabeled their products, either through ignorance or lack of concern. " at the end so hopefully someone other than the annoying district manager sees it.
Have to decide today if I will include it in my last online report, which supposedly the president of the company reads.
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Lauren
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cjm
Joined: 22 Dec 2006
Posts: 17
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| Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 6:04 pm Post subject: |
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| Hey, I noticed this same problem with a Nylabone dog chew treat yesterday - they said "Gluten-free!" on the front, but the ingredients included wheat starch. |
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cardine45
Joined: 15 Apr 2008
Posts: 586
Location: Kalamazoo, MI
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| Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:20 pm Post subject: |
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| cjm wrote: | | Hey, I noticed this same problem with a Nylabone dog chew treat yesterday - they said "Gluten-free!" on the front, but the ingredients included wheat starch. |
What is the point of labeling a pet food, treat, or toy gluten-free if it is not, except to put a false sense of security in the owners who may need to eat GF? Is it possible for a dog or cat to have Celiac Disease or be gluten-sensitive? After doing research, I don't think that wheat, barley, or rye is necessarily a good ingredient in pet food anyway. When dogs were in the wild, do you really think they went grazing in the wheat fields? My dogs sometimes remind me of cows grazing in the grass, but I highly doubt they'd ever prefer a wheat field over a yard of grass. |
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aklap
Joined: 02 Oct 2004
Posts: 10974
Location: WI, USA
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| Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2008 8:26 pm Post subject: |
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Yes - vets have noticed gluten issues in Pets - as well as pet owners.
http://www.dogtorj.com/ - there's a link on the left side - 5 links down called "Gluten Intolerance in your dogs and cats"
Also checkout the Pet Food Handout link
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