What happens when you feed this to a gorilla?
Ground corn, Soybean meal, Cracked wheat, Sucrose,Wheat germ meal,Animal fat (preserved with BHA, propyl gallate and citric acid), Dried whole egg, Dicalcium phosphate, Calcium carbonate, Iodized salt,Vegetable oil, Choline chloride, Stabilized ascorbic acid (source of Vitamin C), Ethoxyquin (a preservative), Ferrous sulfate, Zinc oxide, Copper chloride, Manganous oxide, Cobalt carbonate, Calcium iodate, Sodium selenite,Vitamin A supplement,Vitamin D3supplement,Vitamin E supplement, Thiamine (Vitamin B1), Niacin, Calcium pantothenate, Pyridoxine hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Folic acid, Biotin,Vitamin B12supplement.
Apparently they develop heart disease and die prematurely.
Maybe they need more soy, corn and wheat with less animal fat, eh?
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I had a nice conversation at a party a few months ago with a retired zookeeper (from a world renowned zoo). He applauded my decision to feed my two cats a species-appropriate diet (homemade raw meat and bones). He said too many zoos make little attempt to feed species appropriate diets.
ReplyDeleteEven at the zoo where he had worked, where they grow a lot of the animals' food and significant effort and expense is made to re-create the natural diet, they get it wrong sometimes. Very exotic animal diets sometimes seemed right for general maintenance, even growth, but not always for reproduction and long term health. Sometimes zoo nutritionist also learned over time that what seemed like a good approximation of a natural diet wasn't: they noticed a high rate of "kidney blow-out".
Seems like there is a lesson in here, yes? And Purina Gorilla Chow isn't the answer.
Purina Lab Rat Chow isn't so great, either.
Since when do gorillas find soy meal, cracked wheat, wheat germ meal, animal fat and dried eggs in the wild? And look at the other stuff added to the chow! Is it any wonder they grow sick?
ReplyDeleteGive 'em grubs and leaves and stalks!
I worked for years as a small animal vet. We were grappling with a huge increase in the numbers of obese and diabetic pets, a trend which continues and mirrors the rise in use of dried pet foods, which are of course high carb.
ReplyDeleteOf course we didn't blame the diet, but put it down to the lazy owners who fed them too much and never walked them. To my shame and in my ignorance I did the usual stuff, recommended a 'special diet' which was, you guessed it, even higher carbohydrate and lower fat. Unsuprisingly it was not a terribly successful approach. Which of course we largely chalked up to non-compliance on the part of the owner.
I wish I was back in practice now, I really do, and could help these dogs. My own elderly dog now eats mostly raw meat now, he's low-carbing along with me and doing great on it, his coat, energy levels and general health are remarkable for a dog aged somewhere between 14 and 16 (he's a rescue, so it's not clear how old, he could be even older).
Most if not all of the 'education' I ever got on nutrition came from pet food companies. What an total idiot I feel now, and a fraud, that I mindlessly swallowed their drivel and spouted it to my unfortunate clients. Oh well, I suppose you live and learn.
Where did you get the ingredient list from? It wasn't in the article. The article claims that the zoo keepers are baffled. If that is what they are feeding them, they've got no right to be so confused!
ReplyDeleteThis ref might give them some pointers! Cardiomyopathy and gluten
ReplyDeleteBut healthy grains are so yummy...
Peter
The Zoo folks have never did the proper research to know what to feed them.
ReplyDeleteAmen to natural diets for animals (and for me). I feed my three cats and 2 dogs raw (meat, bones, and eggs and dairy as a treat) and they are all in perfect health. No hairballs, bladder infections, tooth decay, overweight etc. My cats are the only slender ones over a year old that I know. My older dog, who is turning 13 this year, is in excellent health also, despite living on dog food until she was 9. Raw has made all the difference for her, and instead of a decrepit older dog I still have the puppy I got when I was 11. I also feed my pet rats mostly nuts, meat and vegetables (along with some brown rice and oatmeal) and they have a much lower incidence of tumors, respitory problems and other nasty conditions than my friends who feed them rat chow.
ReplyDeleteAfter spending the last few years researching and tweaking my pet's food, I finally did the same for myself. I have actually gained some much needed weight eating a diet ridiculously high in fat and protein, and eliminating sugar and refined carbs (previously I lived on pizza, cookies and pasta, as I was always trying to gain - it never happened). And as an added bonus, my acne has cleared up.