I almost lost my beloved Lilly (a 6 lb. poodle) several years back. After throwing up one day, she stopped eating and drinking. I was four vets later, $3000 into vet bills before I found out what I needed to do to save her life. Part of it was my discovery of the healing effect of low-level radiation, and irradiating her water (which was the only water she was willing to drink; this discovery and its importance for human healing is detailed in my book: Because People Are Dying). But just as significantly was my conversion of her to a completely raw food diet. I was given this suggestion by a naturopathic physician. When I put down raw grass-fed chopped beef, it became her first meal in a week. And raw meat is what she has been eating ever since, and on this program, she quickly regained her health.
 
Until then, Lilly had been on the healthiest canned dog food program available. But, obviously it wasn't good enough to maintain her health. After doing some research on dog foods, now I know why. Raw is definitely better than cooked, as it is the way canines in the wild eat. But it is ore than that: it is also because there simply is almost no commercial dog food that is good enough to sustain the lives of our precious animals.
 
Ethoxyquin is one of many common ingredients in dog food that is seriously toxic for our pets. It is often listed as simply "E" on pet food labels. Some dog food makers fail to list ethoxyquin on their labels but when pressured to disclose the facts, will admit it's use.
 
Ethoxyquin Is manufactured by Monsanto, and employees handling the substance are required to wear eye and respiratory protection. Containers are marked with skull and crossbones and prominently display the word, POISON.  Etnoxyquin Is listed and Identified as a hazardous chemical by OSHA. It  has a rating of 3 in the Chemical Toxicology of Commercial Products listings (on a scale of 1 to 6, with 6 being the highest level of toxicity requiring less than 7 drops to cause death).
 
The Department of Agriculture lists ethoxyquin as a pesticide. It Is also used a rubber preservative. Based on body weight, the FDA allows ethoxyquin to be used in pet foods at a rate of 300 times higher than permitted as residue in beef and pork consumed by humans.
 
Monsanto issues a disclaimer regarding use of ethoxyquin, stating that, 'Although, the Company makes no representations as to the completeness of accuracy thereof... (users must) make their own determination as to it suitability.. Monsanto will not be responsible for damages of any nature whatsoever..."
 
Both BHA and BHT are also commonly used in pet foods. They are known to cause liver and kidney dysfunction and are banned in some European countries. Based on animal studies, the National Toxicology Program has concluded that BHA "is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen."
 
Propylene glycol, another common pet food Ingredient (closely related to anti-freeze), causes the destruction of red blood cells.
 
CHEMICAL PRESERVATIVES IN CAT FOODS:
Who is using what?
 
ALPO beef :   BHA
American Nutrition -- Atta Cat Cuisine dinner :   BHA
Blue Mountain - Special Menu :   BHA
Friskies - Fancy Feast: Savory Salmon; Turkey and Giblets :   BHA
Friskies - Senior :   Ethoyxquin
Friskies - Poultry Platter, Ocean fish, :   BHA
Chefs Blend Gourmet Kitten formula :   BHA
Heinz - 9 Lives; Real Liver & Chicken; Real Tuna and Eggs :   BHA
Hills Science Diet
Feline Maintenance Light; Feline Growth, Propylgallate
Feline Maintenance :   BHA & Ethoxyquin
IAMS - Less Active for Cats; Normally Active for Cats;  Kitten Formula :   BHA & Ethoxyquin
Kasco - Cat Food:   Propylgallate
Nutro-Max Cat; Adult; Kitten, Lite :   Ethoyxquin
Ralston Purina - Alley Cat; Cat chow Original :   BHA
Kitten Chow, Kit'N Kaboodle; Meow Mix; Deli Cat :   BHA
One Cat formula; Cat Chow Special C&E; Cat Chow Mature :   Ethoyxquin
Rockford Farms - Main Dish Brand - Moist Meals,  Gourmet Feast; Beef; Tuna :   BHA
Royal Canin - Wayne's Kit Kat Glow :   BHA
Whiskas - Original; Poultry; Seafood; Expert :   BHA
 
Also, most pet foods have a load of GMO foods added.
Soy, corn, alfalfa & canola are likely GMO, and highly toxic.
Monsanto has known all along that GMO's are unsafe. There are now over 100 scientific studies indicating the health risks of GMO's!
 
Many US brands produce non-GMO versions of their foods for other countries.  These other countries have reached a tipping point!  More than 5% of their consumers stopped buying the brands that contained GMO ingredients, which then forced those companies to provide a product that the consumers would buy.  For the US, it's been 1991 ~ 2014 .... 23 years and we still have not gotten labeling, much less a ban!  In 2013, India became the 64th country to require labeling of GMO's! 

I have talked about the importance of  microbes in a past Musings. The importance of microbes in every day life cannot be over-stated. Microbes live in every part of our bodies, in every crevice, and on every surface. There are more bacterial cells on our bodily surfaces -- collectively amounting to 100 trillion cells -- than there are human cells in the entire body.

We are born 90% human, 10% microbes. As we develop and grow, our microbes develop and grow with us. They grow much faster than we grow.  By the time most of us die, we will have reversed the proportion of human to microbes, and we will have become 90% microbial. At the time of our death, then, it could be said that we are, indeed, more microbial than human.

In 2008, a branch of the National Institutes of Health, launched a five-year, $153 million, federally funded research project called the "Microbiome Project." It is looking at all the microbes; most are bacteria, but there are also viruses, parasites, protozoa (one-cell organisms with animal-like behavior),  bacteriophages (a virus that replicates within bacteria), and yeast -- and what scientists are finding is changing the face of medicine. Take a closer look at these developments:

* Babies get a substance from breast milk that they cannot digest. This substance is oligosaccharides and babies do not have the required enzymes to digest this substance. The purpose of  oligosaccharides is to deliver materials to the microbes that reside in the baby's gut!  It is our infants' first prebiotic!

* Couples who live together share more microbes with each other if they have a dog, compared with couples that do not have a dog. The largest bacteria group that dogs and humans share is Betaproteobacteria. 

* Animals who are fed antibiotics gain more weight than those not fed antibiotics. The research shows that antibiotics alter the bacteria that play an important role in regulating weight. 

*Stress during childhood could have long-term effects on the gut microbiome. When rats and monkeys are separated from their mothers, a type of stress is created that alters the microbiota of the gut.

* Kissing involves exchanging human microbiota. Variety is key to health, and the exchange of each others' microbes has the advantage of boosting immunity. In addition, there are a wealth of other benefits to kissing. It relieves stress and releases epinephrine into the blood,  resulting in increased pumping of blood, which can reduce LDL cholesterol. Kissing stimulates the production of saliva in the mouth, which helps to fight cavities. And it also stimulates a cascade of "happy" hormones, such as serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin. These "happy" hormones aren't only important for good feelings; they also help to strengthen relationships. It has been found that those who cannot commit to a love relationship are low in oxytocin.