naturalpet Pet Food Perils
Lurking GMOs May Hurt Our Pets by Dr. Michael W. Fox
L
ike a canary in a coal mine, dogs serve as sentinels, drawing our atten- tion to health hazards in our shared
home environment and in the products and byproducts of the food industry.
Multiple Health Issues In the mid-1990s, as genetically engi- neered or modified (GE, GM or GMO), corn and soy were becoming increas- ingly prominent ingredients in both pet food products and feed for farm ani- mals, the number of dogs reported suf- fering from a specific cluster of health problems increased. It also became evi- dent from discussion among veterinar- ians and dog owners that such health
problems occurred more often among dogs eating pet food that included GM crops than those consuming food pro- duced from conventional crops. The conditions most cited includ- ed allergies, asthma, atopic (severe) dermatitis and other skin problems, irritable bowel syndrome, leaky gut syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, colitis, recurrent diarrhea, vomiting and indigestion, plus abnormalities in liver, pancreas and immune system func- tions. People often reported failed treat- ments and harmful side effects to pre- scribed remedies (e.g. steroids), as well as problems with various manufactured prescription diets after their attending
“Look first for the USDA Certified Organic label. Next, look for other words and terms on the package indicating it comprises natural, humane, free-range, grass-fed and GM- or GE-free ingredients. Watch out for chemical preservatives, ar- tificial coloring, byproducts, GMOs, irradiation/radioisotope treat- ment, hormones and antibiotics. In short, seek out whole organic foods appropriate to the species.”
~ Dr. Michael Fox
veterinarians diagnosed their animals with these conditions.
According to a 2011 study in the
Like a welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the Earth, the air and you. ~Langston Hughes
journal Cell Research, in engineering crops like corn and soybean, novel proteins are created that can assault the immune system and cause allergies and illnesses, especially in the offspring of mothers fed GMO foods. Diminished nutrient content is a concurrent issue. “The results of most of the few independent studies conducted with GM foods indicate that they may cause hepatic, pancreatic, renal and repro- ductive effects and may alter hemato- logical, biochemical and immunologic parameters,”concluded Artemis Dona and Ioannis S. Arvanitoyannis, of the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at the University of Athens Medical School, in their 2009 study on the effect of GM foods on animals. Such problems are caused partly by the inherent genetic instabil- ity of GM plants, which can result in spontaneous
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