VERY good reason to feed your pets BARF

[Guest guest]

" A 1971 study at the University of Montana found the average level

of fluoride in leading pet foods to be 11 to 193 ppm, with the

highest found in canned pet food. If your dog weighs 100 pounds this

translates to a daily consumption of 21 to 368 milligrams of

fluoride from commercial food. "

Dogs, Cats, Osteosarcoma, Dysplasia and

Pet Food Fluoride Content

by Glasser (National Pure Water Association - UK )

August 8, 2005

The recent cover-up scandal about osteosarcoma and drinking water

fluoridation brought to mind research I had done several years ago

into canine osteosarcoma which is fairly common among certain breeds

of dogs and cats.

Because of the association between osteosarcoma and drinking water

fluoridation, I contacted people whose dogs developed the cancer to

see if they lived in fluoridated areas, but there was not even a

credible anecdotal connection. It appeared to be a universal

problem. I dropped the investigation until the new flap came up

about fluoride and osteosarcoma and I decided to take a fresh look

at the issue again.

OSTEOSARCOMA is the most common bone cancer in humans, cats and dogs.

Osteosarcoma mostly occurs in male humans, dogs and cats.

In dogs, the disease is more frequently seen in larger breeds such

as rottweilers, greyhounds, golden retrievers, etc.

Recent studies have also shown that osteosarcoma is also more common

in taller people.

Osteosarcoma accounts for 85% of all primary bone tumours in dogs,

and in the US - 8,000-10,000 dogs per year in U.S develop

osteosarcoma (www.vetmed.lsu.edu/oncology/osteosar.htm).

In cats, osteosarcoma accounts for 70% of primary bone tumours.

In humans, about 5 children out of a million develop osteosarcoma

each year. Osteosarcoma accounts for five percent of all primary

bone tumours in children.

Osteosarcoma is the most common type of bone cancer/tumours seen in

humans, dogs and cats.

CONNECTING THE DOTS:

If fluoride were possibly a factor - how did the animals get a

sufficient dose in their diet? My research suggested that it was

arbitrary and not associated with drinking water fluoridation, if

fluoride were a factor. The only other possibility was in their food.

It took nothing more than an Internet search using " fluoride content

+ dog food " and there it was:

A low-fluoride commercial dog food contains 40 - 60 parts per

million of fluoride.

A high-fluoride dog food can contain up to 460 parts per million of

fluoride (Marks TA, J Toxicol Environ Health. 1984;14(5-6):707-14.)

" A 1971 study at the University of Montana found the average level

of fluoride in leading pet foods to be 11 to 193 ppm, with the

highest found in canned pet food. If your dog weighs 100 pounds this

translates to a daily consumption of 21 to 368 milligrams of

fluoride from commercial food.

The government upper daily limit of 2.5 milligrams of fluoride is

said to be safe for children over three years of age. The Montana

researchers found that fluoride accumulates in pet's bones. 84 to

1535 milligrams of fluoride was found in dog's leg bones. 74 to

1,190 milligrams was found in the bones of cats, and it increased

with age. " www.leaflady.org/pethealth.htm.

Investigating further, some lower grade dog foods MAY CONTAIN even

more - up to 2,000 parts per million of fluoride.

Interestingly, the only study I could find about dogs, osteosarcoma

and fluoride was one where they were investigating fluoridated

drinking water - Apparently, the researchers, not realizing that

dogs may already be consuming several hundred milligrams of fluoride

per day in their food; tens - hundreds of times more that the

recommended dose for humans of 1.0 milligram per day.

While there are fairly strict regulations about how much fluoride

can be in the food of farm animals, the guidelines for pet foods are

fluid. I could find no research for " safe fluoride levels " for cats

and dogs.

There is no fluoride intake criteria for pet dogs and cats - it is

all based on ASSUMPTION and not science.

The reason that pets and dietary fluoride intake have been totally

neglected is that pets do not represent an agricultural cash

commodity. For instance, daily fluoride intake for breeding farm

animals and dairy cows are lower than for animals raised for

slaughter. The reason for this is high levels of fluoride can

interfere with reproduction, milk production and the general health

of the breeding stock/dairy cows.

" Safe levels of fluoride in the diet dry matter for finishing

[slaughter] cattle are no more than 100 ppm (0.01 percent) and not

more than 40 ppm (0.004 percent) for animals to be kept in the

breeding herd. "

http://muextension.missouri.edu/explore/agguides/ansci/g02081.htm

" Tolerance levels have been identified for domesticated animals,

with the lowest values for dairy cattle at 30 mg/kg feed or 2.5

mg/litre drinking-water. . . Symptoms of fluoride toxicity include

emaciation, stiffness of joints and abnormal teeth and bones. Other

effects include lowered milk production and detrimental effects on

the reproductive capacity of animals. "

www.inchem.org/documents/ehc/ehc/ehc227.htm

It seems that pets fall into the lower end of the 'safe limit'

priorities along with farm animals bred for slaughter - all

regulations for levels of undesirable constituents of mineral

supplements were developed with commercial agricultural ends in

mind - profitability and cost saving for the farmer or rancher.

Unfortunately, pets are not considered an agricultural commodity and

the agricultural standards are simply accepted without reservation

by veterinarians for all animals. They do not factor in the fact

that pets are pets and their owners are fond of them, and people

want to keep them alive and healthy for as long as possible.

People's pets are not just nameless cash producing commodities that

either go to slaughter or are put-down when they no longer can

produce milk or offspring.

While, volumes of research has been done on pigs, sheep goats,

chickens and cattle with regard to adverse health effects from

fluoride, there is very little information about pets such as dogs

and cats. Consequently, it is safe to assume that many of dogs and

cats who appear to be suffering with arthritis/dysplasia, spinal

deformities, etc. may have actually developed skeletal fluorosis.

The veterinarians don't have a clue that fluorosis might be the

problem.

It appears that most veterinarians are completely unaware of the

fact that there are cat and dog foods contain high fluoride levels

and the physical problems that it can cause your pet dog or cat.

Researchers are looking at many of the health problems as genetic

aberrations rather than toxicant related conditions such as skeletal

fluorosis from high levels of fluoride contained in pet foods. While

a particular breed may be genetically predisposed to those health

problems, the contaminants in the feed may prematurely trigger the

events or even make them more pronounced at a young age.

The addition of mineral supplements which contain high levels of

fluoride is not a conspiracy, but plain old ignorance - your pet is

simply in the same category as a farm animal bred for slaughter - no

one has ever adequately investigated the long-term effects of

fluoride intake on domestic pets or its impact on specific breeds.

While they have known that certain breeds are genetically

predisposed to hip dysplasia (osteoarthritis), osteosarcoma, kidney

dysfunction, etc., no one has done research to determine if the high

levels of fluoride in their feed may exacerbate or even be the

catalyst in triggering these adverse events.

Hip dysplasia is actually a form of arthritis of the hip bones. Most

of the dogs and cats that are genetically predisposed to dysplasia

develop the condition before they are two years old. However,

dysplasia may well be misdiagnosed and is actually skeletal

fluorosis - but veterinarians have not looked at this possibility

because they haven't thought outside of the agricultural nutrition

box.

The primary source of the fluoride in pet foods is from the added

mineral supplements: defluorinated phosphate rock (which still

retains some fluoride and is found in more expensive pet foods), raw

soft phosphate rock, mono and tricalcium phosphate (made from a

mixture of phosphoric acid and calcium carbonate). The less

expensive the dog food, probably, the higher the fluoride levels

because they use raw phosphate.

Raw phosphate, mainly because of it's fluoride content (3% -4%) is

most physically damaging animal mineral supplement because it is not

processed and the least expensive. These facts have been known since

the 1920s in early animal nutritional research of fluorine in animal

nutrition.

Manufacturers are not required to list the fluoride of contaminant

levels in pet food.

Could it be, that by simply changing the mineral supplements added

to dog and cat foods, many of the maladies your pet may suffer from

can be virtually eliminated or delayed until much later in life.

Visit this site www.dogpack.com/health/healthproblems.htm and do

some of your own research by entering " fluoride " or " fluorine* " with

the problem into an internet search.

From my research, I would suggest purchasing meat from the butcher,

and if the animal needs mineral supplements - give them the same

quality supplement that you would take yourself.

Also see: www.npwa.freeserve.co.uk/pollution.htm for more

information about phosphate rock.

* In animal nutrition, 'fluoride' is more commonly referred to

as 'fluorine'.

Glasser

Press Officer/Water Quality Advisor

National Pure Water Association

www.npwa.freeserve.co.uk/fluoride.html

Provided by

New York State Coalition Opposed to Fluoridation

www.orgsites.com/ny/nyscof

[Guest guest]

I will say this: My dog Raven never ate commercial dog food in her LIFE, and

I lost her to osteosarcoma at the age of 6. And our water is not

flouridated.

Christie

Caber Feidh ish Deerhounds

Raising Our Dogs Holistically Since 1986

http://www.caberfeidh.com/

http://doggedblog.com/

[Guest guest]

Sorry about your dog. I guess I should amend that, since bones,

the " B " in " Barf " contain a lot of fluoride! Here's what I found on

a quick search:

From http://www.sonic.net/kryptox/nutri/ifin388.htm

Because fluoride is added to most U.S. water supplies and that water

is used to process foods that feed and water farm animals, sometimes

fluoride shows up in the strangest places. Swallowed fluoride stores

in bones as well as teeth. Meat removed from bones by a machine

invariably grinds bone powder into the finished product. So

mechanically separated meats, especially chicken, have much more

fluoride than most foods because they contain fluoride-rich bone

dust.

---------------------

From http://www.johnleemd.net/breaking_news/fluoridation_01.html

Professor Lennart Krook (Cornell U.) planned to summarize his years

of work on the toxicity of fluoride on bone in animals as well as

the work of other researchers and epidemiologists who have reported

on the bone-weakening effects of fluoride, work that has been

virtually ignored by the NAS. His work includes seminal studies of

the massive damage to cattle herds in upstate New York by industrial

fluoride emissions.

------------------------

From http://www.apfn.org/apfn/fluoride.htm

Fluoride is a persistent and non-degradable poison that accumulates

in soil, plants, wildlife, and humans. Many organic farmers may be

unaware that this highly toxic substance has been allowed for use in

the NOS, because its presence is hidden. However, it is there:

- As Sodium Fluoride tucked away in the US EPA List 4 Inerts

( " Inerts which have sufficient data to substantiate they can be used

safely in pesticide products, according to EPA. " ), which are allowed

for use in the NOS.

- In Bone Meal (which can contain 1000 ppm - or more- fluoride),

also included in US EPA List 4 Inerts ( " Inerts generally regarded as

safe, i.e., corn cobs and cookie crumbs, " according to EPA).

To call sodium fluoride an " inert " is Orwellian and defies one of

the NOS's stated principles: producers shall not use " natural

poisons such as arsenic or lead salts that have long-term effects

and persist in the environment. " Fluoride is clearly in this

category. Sadly, the use of fluoride in organic farming could

undermine the public's confidence and safety in organic food - both

here and abroad. This will become more obvious as the movement

against fluoridation of public water picks up momentum worldwide. As

it does more and more people will be asking questions about fluoride

levels in their food. Unlike the List of Inerts, fluoride levels in

organic food cannot be hidden.

>

> I will say this: My dog Raven never ate commercial dog food in her

LIFE, and

> I lost her to osteosarcoma at the age of 6. And our water is not

> flouridated.

>

> Christie

> Caber Feidh ish Deerhounds

> Raising Our Dogs Holistically Since 1986

> http://www.caberfeidh.com/

> http://doggedblog.com/

>

[Guest guest]

Christie,

I'm so sorry to hear it. I think sometimes we can get carried away

thinking good nutrition will prevent everything and anything -- I tend

to think it will nourish us and build our immune systems (and our

pets') so we are better able to fight off disease, etc., but it's not

a cure-all. You gave your dog the best you could, but you can't

control everything!

Ann

>

> I will say this: My dog Raven never ate commercial dog food in her

LIFE, and

> I lost her to osteosarcoma at the age of 6. And our water is not

> flouridated.

>

> Christie

> Caber Feidh ish Deerhounds

> Raising Our Dogs Holistically Since 1986

> http://www.caberfeidh.com/

> http://doggedblog.com/

>