Noodle can help find the best search engines for your needs in the food
info search, too:
http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/5locate/
adviceengine.html
Sadly, I was not in the least impressed with the uppermost results the
Answers.com search engine brought up for
'obligate carnivore'
but in too many commercial search engines what comes up in the earliest
results depend on how much is spent to have uppermost listings, a problem
that is only going to increase if the Senate votes like the House did
against Net Neutrality, so this is a common problem that is only going to
get worse for those of us in the U.S. or who use U.S. based search
engines or resources. (Yes, it is not just that reputable sites will be
lost because it will become too expensive to continue maintaining them.)
Too few people realize how badly this will impact them, but if you have
ever searched for health info for a loved one or relied on others to help
you with such info, no matter how many feet the individual has and no
matter the species, then know that losing Net Neutrality stands a very
good chance of hurting you, and let your senator know that you want to
continue having Net Neutrality. I can tell you straight off that the
help I'll be able to provide people after it goes away if pretty much
guaranteed to reduce in quality and quantity simply from painful damage
to access and affordability. Here is how to contact your senator to
encourage maintaining Net Neutrality:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
BTW, when you find yourself quoting veterinary nutrition expert, Dr. Tom
Willard, if the person who is selling vegan food or others point out that
Dr Tom Willard makes money from selling pet food (Surprise, surprise, he
actually works in the very same field that he studied so very, very hard
to master.) then you can point out that the vegan food seller also makes
money from selling pet food but in his case does NOT have an appropriate
degree in veterinary nutrition.
I think the best approach, though, will be to avoid the person selling
that, and instead teach in regional clubs what "obligate carnivore"
entails. Remember, though, to point out that meat itself is NOT a
balanced diet which is why carnivores also eat things like organs and
skin, etc. Heck, if anyone here gives taurine supplements -- if my
memory serves for which amino acid -- that is usually manufactured from
feathers because they are so very high in the one amino acid, according
to a food expert at PrettyPets in a pers. com. several years ago.
Remember, too, that even high protein animal food sources like whole mice
are no higher than 52% protein, and that some medical conditions require
lower protein levels than that, esp. some kidney conditions. For
example, in some individuals, including multiple types of members of
Carnivora too much protein can translate to the development of cystine
urinary stones (We have two individuals ourselves who do that.) but a
more common problem in ferrets is the development of struvite urinary
stones which are caused by too much vegetable matter in the diet. No
matter which stone it is the result is painful and can be fatal without
correction. For males ferrets, especially, it can be very touch-and-go
for a while no matter what type of stone is involved. Cystine stones
also involved urine that is too acidic, while struvite stones involve
urine that is too alkaline. There are approaches for each, but they are
opposites, so it is essential to know which type of stone and the urine
pH to know how to approach the difficulty. It does not surprise me that
in her excellent post on vegan diet in carnivores (a MUST-READ), Selina
found that urinary problems were mentioned often in posts by those who
tried such diets on their four-footed family members.
> http://www.vegepets.info/pages/vegetarian_feline_diets.htm ...
> http://www.veganrepresent.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6748 etc.
Claire makes excellent points, including:
>You may not believe in the validity of some of these fields, but they
>are valid degrees, and holders can call themselves "doctor".
...
>"Dr." In academia, a PhD is the "real" doctorate, since an MD is
>not as advanced as a PhD. Many MDs go on to get a PhD.
...
>This is not to say that Dr. Weisman is necessarily reputable or right
>in his views. The fact that he had his license suspended raises
>serious questions, and I really don't like the tone of his letter.
...
>once nutrients are broken down to the state they must be in to be
>absorbed by the intestine, it doesn't matter whether the nutrients were
>originally animal, plant, or even just synthesized in a lab. BUT the
>probem is that food doesn't come broken down, normally. Ferrets don't
>have the enzymes, and don't have a long enough gut for intestinal
>bacteria to do the job for them. So they can't in practice digest
>vegetable matter. If this fellow really has a process for predigesting
>the food -- yet preventing spoilage -- then it's possible the food is
>fine.
So, in part I guess it breaks down to, "Are people willing to trust
someone who doesn't let people know that his doctorate area of study
has squat to do with his product, and that his license to practice was
revoked?"
Randy wrote:
>I used only free range-organic meat and changed my own diet to the same
>(I was a meat eater at the time).
Okay, it has been a bit of time since i read the info on the OFFICIAL
definition of "free-range" in the U.S. but not long ago it meant
*availability* to a fenced in grassy area (and many who had never been
outdoors did not try it) during the last week of life. I do not know
if that has changed. "Organic" was (is?) a harder thing to claim so
"free-range" + "organic" is probably the way to search for labeling in
this country. I don't know about Canadian official definitions.
Let's see what I can find in very limited time:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2004/040920.htm
http://www.eco-labels.org/label.cfm?LabelID=111
I do NOT know how reputable the following resource is:
http://www.cok.net/lit/freerange.php
[Posted in FML issue 5348]
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