Pork in cat food - what's the deal?

[m and js mom]

In times gone by farmers used to "fatten" their porkers much more than they do now.  The new trend is to raise lean pigs, better fed, better nutrition, more meat less fat.  Their living conditions used to leave a lot to be desired also and therefore the meat often contained germs and bacteria.  That's why pork used to need to be cooked well before serving.  And so now since its a leaner cleaner meat it is being included in pet foods.

 

[m and js mom]

Speaking of pork as an indredient - just wanted to mention that President's Choice Nutrition First  is making an excellent wet cat food .It contains no corn, no wheat, no soy, no by-products, no artificial preservatives no artificial flavours or colours.   There are only two flavours so far but they're working on more.  The ingredients are chicken, water sufficient for processing, tuna, sardines, chicken liver, kelp, guar gum, carrageenan, salt, potassium chloride, minerals (iron amino acid chelate, zinc amino acid chelate, cobalt amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate, manganese amino acid chelate, sodium selenite, potassium iodide), vitamins (vitamin E, A, B12, D3 supplements, thiamine mononitrate, biotin, riboflavin supplement), choline chloride, taurine.   There is also a dry variety.  Both my cats drink water several times a day from a filtered fountain or from the sump pump resevoir in the basement so I also leave some kibble out at night.

My male tabby has eosinophylic plaque - his was triggered by food allergies caused by preservatives and additives.  He's been eating this food since it came out about six months now and there has been no sign of his allergy.

 

[oneandahalfcats]

Yes, pork is leaner today but there are still aspects of pork that are high in fat. Hopefully the pet food industry is using leaner cuts of pork in pet food, but as they have to be concerned with making a profit, this might not always be the case. As far as pork and concerns about bacteria, I think there still can be issues depending on the facility and whether antibiotics are being used. Here is a fairly recent article at Mercola.com regarding a consumer reports investigation regarding samples of pork that were tested for bacteria and the results. The article mentions the different types of bacteria that pork can be exposed to: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/12/eating-pork.aspx

Re. PC Nutrition First, I had my cats on the dry food for a bit which is a decent low grain diet. Have you tried any of the Extra Meat canned diets? There is a Duck and Wild RIce wet that my female likes a lot. Quite often she's not interested in the higher end grain-free wet foods, but she will eat the Duck. Can you provide links to the wet food that you are talking about? Thanks.

 

[m and js mom]

Yes.  I did try that. Meo's eosinophylic placque kicked up after a few meals of that stuff and so I was back on the hunt for something affordable that he could safely eat.  

 

[oneandahalfcats]

Did you determine which additive or preservative causes the flare-ups and do the flare-ups also involve some meat proteins?

My male tabby (avatar) has reactions sometimes and will break out in itchy sores - no plastic used. I am beginning to think that this might be food related or environmental.

 

[m and js mom]

Mercola - American vet, American web site.  Food consumption rules are different in the US.  

PresidentsChoice.ca/NutritionFirstCatFood

 

[m and js mom]

My vet told me it takes too long to figure out whether its airborn, environmental, food, etc.  Vets always start with food.  I bought hypo-allergenic cat food by the case from him and we monitored Meo for six months.  No outbreaks of any kind and he was calmer and more settled.  The only problem is that the food is $55.00 a case, I have two cats and needed at least two cases per month.  So when we were realitively certain it was food related I went on the hunt for something less expensive.  This is hard on the cat.  Well for a few weeks, another breakout, switch foods and begin all over again.  There's a lot of crap in cat food tins.  A steady diet of dry food isn't healthy for cats, especially neutered males so it took a while to find the magic formula.  The vet said its about additives - colour, flavouring, gluten, preservatives, etc. There's more to this affliction than meets the eye.  If you look on the internet for images you'll be horrified at what you see - and that's only on the outside.  There's a great deal going on on the inside too.  All of it very painful for the cat.  The only other alternative is steriod shots which are no better for cats than they are for people. I've had four years of this (and so has he) so he's very happy to be able to eat without any ill effects.  I'm relieved to see him happy and healthy again  .

 

[oneandahalfcats]

 
My vet told me it takes too long to figure out whether its airborn, environmental, food, etc.  Vets always start with food.  I bought hypo-allergenic cat food by the case from him and we monitored Meo for six months.  No outbreaks of any kind and he was calmer and more settled.  The only problem is that the food is $55.00 a case, I have two cats and needed at least two cases per month.  So when we were realitively certain it was food related I went on the hunt for something less expensive.  This is hard on the cat.  Well for a few weeks, another breakout, switch foods and begin all over again.  There's a lot of crap in cat food tins.  A steady diet of dry food isn't healthy for cats, especially neutered males so it took a while to find the magic formula.  The vet said its about additives - colour, flavouring, gluten, preservatives, etc. There's more to this affliction than meets the eye.  If you look on the internet for images you'll be horrified at what you see - and that's only on the outside.  There's a great deal going on on the inside too.  All of it very painful for the cat.  The only other alternative is steriod shots which are no better for cats than they are for people. I've had four years of this (and so has he) so he's very happy to be able to eat without any ill effects.  I'm relieved to see him happy and healthy again  .

Thanks for sharing. Glad to hear that he is doing much better. I think you can get blood allergy testing done but this is very expensive!

Yes, I agree that there can be a lot of crap in canned food. I try to feed canned with the least amount of ingredients beyond the meat source. Currently its Nature's Variety canned Duck, Rabbit and Chicken. I do PC and some other grain-free brands in rotation but just 1-2 at a time. I don't like to switch foods too often as this can be upsetting not only to digestion but mood.

I tried the link in your post but got a 404. Is this the food you are feeding : http://www.presidentschoice.ca/en_C...tuna_salmon_sardines_and_riceprod1150021.html. It looks pretty decent in terms of ingredients although carageenan and the gums are pretty high on the list which is different.

Have you heard of Authority? It is a Petsmart brand that contains no by-products, grains (except for maybe a bit of brewers rice), additives, colors, preservatives or carageenan. Its decently priced at 75-80 cents for a 5.5 ounce can and you can get lamb as a novel protein : http://authoritypetnutrition.com/cat-products/sensitive-solutions/real-turkey.shtml / http://authoritypetnutrition.com/cat-products/adult/canned-food.shtml

 

[m and js mom]

Blood testing won't identify eosinophylic plaque.  It takes a biopsy.  The scientist/professor at Western U is a friend of the vet (they went to school together) so I got the full blown version and all the comments from the lab including a recommended course of treatment.  My vet has retired now.  We miss him.  The cats loved him (even the needles) and I respected and admired his skill with small animals.

http://www.presidentschoice.ca/en_CA/familypage/pc-nutrition-first/pc-nutrition-first-cats.html

Both of those ingredients are necessary for processing and if they aren't using those then they're using others which do the same thing.  For the time being I have found an affordable food that is good for both my cats so I am a happy camper for as long as that lasts.  As for trying other brands Avoderm, Blue Wilderness, Royal Canin, Science Diet, EVO, Authority, Iams, grocery store brands like Whiskas, Fancy Feast, Medleys, Meow mix etc.  The best of this lot was EVO - have flavours like rabbit, venison, beef, chicken, etc - he loved them all but they switched the processing to Mexico so I stopped buying it.

All these sites, articles, opinions etc can drive one nuts.  My vet said to think natural.  Cats in the wild eat mice, squirrels, weasels, chipmunks, etc.  Red meat, bones, water, intestines which contain grass, other greens, nuts, seeds, (whatever the prey was eating).  Cats don't eat corn, wheat, oats, or any other crop, they don't eat fruit or vegetables either.  So when looking for a diet for my cat I should be looking at what they eat in the wild.  Makes it easier.  Meo's ailment is the driver.

 

[oneandahalfcats]

 
Mercola - American vet, American web site.  Food consumption rules are different in the US.  

PresidentsChoice.ca/NutritionFirstCatFood

Not sure what you mean by different food consumption rules? Both countries eat pork.

We purchase and consume a fair amount of pork but I am very careful when selecting the pork we eat. I recall we had problems here in Canada not too long ago with a virus known as porcine epidemic diarrhea that killed 1000s of young piglets as the result of bacteria from hog handling areas, barns and unsanitary transportation. For awhile pork was quite inexpensive. No threat to the food source apparently but it was all over the news and the pork industry were freaking out a little. Here is a link about the virus : http://www.theglobeandmail.com/repo...try-readies-for-deadly-virus/article16337084/

 
Blood testing won't identify eosinophylic plaque.  It takes a biopsy.  The scientist/professor at Western U is a friend of the vet (they went to school together) so I got the full blown version and all the comments from the lab including a recommended course of treatment.  My vet has retired now.  We miss him.  The cats loved him (even the needles) and I respected and admired his skill with small animals.

http://www.presidentschoice.ca/en_CA/familypage/pc-nutrition-first/pc-nutrition-first-cats.html

Both of those ingredients are necessary for processing and if they aren't using those then they're using others which do the same thing.  For the time being I have found an affordable food that is good for both my cats so I am a happy camper for as long as that lasts.  As for trying other brands Avoderm, Blue Wilderness, Royal Canin, Science Diet, EVO, Authority, Iams, grocery store brands like Whiskas, Fancy Feast, Medleys, Meow mix etc.  The best of this lot was EVO - have flavours like rabbit, venison, beef, chicken, etc - he loved them all but they switched the processing to Mexico so I stopped buying it.

All these sites, articles, opinions etc can drive one nuts.  My vet said to think natural.  Cats in the wild eat mice, squirrels, weasels, chipmunks, etc.  Red meat, bones, water, intestines which contain grass, other greens, nuts, seeds, (whatever the prey was eating).  Cats don't eat corn, wheat, oats, or any other crop, they don't eat fruit or vegetables either.  So when looking for a diet for my cat I should be looking at what they eat in the wild.  Makes it easier.  Meo's ailment is the driver.

It's too bad EVO got sold to P&G. A lot of pet owners were really upset about this. I agree that a species appropriate diet is the way to go, with as few veggies and fruits in the food as possible. Unfortunately, many of the grain-free diets contain carbs as fillers in place of grains that would be there in other brands.

I had read that blood testing is done for allergies but for some things, skin tests are probably more reliable.

 

[mschauer]

 
Yes, pork is leaner today but there are still aspects of pork that are high in fat. Hopefully the pet food industry is using leaner cuts of pork in pet food, but as they have to be concerned with making a profit, this might not always be the case. As far as pork and concerns about bacteria, I think there still can be issues depending on the facility and whether antibiotics are being used. Here is a fairly recent article at Mercola.com regarding a consumer reports investigation regarding samples of pork that were tested for bacteria and the results. The article mentions the different types of bacteria that pork can be exposed to: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/12/eating-pork.aspx

The question of bacteria really isn't relevant. Pet food cans are sealed then heated to temperatures high enough to kill bacteria. Temperatures used in producing dry foods are also high enough to kill bacteria. Dry foods can become contaminated after processing but that has nothing to do with whether the food contains pork or not.

 

[oneandahalfcats]

 
The question of bacteria really isn't relevant. Pet food cans are sealed then heated to temperatures high enough to kill bacteria. Temperatures used in producing dry foods are also high enough to kill bacteria. Dry foods can become contaminated after processing but that has nothing to do with whether the food contains pork or not.

Well, I think its a matter of individual opinion whether bacteria associated with pork is relevant or not.

 

[m and js mom]

I didn't care that Proctor & Gamble bought them out - what bothered me was that they immediately moved the processing from California to Mexico - the slurry capital of the pet food industry.  

I read the same article about the virus and then three weeks later the CSHB in Ottawa confirmed that it was in Canada too.  There's so much back and forth between the two countries this kind of thing is inevidible - I relied on the fact that they said it wasn't going to get into the human food chain - 

I never buy meat when grocery shopping in the US.  They eat medicated meat down there, use meat glue, use slurry centrifuges for processed foods like sausage and weiners etc.  I like our food rules in Canada although we're importing many foods now from India and China that I've stopped eating.

 

[mschauer]

 

 
The question of bacteria really isn't relevant. Pet food cans are sealed then heated to temperatures high enough to kill bacteria. Temperatures used in producing dry foods are also high enough to kill bacteria. Dry foods can become contaminated after processing but that has nothing to do with whether the food contains pork or not.

Well, I think its a matter of individual opinion whether bacteria associated with pork is relevant or not.

Well, yeah I guess if you don't believe heat kills bacteria. Or are you saying you think bacteria in pork is impervious to heat whereas bacteria in other meats isn't ?????

 

[oneandahalfcats]

 
I didn't care that Proctor & Gamble bought them out - what bothered me was that they immediately moved the processing from California to Mexico - the slurry capital of the pet food industry.  

I read the same article about the virus and then three weeks later the CSHB in Ottawa confirmed that it was in Canada too.  There's so much back and forth between the two countries this kind of thing is inevidible - I relied on the fact that they said it wasn't going to get into the human food chain - 

I never buy meat when grocery shopping in the US.  They eat medicated meat down there, use meat glue, use slurry centrifuges for processed foods like sausage and weiners etc.  I like our food rules in Canada although we're importing many foods now from India and China that I've stopped eating.

I think its P&G's lack of experience with manufacturing pet food that made a lot of people very nervous. 

Yes, it was definitely in Canada and the US. Depending on which news source, it may have originated here too, then China, then the US? There is so much cross-border and exporting going on it must have been a nightmare to figure out.

 

[oneandahalfcats]

 
Well, yeah I guess if you don't believe heat kills bacteria. Or are you saying you think bacteria in pork is impervious to heat whereas bacteria in other meats isn't ?????

Well I guess what I don't like is knowing that something needs such high heat to kill the bacteria present, which in the process is probably killing off a lot nutrients. I guess the more important point is that while other meats can be exposed to bacteria, when it comes to comparing chickens, beef, fish, what have you, pigs are still the dirtiest animals on account of the conditions they are raised in. For this reason, I believe the chances for bacteria are greater.

 

[Willowy]

Well I guess what I don't like is knowing that something needs such high heat to kill the bacteria present, which in the process is probably killing off a lot nutrients. I guess the more important point is that while other meats can be exposed to bacteria, when it comes to comparing chickens, beef, fish, what have you, pigs are still the dirtiest animals on account of the conditions they are raised in. For this reason, I believe the chances for bacteria are greater.

Do you know much about how commercial poultry are raised? They never clean the confinement for the entire 8-10 weeks the birds live there. If the exhaust fans go out for even 15 minutes the birds die from ammonia inhalation. Do you know how many antibiotics are used to keep the birds from dying in those conditions? A large percentage of poultry die before market anyway. I'm gonna say poultry is a LOT dirtier than pork. . .I guess one difference is that pigs live for a year or so before slaughter and poultry only 8-10 weeks, but at least they clean the hog confinement now and then .

The cooking temperature recommendations are higher for poultry than for pork. Pet food is processed at the same temperature regardless of the protein used.

There is already a lot of pork used in pet food. Under "meat by-products", it's a good chance that's mostly pork.

 

[mschauer]

Well I guess what I don't like is knowing that something needs such high heat to kill the bacteria present, which in the process is probably killing off a lot nutrients.

You do realize the processing is the same whether the food contains pork or not? All pet foods are subjected to the same high heat whether it contains pork or not.

  I guess the more important point is that while other meats can be exposed to bacteria, when it comes to comparing chickens, beef, fish, what have you, pigs are still the dirtiest animals on account of the conditions they are raised in. For this reason, I believe the chances for bacteria are greater.

Well if you just consider pigs to be an animal that is "too dirty" to eat, that is a completely different issue. 

 

[m and js mom]

It began in the US and quickly spread to 23 states before crossing the border.  The announcement that it had spread to Canada was from the Canadian Swine Health Board in Ottawa.   I also read an article in the Calgary Herald  which led me to believe it had spread to Alberta but I may not be accurate there.

 

[oneandahalfcats]

Do you know much about how commercial poultry are raised? They never clean the confinement for the entire 8-10 weeks the birds live there. If the exhaust fans go out for even 15 minutes the birds die from ammonia inhalation. Do you know how many antibiotics are used to keep the birds from dying in those conditions? A large percentage of poultry die before market anyway. I'm gonna say poultry is a LOT dirtier than pork. . .I guess one difference is that pigs live for a year or so before slaughter and poultry only 8-10 weeks, but at least they clean the hog confinement now and then

.

The cooking temperature recommendations are higher for poultry than for pork. Pet food is processed at the same temperature regardless of the protein used.

There is already a lot of pork used in pet food. Under "meat by-products", it's a good chance that's mostly pork.

Yes, I do know about commercial poultry and a lot of it is pretty grim. There has been a movement in Europe and some in Canada at least, to change the way poultry is raised, going from the battery cage to open barns. Battery cage life is absolutely cruel and should be outlawed everywhere.