All pet food must be registered and is required to meet the standards laid down by Act 36, however certain rogue manufacturers secure approval for their formulas from the Registrar of Act 36, then immediately drop their standards to make more money.

Certain information is required by law to be printed on the bag, and consumers trust that what is printed on the packaging, is what’s inside the bag. “These rogue manufacturers not only undermine a credible pet food industry, they also undermine consumer confidence,” says Barry Hundley, Executive Director of the Pet Food Industry (PFI) Association.

Animals essentially eat to meet their energy requirements, and these requirements differ from breed to breed and amongst individual dogs within a breed. Feeding a dog an unbalanced, poor quality meal has huge implications for the animal’s health. Digestibility decreases, as the dog cannot process the intake, thus resulting in slow starvation, illness and ultimate death.

According to Act 36, the following minimum standards of macro nutrients must be met when formulating a dog food:

Nutrient                                 Standard                                 Sub-standard (typical e.g.)
Moisture                                 10% (maximum)                      12.2 – 13.6%
Protein                                     18% (minimum)                       10 - 14%
Fat                                            4.5% (minimum)                      3.8%
Fibre                                        4.5% (maximum)                     6.8 – 7.8%
Ash (Mineral Content)      Level set as maximum by the Manufacturer. 
                                                   Must be verified as acceptable level for the food

                                                   by the Technical Advisor to the Registrar Act 36.
Decreased protein, leaving out vitamins and trace minerals, reducing the fat and adding extra fibre all reduce the sub-standard pet food manufacturers costs and increase his profits, but also reduces an animal’s life expectancy.

Typical sub-standard ingredients used by these manufacturers include peanut hulls (contaminated), mixed beans, poultry litter, urea, feather meal, bakery by-products, potato chip by-products, cocoa powder, (highly toxic to dogs) and other materials many of which are normally not fit for human consumption, (which means they are not usually fit for pets). Cocoa powder (including chocolate) can cause theobromide toxicity; it may lead to heart failure, or cause an animal to exhibit neurological symptoms including abnormal behaviour or seizures.

Dry pet food with too much moisture has reduced nutritional value and increased health risks for a pet. Many rogue manufacturers increase the moisture levels in their dry dog food by between two and four percent.  Water has good connotations as it contributes to the texture and structure of a foodstuff and influences the feel of the product in the mouth, and its palatability.  BUT, too much water interacts with other chemical components and negatively influences storage stability, reducing shelf life. The food then develops moulds that can cause mycotoxins and result in fats becoming rancid, all of which can induce tumours and various illnesses in an animal.

Protein provides essential amino acids that are vital for building muscles, developing healthy bones, skin condition, and good digestion.  Too little protein results in:
- Poor growth
- Poor coat and skin (brittle hair)
- Poor immune system, so animals are more prone to infections
- Muscle wasting
- Liver malfunction
- Anaemia
- Reduced activity levels
- Inability for cells to renew or repair themselves
- Poor reproduction, including poor conception, poor sperm quality,  resulting in small weak puppies, and low milk production
- General stress on an animal’s system

Fats are another area in which rogue players can cut corners to increase profits, but again this has adverse affects on animals.  Too little or the wrong type of fat results in:
- Dull, dry, flaky skin and coat
- Poor wound healing
- Poor gut defenses due to poor gastro intestinal tract (GIT) health and leads to diarrhoea
- Lack of fat soluble vitamins causes low vitamin intake which affect immunity, reproduction, blood clotting
- Hepatic lipidosis – deficiency of fatty acid
- Rancid fat results in poor palatability, yellow fat disease (caused by excess saturated fat)
- Rancid fat that is not fit for human consumption may be used e.g. reject chips

Some plant fibre and protein contain phytic acid, which react with phosphorous, calcium and zinc, and can unbalance the calcium-phosphorous ratio. Too little fibre can cause this GIT health to decline and lead to weight loss, low immunity and diarrhoea.  Excessive fibre (often of the wrong type) in a dog’s diet impacts the animal in several ways:
- Decreases the food’s palatability
- Coat quality deteriorates
- Increased stool volume
- Reduced activity levels
- Decreased digestibility and ability to absorb nutrients
- Bulk fill, so the animal feels full without having eaten sufficient food
- Weight loss

A fine balance is needed between vitamins and minerals to achieve a balanced diet. By using poor quality carcass meal, for instance, manufacturers cause the bone-to-meat ratio to be too high, resulting in too much phosphorous, which can lead to nutritional secondary hyperpara-thyroidism.  Too much calcium means a puppy’s bones cannot form properly and he may develop rickets. Excessive calcium also leads to poor reproduction, milk fever during pregnancy, and orthopaedic problems.  Incorrect vitamin and mineral levels result in:
- Structural weaknesses (bone malformation)
- Impaired metabolic processes

 Diseaseo
 Deficiencieso
 Reduced life expectancy

A tremendous amount of science goes into creating pet food that contains the correct balance of ingredients. By changing the quality or type of a single ingredient, the entire formula is transformed – done incorrectly this can be to the detriment of the pet. Pet Nutritionists know and understand these negatives and therefore formulate and design pet foods using the correct ingredients and nutrient balances to avoid any problems. This enables manufacturers to sell pet food that is complete and balanced and above all SAFE for your dog.

Substandard pet food manufacturers are effectively stealing health and life from animals, and betraying consumer confidence by effectively stealing their money spent and the long term healthy companionship of their pet.

“Animals cannot prepare their own meals; they rely on their human owners to give them their nutritional requirements. We have a responsibility not to let them down. The best food source is commercially prepared, scientifically balanced and complete dog food from reputable manufacturers,” concludes Hundley.

If you have any concerns or questions regarding pet food, contact PFI Executive Director, Barry Hundley at +27 (0)33-343-2874 or                        pfi-sa@iafrica.com

Information for this article was supplied by PFI members and by Riana Durham.