Carreageen

CatLover49

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Got a question
If a cat food says its approved my the AAFCO...then why would it have carreageen in it..
Running into that problem alot...Any ideas why...
 

Azazel

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The AAFCO doesn't approve or regulate cat food. The FDA is the regulatory body. They don't do much 'regulation' these days besides go after raw pet food companies.

Your question is a good one though. There are other questions too. If the FDA is regulating pet food, why are diseased animal parts allowed to be used? Why is a food made for an obligate carnivore allowed to be made up of mostly corn and other plant matter?

Keep asking questions, my friend.
 

Jojo&Tutu

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I read that Carrageenan, xanthan gum, cassia gum can cause inflammation in cats. Even worse is tapioca (tapioca is also known as cassava, yucca) and flaxseed or flaxseed oil because they cause cyanide in cat food and should never be allowed.

Rhian Cope wrote the chapter in Merck Veterinary Manual on cyanide in animal feed: flax is mentioned as one of the possible sources of cyanide from animal feed:

Overview of Cyanide Poisoning - Toxicology - Merck Veterinary Manual

Merck - Rhian Cope on cyanide from animal feed:

“Chronic cyanide poisoning: Goiter may be present. Cystitis ataxia toxidromes are characterized by opportunistic bacterial cystitis with or without pyelonephritis and diffuse nerve fiber degeneration in the lateral and ventral funiculi of the spinal cord and brain stem. Hindlimb urine scalding and alopecia may be present.”

“Chronic cyanide poisoning: Chronic cyanogenic glycoside hypothyroidism will present as hypothyroidism with or without goiter. Cystitis ataxia toxidromes are typically associated with posterior ataxia or incoordination that may progress to irreversible flaccid paralysis, cystitis secondary to urinary incontinence and hindlimb urine scalding and alopecia. Death, although uncommon is often associated with polynephritis. Late term abortion and musculoskeletal teratogenesis may also occur”

The following are links to articles on cyanide risks from flaxseed. Sweden banned its use. France banned flaxseed:

(PDF) Ground Flaxseed – How Safe is it for Companion Animals and for Us?

Warning: ground flaxseed can be toxic and shouldn't be eaten

I had my cat food that had ground flaxseed in it tested and it showed cyanide at twice the level that is safe for my cat that she had been eating for a few months.

This should not be allowed. FDA is not doing their job.
 

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CatLover49

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I mean..I see some blue buffalo wet that I would like to get and its supposed to be a good food...Good ingredients..that is until I spot carreageen at the bottom or middle of ingredients...and carreageen could cause cancer I think in cats
 
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CatLover49

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So are these ingredients good???
But then theres carreageen at the bottom
Screenshot_20200601-122113.png
 

kittenmittens84

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I read that Carrageenan, xanthan gum, cassia gum can cause inflammation in cats. Even worse is tapioca (tapioca is also known as cassava, yucca) and flaxseed or flaxseed oil because they cause cyanide in cat food and should never be allowed.
I’m confused, yucca is a completely different plant from cassava/tapioca...? Cassava is a tropical tuber, yucca is a family of desert plants. Joshua trees are yuccas.
 

abyeb

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If anyone is interested, here is a scientific paper discussing the safety of carrageenan: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1242073/pdf/ehp0109-000983.pdf

"The potential role of carrageenan in the development of gastrointestinal malignancy and inflammatory bowel disease requires careful reconsideration of the advisability of its continued use as a food additive" (993).

On nutrition threads, I like to recommend that cat owners avoid carrageenan, if at all possible. There are some affordable brands that don't have carrageenan, and some more expensive brands that do.
 

LTS3

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There's a TCS threads with links to other TCS threads on gum-free foods:


You can also use the handy chart here to find foods that don't contain gums, starches, and whatever else you don't want to feed your cat:

 

Flybynight

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One thing I do, is feed a mix of various wet cat foods, along with a little complete raw.
None of the wet foods are perfect, so by alternating foods, I hope to limit or lessen the effects of the unwanted additives or ingredients.
 

BaileyCat

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I feed raw. But when I did feed canned, I did try to stay away from carrageenan. I rotated several brands and proteins. Some had carrageenan and some did not. The was the best I could do. We do the best we can.
 

mizzely

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Directly from the AAFCO website

AAFCO does not regulate, test, approve or certify pet foods in any way.

AAFCO establishes the nutritional standards for complete and balanced pet foods, and it is the pet food company's responsibility to formulate their products according to the appropriate AAFCO standard.

It is the state feed control official's responsibility in regulating pet food to ensure that the laws and rules established for the protection of companion animals and their custodians are complied with so that only unadulterated, correctly and uniformly labeled pet food products are distributed in the marketplace and a structure for orderly commerce.
 

cataholic07

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My first cat died from GI Lymphoma, she had bouts of pancreatitis to and I think it was due to her wet food which wasn't carrageenan free. We didnt even know that it could cause inflammation, even cancer. We thought we did good switching her off the crappy dry food to help her lose weight. Thankfully a lot of companies are realizing this and adding something else instead.
 

She's a witch

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Thankfully a lot of companies are realizing this and adding something else instead.
but unfortunately, we have no guarantee that what they add instead is any better. My boy has the same reaction to agar-agar as he has to carrageenan. And other gums don't necessarily sound any better. I choose gum free whenever possible, but there aren't many options unfortunately :(
 

Jojo&Tutu

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I read that Carrageenan, xanthan gum, cassia gum can cause inflammation in cats. Even worse is tapioca (tapioca is also known as cassava, yuca) and flaxseed or flaxseed oil because they cause cyanide in cat food and should never be allowed.

Rhian Cope wrote the chapter in Merck Veterinary Manual on cyanide in animal feed: flax is mentioned as one of the possible sources of cyanide from animal feed:

Overview of Cyanide Poisoning - Toxicology - Merck Veterinary Manual

Merck - Rhian Cope on cyanide from animal feed:

“Chronic cyanide poisoning: Goiter may be present. Cystitis ataxia toxidromes are characterized by opportunistic bacterial cystitis with or without pyelonephritis and diffuse nerve fiber degeneration in the lateral and ventral funiculi of the spinal cord and brain stem. Hindlimb urine scalding and alopecia may be present.”

“Chronic cyanide poisoning: Chronic cyanogenic glycoside hypothyroidism will present as hypothyroidism with or without goiter. Cystitis ataxia toxidromes are typically associated with posterior ataxia or incoordination that may progress to irreversible flaccid paralysis, cystitis secondary to urinary incontinence and hindlimb urine scalding and alopecia. Death, although uncommon is often associated with polynephritis. Late term abortion and musculoskeletal teratogenesis may also occur”

The following are links to articles on cyanide risks from flaxseed. Sweden banned its use. France banned flaxseed:

(PDF) Ground Flaxseed – How Safe is it for Companion Animals and for Us?

Warning: ground flaxseed can be toxic and shouldn't be eaten

I had my cat food that had ground flaxseed in it tested and it showed cyanide at twice the level that is safe for my cat that she had been eating for a few months.

This should not be allowed. FDA is not doing their job.
(corrected yucca should be yuca - sorry for mistake above)
 

Jojo&Tutu

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Try for a limited ingredient diet. I’m feeding Tutu Instinct LID - so far no visible allergic reactions. Will see at her next blood count. Wish it had lower phosphorus for her kidneys but she is allergic to almost all proteins that could have helped. I called, emailed four companies about removing flaxseed from cat food. It is also disturbing that Just Food for dogs is putting tapioca in all their cat food that is pate. Cats typically eat one food over and over. If people are not recommended to eat tapioca daily because of cyanide why would anyone think it is ok to feed a little cat this. It damages the kidneys. I warned them but they refused to do otherwise.
 
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