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Wheat can be
affected by a fungus which produces a toxic
substance (mycotoxin or aflatoxin). Some toxins
are "heat stable" which means they
survive cooking. Some cause vomiting, others can
cause death. The human disease "St Vitus
Dance" was caused by eating bread made from
wheat which was affected by ergot, a fungus.
Cooked rice can be affected by bacillus cereus, a
bacteria which produces a heat stable toxin. Food
poisoning in takeaway meals is often due to B
cereus since the rice is cooked and stored in
bulk. Ingredients most likely to be contaminated
with mycotoxins are grains (wheat, maize),
cottonseed meal, peanut meal and fish meal.
The British pet
Food Manufacturers Association (PFMA) uses plant
based substances in pet foods and highlights
several aspects of quality control and inspection
where vigilance is required. Plant based
substances are carefully monitored for mycotoxins
and pesticide residues. PFMA members specify that
raw materials be free of these substances and
carry out supplier audits to enforce this.
Dry cat food is
sterile while being extruded, but can become
contaminated with bacteria during drying and
packaging. While the food is dry, the bacteria are
dormant. If the packaged food is stored in damp
conditions, the bacteria multiply. Adding water or
gravy to moisten dry food reactivates the
bacteria. If the food is allowed to stand, the
bacteria multiply. Moistened kibble must be
treated as though it is canned food and cleared
away once the cat has eaten his or her fill.
Hormones, Antibiotics and
Euthanasia Chemicals
The heavy use of
hormones, steroids and antibiotics, in farm
animals, is a serious concern. These continue to
be active, even in "dead"
tissues. For one thing, the indiscriminate or
routine use (preventative use) of antibiotics has
led to an increase in antibiotic-resistant
bacteria. Bacteria multiply and evolve quickly,
adapting quickly to an environment awash with
antibiotics. Pigs, sheep, cattle
and chickens are killed by physical methods
(electrocution or blunt trauma). Cats and dogs
from shelters will most likely have been killed
using chemicals which may not be destroyed by
rendering and which may enter the food chain.
Sodium pentobarbitol, a barbiturate, is used to euthanize
companion animals and some larger pets such as
horses. This drug should not be used on animals
intended for food, though carcasses of horses or
deer destroyed by injection may be fed to hounds
in hunt kennels (hounds are destroyed at a
relatively young age i.e. when they slow down). In
studies conducted at the University of Minnesota,
USA, it was found that sodium pentobarbitol
survived rendering without undergoing degradation.
This means that the drug can enter the food chain
in exactly the same form as it was injected into
an animal to kill it. It is not currently known
what effect this drug has when pets consume pet
foods contaminated with this drug.
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