Keep in mind that the AAFCO is a VOLUNTEER organization, members
volunteer to belong, membership offers them the ability to plaster an
advertisement :Member of the AAFCO on their bag of *food* - it is NO
gurantee of palatability, or beneficial nutrients.

The AAFCO food trials only have to keep the animal alive for 6 months
with not more than a 20% drop in body weight. While many American
humans would do well to drop 20% body weight in 6 months, dropping
20% body weight of say a ferret which averages 1.5 pounds (24 ounces)
is a considerable amount of weight (almost 5 ounces) and should be
considered life threatening!

The AAFCO is NOT a "government regulated" inspection process. Pet foods
that advertise "processed in a USDA inspected facility" aren't saying
anything about the quality of their food. Just that their plant has
been inspected - which ALL commercial food manufacturing plants have
to be.

Criteria to meet a USDA inspection really isn't all that rigid.
Most home kitchens can come really close if not surpass the USDA
regulations. If the home kitchen happens to have a three compartment
stainless steel sink and stainless steel food prep areas -it would
likely pass as long as the utensils are clean and no evidence of rodent
or insect activity is visible. The refrigerator needs to be 40 degrees
or less and the freezer no higher than 0 degrees.

The labeling on the packages is definitely misleading - the protein,
fat and carb percentages only list CRUDE values and min/max parameters -
not the actual DIGESTIBLE nutrients or their EXACT percentages.

Advertisements of "scientifically proven" and "Veterinary approved"
are worth about as much as the paper they are printed upon. Since
veterinarians' nutritional courses are sponsored by the large kibble
manufacturers, and then their practices are often subsidized by their
sponsorships the so called "veterinary approval" is more than just
slightly skewed.

In the case of ferrets, being obligate carnivores, the massive amounts
of plant items used in creating any kibble ends up being detrimental to
the ferret's well being. Dogs and cats, although carnivores, do have
rudimentary cecums and can make use of the carbs in kibbles. Still this
is NOT a heatlhy diet for them.

So how do you as a consumer know which kibble offers your pet the best
nutrition?

Simple - NONE of them! Move your pet to the diet it evolvd to eat -
raw and whole prey. Then watch that pet change before your very eyes!
"Allergies" disappear, skin issues clear up, bad breathe goes away
(provided the teeth aren't already rotted), teeth whiten, gums get
pink, teeth become more firmly attached; fur gets longer, silkier,
thicker; body odor goes away, whiskers get longer and aren't brittle;
ears don't smell or wax up; stools are minimized; visits to the vet get
reduced or disappear completely - except for maybe a yearly wellness
exam; pet's energy increases a thousand fold; stamina increases; they
only need to eat at 12 to 24 hour intervals; the higher moisture
content of a raw/whole prey diet keeps them properly hydrated - not in
a constant state of mild dehydration; feeding raw meaty bones offers
the pet a chance to do what it should do to eat - hunker down and
slowly chew and gnaw and pull using both sides of its jaws - this
occupies the pet's time and helps prevent boredom while you are not
home; you as their caretaker can offer a much wider variety of food
items without the guess work of "what's in THIS bag";

The kibble manufacturers' advertisers have done a grand job of
brainwashing vets and animal owners into worrying about "balanced and
complete nutrition" - however a diet is balanced over time - not in
every bowl. Do you analyze every mouthful of your food to make sure
that every plate has all your daily requirements? I doubt it. And thier
claim in itself is preposterous! Being that the kibble they make such
claims about is likely "AAFCO certified" and ONLY offers analysis of
CRUDE percentages - NOT digestible nutrients!

Kibble has only been manufactured for dogs since the 1800's, for cats
even less, and for ferrets only since the 1960's - if these companions
of ours have THOUSANDS of years of history living in our domiciles -
what the heck did they survive upon until now? Could it have been the
vermin they preyed upon ( which was human's main reason for
domesticating them)?

Free yourself and your pet from the kibble shackles and feed them what
they evolved to thrive upon! For Ferrets go to
http://holisticferret.proboards60.com/index.cgi
for nutrient help I use nutritiondata.com

For dogs and cats I recommend doing a search for Tom Lonsdale's book
and site Rawmeatybones.com

Cheers,
Kim

[Posted in FML 7807]