十個原因告訴你為什麼不要餵乾乾
10 Reasons Why Dry Food Is Bad for Cats & Dogs
March 25, 2012
By
jhofve77
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**本文直接翻譯自原文,非本人立場發言**
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身為一個具有超過18年經驗與超過數千小時研究並提倡天然及整體健康的獸醫, 我曾下過這個結論--乾糧並不是一個適合我們的貓狗(食肉動物)的食物,他們需要以肉為主的飲食。 我常常想要讓飼主停止餵食乾糧。 但這是一個很難讓大眾接受的想法。 乾糧的方便性及相對低的價格就是主要的反對因素,這可是很強大的敵人。
As a holistic veterinarian and animal advocate with more than 18 years of experience and thousands of hours of research under my belt, I’ve concluded that dry food is not a fit diet for our cats and dogs–carnivores who need a meat-based diet. I constantly try to make the case against feeding dry food. But it’s really a hard concept to get across to people. Against me are the convenience and relatively low cost of dry food; and those are powerful opponents.
在這篇文章中, 我會告訴你10個為什麼乾糧對寵物們如此的不好... 而且希望這能夠說服那些希望寵物們能有最好的健康及長久的生命的人, 而乾糧並不能達到。
In this article, I’ll present 10 reasons why dry food is so very bad for pets…and hopefully convince people who want optimal health and long life for their beloved cats and dogs that dry food isn’t going to get them there.
1. 原料 Ingredients
乾糧主要的原料為乾燥的粉狀物, 像是雞肉粉,家禽副產品粉還有肉及骨粉. 這些動物性原料被放入一個很大的磨碎機裡以減少大型塊狀物。 產出的大雜燴就在很高的溫度下煮沸好幾個小時, 甚至好幾天, 讓所有的東西都變成粥狀. 脂肪會浮在上面, 然後被刮下來用做其他用途。 剩下的部份就乾燥成低水分, 高蛋白的粉末以用在乾糧中。
Dry food is typically made from rendered ingredients, such as chicken meal, poultry by
-product meal, and meat and bone meal (MBM). Rendering starts with animal-source ingredients being fed into a massive grinder to reduce them to chunks. The resulting hodgepodge is boiled at high temperatures for hours or even days, turning everything to mush. Fat floats to the top and is skimmed off for other uses. The remainder is dried to a low-moisture, high protein powder suitable for use in dry foods.
有些磨碎的產物不一定是好的。 像是雞肉粉, 相對來說比較純, 因為這通常是交給只處理雞肉的磨碎廠。 另外一方面, 肉骨粉則是最惡劣的生原料。
Some rendered products are better—or worse—than others. Chicken meal, for instance, is likely to be relatively pure, because the rendering plant is usually associated with a slaughterhouse that processes only chickens. On the other end of the spectrum, MBM is the “dumping ground” of the nastiest raw ingredients.
這些原料可能有:
These may include:
由家畜(牛,羊,豬)或家禽而來的非肉組織, 像是腸子, 肺, 脾臟, 頭, 蹄, 乳房, 未出生的胎兒, 生病或是被寄生的肝臟, 切除的腫瘤及其他人類不吃的東西。
Non-meat parts from cattle, sheep, swine, or poultry, such as intestines, lungs, spleens, heads, hooves, udders, unborn fetuses, diseased or parasitized livers, cut-away tumors, and other parts unsuitable for human consumption
廚餘及過期的超市肉品(沒有人會去將這些肉拿出包裝來處理; 那些"法規" 容許最後的產物含有一定比例的塑膠)
Restaurant waste and out-of-date supermarket meats (and no, there isn’t a guy standing there taking them out of the packages; the “rules” allow for a certain percentage of plastic in the end product)
"屍體"- 在牧場死掉的動物, 有可能已經在太陽下曬了好幾天
“Deads” –animals that died on the farm (whose carcasses may have been decomposing in the sun for days)
"淘汰動物" 生病或是受傷而無法走進屠宰場的動物
“Downers” (animals too sick or injured to walk into the slaughterhouse)
因為這些東西最後都會變成咖啡色的粉狀物, 你不可能知道裡面含有什麼。 但是美國食品藥物管理局發現含有肉骨粉及/或"動物脂肪" (兩者都是粉狀物的原料)的狗食中常含有巴比妥, 這是一種用來安樂動物的藥物。
Because all of this ends up as an amorphous brown powder, it’s impossible to know what went into it. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that dog foods containing MBM and/or “animal fat” (both rendered ingredients) were the most likely to contain pentobarbital, the primary drug used to euthanize animals.
有些乾糧, 像是你常在雜貨店, 打折商店及大型寵物店看到的品牌, 單用肉粉以達到蛋白質需求會成本太高,所以製造商用粉狀副產品及/或植物性蛋白質(如玉米麩粉, 大豆粉及植物蛋白萃取物)替換以讓蛋白質含量達到可接受的範圍。
In some dry foods, such as those found at grocery stores, discount stores, and large pet supply stores, even rendered meat is too costly to make the needed profit, so manufacturers substitute rendered by-product meals and/or vegetable proteins such as corn gluten meal, soybean meal, and plant protein concentrates to get the protein up to acceptable levels.
其它的的原料還有碳水化合物或是澱粉(穀物或是高澱粉植物), 維他命及礦物質混合物與水。 成犬及成貓的飲食不需要碳水化合物; 這些澱粉只是提供熱量。因為這些東西並不是我們的食肉動物們天生該吃的東西, 大部分的熱量就很快的轉成脂肪。 然後那些獸醫們才對為什麼我們有寵物肥胖問題感到疑惑。
Other ingredients of the dough include carbohydrates, or starch (either grains or starchy vegetables), a vitamin-mineral premix, and water. Adult dogs and cats do not need any carbohydrates in their diet; all these starches do is provide calories. Because they aren’t a natural part of our carnivorous pals’ diets, most of those calories are quickly converted to fat. And then veterinarians wonder why we have a “pet obesity epidemic”!
價格並不是可靠的品質識別證, 雖然非常便宜的食物當然是含有非常便宜的原料。製造商必須購買原料, 處理, 裝袋並運送這些食物到銷售商, 還得付薪水給員工及高層。 然後銷售商儲存這些食物, 最後寄送到零售商與賣場。 這些店會收取上架費已保障自己的生意。 然後, 他賣你一磅1.5美金, 這一點錢居然足夠支付這一大段路的所有支出! 在這1.5美金裡面購買原料的成本不會超過30分。 而且如果製造商還用很多的廣告來宣傳, 原料占的成本比例會更低。
Cost isn’t a reliable indicator of quality, although extremely cheap foods are bound to contain extremely cheap ingredients. The manufacturer has to buy ingredients, process them, bag and ship the finished food to a distributor, and at the same time pay for labor and overhead. Then the distributor stores the food and ultimately delivers the food to retail outlets. Those stores charge for shelf space to keep themselves in business. And yet, it sells it for $1.50 a pound, while guaranteeing a profit for everyone along the way! The cost of all the ingredients in a $1.50/pound food can’t be more than 30 cents/pound. And if the manufacturer also promotes the food through advertising, that cost has to be deducted, too.
由一個著名的網路寵物網站對貓乾糧所做的調查發現, 貓乾乾的價格及品質差異很大。 就像我們所預想的, 雜貨店裡常見的貓乾糧每磅不超過2美金, 但是"有機"及許多"無穀"的食物卻是每磅3美金以上。 但是最貴的食物不是無穀,有機或是天然糧; 而是那些大量(且花重本)廣告的牌子。 希爾斯的室內貓就必須要每磅3.96美金, 就算它不含有一滴滴的真正肉品(多為家禽副產品粉, 米及玉米)。 就不用問希爾斯的處方食物了-- 但如果你一定要知道, 他們的"抗敏" z/d 高達每磅6美金以上。
A survey of dry cat food for sale at a popular internet pet site found a huge variation in the price and quality. As expected, generic and grocery-store type dry cat foods were less than $2.00 per pound, while “organic” and many “grain-free” foods were more in the $3.00/lb. range. But the
most expensive foods were not grain free, organic, or natural; but rather were those most massively (and expensively) advertised. Science Diet’s Feline Indoor Maintenance rang up at an astonishing $3.96 per pound, despite containing not one single shred of real meat (mainly poultry by-product meal, rice, and corn). Don’t even ask about Hill’s Prescription Diets—but if you just gotta know, their “hypoallergenic” z/d formula is over $6.00/lb.
2. 處理過程Processing
要製作乾糧, 高蛋白粉被混入一個黏黏, 高澱粉的麵糰然後由一個擠壓器壓出,形成乾乾的形狀。 這個麵糰是由一個巨大的螺絲擠壓到一個小小的管子裡, 尾端有模型, 就像蛋糕的奶油擠花器一樣。 擠壓器裡的溫度及壓力都非常的高。 這些麵糰被擠出來之後, 會通過一個旋轉的刀片將麵糰切片, 麵團在到一般壓力的空氣中時就會彈出來, 最後就變成我們一般看到的乾乾形狀。
To make dry food, whatever rendered high-protein meal is being used is mixed into a sticky, starchy dough that can be pressed through an extruder, which forms the kibble. The dough is forced by giant screws through a barrel and ultimately into tiny tubes that end in a shape, much like a cake decorator. The heat and pressure in the extruder are tremendous. As the compressed dough exits into the air, it passes through a whirling mass of sharp knives that cuts the pieces individually as they “pop” when they reach normal air pressure, creating the familiar shapes associated with each pet food brand.
雖然高溫的處理會讓蔬果及穀物更容易消化, 但是蛋白質的吸收是相反的。 煮過的蛋白質比較不容易消化, 而且他們會被熱改變結構。 這些不正常的蛋白質會是食物過敏的原因之一, 因為免疫系統會對這些不認識且不自然的蛋白質產生反應。
While heat processing makes vegetables, fruits, and grains more digestible, it has the opposite effect on proteins. Not only are cooked proteins less digestible, but they can be distorted, or “denatured,” by heating. These abnormal proteins may be a factor in the development of food allergies, as the immune system reacts to these unfamiliar and unnatural shapes.
酵素, 是一種特別的蛋白質, 它會在身體裡產生數千計的化學反應, 它們特別的脆弱, 而且很容易被熱所破壞, 就算是相對低的溫度也一樣。 正常的食物酵素會幫助消化, 而它們會在處理過程中被破壞。 這會迫使胰臟的工作量增加以達到身體所需的酵素量。 在一段時間後, 胰臟會因為這個強大的壓力而變大甚至會有致命的胰腺炎。
Enzymes, special proteins that aid in thousands of chemical reactions in the body, are especially fragile, and are rapidly destroyed by heat, even at relatively low temperatures. The normal food enzymes that would help digest the food are destroyed by processing. This forces the pancreas to make up for those lost enzymes. Over time, the pancreas can become stressed and enlarged, and even get pushed into life-threatening pancreatitis.
3. 碳水化合物Carbohydrates
碳水化合物是一種含有碳(C), 氫(H)及氧(O)的分子--或是可以說成是碳加水(H2O)--"含有水分的碳"。 最簡單的碳水化合物是醣; 而所有的碳水化合物就是醣的不同配置而產生。 纖維是一個很特別的碳水化合物型態, 由植物細胞所製造以保持它們的細胞壁強韌, 讓植物可以從一個很小的基部長得很高大。
Carbohydrates are molecules that contain carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) —carbon and water (H
2O) —in other words, “hydrated carbon.” The simplest carbohydrate is sugar; and all carbs are varying configurations of sugars. Fiber is a special type of carbohydrate made by plant cells to keep their cell walls rigid, allowing plants to grow upright from a relatively small base.
狗和貓都是食肉動物, 吃肉的。 他們自然的飲食是高蛋白質及高水分。 例如, 一隻完整的老鼠含有約8%碳水化合物, 大部分存在肝臟。 大自然的獵物(鳥,兔,老鼠等等)含有9-10%的碳水化合物。 有些是由葡萄醣所組成, 身體會將這個能量儲存在肌肉與肝臟中, 有一些來自於獵物體內尚未消化的食物。 食肉動物最理想的飲食是阿特金斯健康飲食法: 大量的蛋白質與脂肪及少量植物源的複雜碳水化合物。
Dogs and cats are carnivores, meat-eaters. Their natural diet is high protein and high moisture. For example, a whole rat contains about 8% carbs, which are found mainly in the liver. Natural prey (birds, rabbits, rodents, etc.) contain from 9-10% carbs. Some of this is consists of glycogen, a fuel the body stores in the muscles and liver, and some comes from undigested food in the prey’s gut. The carnivore’s ideal diet is essentially the Atkins diet: lots of protein and fat, and a small amount of complex carbohydrates from vegetables.
貓乾糧中平均的碳水化合物含量為約30%; 這個範圍由8%的EVO全貓糧(大部分的碳水化合物由44%的蛋白及47%脂肪所替代)到48%的布魯斯。蛋白質是最昂貴的原料, 而碳水化合物是最便宜的, 便宜的食物含有較多的碳水化合物。
The average carb content of dry cat food is about 30% carbohydrates; it ranges from 8% in EVO Cat and Kitten food (most the carbs are replaced by 44% protein and an astronomical 47% fat), to 48% in Blue Buffalo Lite. Protein is the most expensive ingredient, and carbs the least expensive; so in general, cheaper foods contain more carbs.
狗(及人類)可將碳水化合物直接分解為簡單的醣以用作能量來源。 醣不是立即可用的能源, 或是補充肝及肌肉中的葡萄醣, 它們會轉成脂肪。這需要一些生物化學途徑以完成; 但是這個大多數哺乳類動物最主要的途徑(需要葡萄醣激脢)在貓咪中是沒有的。 貓咪天生無法處理碳水化合物。 貓米比較喜歡利用蛋白質及脂肪產能, 而且這些途徑是強制性的。 貓咪處理碳水化合物的能力很弱, 而且他們會自動將碳水化合物轉化成脂肪。
Dogs (and humans) use carbs directly for energy by breaking them down to simple sugars. Sugars not needed for immediate energy, or to replenish glycogen stores in the liver and muscles, are turned into fat. This takes place through several biochemical pathways; but a major pathway used by most mammals (involving the enzyme glucokinase) is essentially absent in the cat. Cats are simply not built to process carbohydrates. Cats preferentially use protein and fat for energy, and these pathways are mandatory. Felines have very limited ability to process carbohydrates, and are “programmed” to turn carbs directly into fat.
另外一個碳水化合物的缺點是它們含有很高的血糖指數; 這表示比起其它的營養它們會更快的提高血糖。 增加的血糖會使一種荷爾蒙-胰島素從胰臟中釋出。 胰島素會幫助細胞吸收這些糖, 這些細胞就可以利用它們當作能量來源。 如果沒有胰島素, 不管細胞有多麼的飢餓, 糖仍然停留在血液當中。
Another disadvantage of carbohydrates is that they have a high glycemic index; this means that they raise blood sugar higher and faster than other nutrients. Increased blood sugar triggers the release of the hormone insulin from the pancreas. Insulin allows sugars to be absorbed into cells, where they can be used for fuel. Without insulin, no matter how fuel-starved cells may be, sugars stay in the bloodstream.
高熱處理會增加碳水化合物的血糖指數。 玉米-一個常見的乾糧原料-和巧克力的血糖指數非常相似。 當乾糧隨口可及, 貓咪會一天吃15-20次。 這會使得身體內的血糖不斷起伏, 而每次都需要胰臟分泌胰島素。 過量分泌胰島素會造成細胞對胰島素較不敏感。 這是為什麼乾糧是一個第二型貓咪糖尿病的主要原因。
Heat processing increases the glycemic index of carbohydrates. Corn—a common ingredient of dry food—has a glycemic index similar to a chocolate bar. When dry food is available all the time, cats in particular will nibble at it 15-20 times a day. This causes multiple sharp swings in blood sugar and requires the pancreas to secrete insulin each time. Over-secretion of insulin causes cells to down-regulate and become resistant to insulin. This is one reason why dry food is a major contributor to feline (Type II) diabetes.
4. 熱量Calories
最近的研究發現美國大約50%的貓狗都過重, 而且其中很多是嚴重肥胖。 過多的體重並不可愛也不好窩--它會縮短寵物的生命, 造成不必要的不適, 而且必然會導致至少一種慢性疾病, 像是糖尿病, 膀胱和腎臟疾病, 關節炎, 肝臟敗壞, 慢性腸胃道問題, 免疫力降低, 甚至癌症。 給他那些不必要的食物並不是對他好, 大部分的肇因都是乾糧。
It’s currently estimated that about 50% of dogs and cats in the U.S. are overweight, and many are seriously obese. Carrying extra weight isn’t cute and cuddly—it will shorten your pet’s life, create unnecessary discomfort, and will surely lead to one or more chronic diseases, such as diabetes, bladder and kidney disease, arthritis, liver failure, chronic gastrointestinal problems, poor immunity, and even cancer. You’re not doing your pet any favors by giving in to those abnormal appetites, which are in most cases caused and perpetuated by dry food.
乾糧是高度濃縮的熱量。 乾糧是那個含有很多熱量的食物, 而非罐頭或是其它的高含水食物。 乾糧是寵物肥胖的主要原因。 肥胖則會造成許多嚴重的疾病, 包含:
Dry food is a highly concentrated source of calories. Dry food, not canned food or any other high-moisture food, is where the calories are. Dry food is the leading cause of obesity in pets. Obesity by itself leads to many serious diseases, including:
