Killing Fields Part I

I made a promise to publish the guts, no pun intended, from the many interviews we had on the Summer of Murphy Tour pertaining to the pet food industry even though the actual footage we shot I'm saving for the documentary.

While on Tour I read this article about the recall of Chicken Jerky treats from China.  In it, a gentleman named Tony Corbo with the Food and Water Watch (FWW) Advocacy group was quoted and his comments inspired me to set up a meeting to learn more. 

It was a conversation that would incite such a visceral rage inside me, the embers of which still glow savagely and inextinguishable.   

Back in the late 1990s China was becoming quite the economic powerhouse with an unprecedented and unsustainable double digit GDP growth rate and farming and agriculture was one of their chief industries.  Among other things, they had a bunch of chickens that they wanted to export and here in the United States, well, we love us some poultry.

The problem was we didn't want them.  Not for human consumption anyway because their processing plants couldn't meet up with USDA standards despite the numerous inspections of their facilities and China's numerous attempts to grease our politicians to enact favorable legislation.

'Damn, what we do with all this chicken?', they asked themselves.  And rays of light beamed down on them.. . which ended up being glaring holes in our regulatory guidelines that the Chinese government exposed and exploited.  

Let's Make Dog Food

Unfit for human consumption.  Fuck it, unfit for any consumption, there was a business opportunity there and the Chinese knew it.  

And now, all of us have found ourselves as unwilling and inextricable bit players in this theater of tragedy and absurdity that has costed thousands and thousands of lives, directed and sanctioned by, well, you know who.  

DC... The District of Calamity

You see, the FDA, not the USDA, sets the standards for pet food products though I've since learned from other sources that 'set' is a rather loose term.  It's more accurate to say that corporate industry tells them what they're going to do and the FDA decides whether or not they're going to argue with them through a consortium called AAFCO.  Disclosure - I contacted the FDA for an interview but never got a call back.

So now the millions of pounds of pet food imported into the U.S. from China has grown 85 times over this decade, a reality that wasn't really under the radar of the FWW until dogs started dying from chicken jerky treats.

Through their analysis of various documents that mistakenly weren't redacted, they discovered that the jerky treats were being irradiated at doses up to more than ten times permissible levels in humans.

Nuke it.  Nuke it Good. 

Heck, let's keep making this toxic food product jam packed with bacteria, fungus, and a whole host of other pathogens but expose it to Cesium, Cobalt, or whatever radioisotope of choice to kill off all the bad stuff is their line of reasoning I suppose.

This is where I come in.  We know radiation is carcinogenic.  Shit, it killed its own inventor, Madame Marie Curie.

So how have we let this happen?  First of all, the FDA only has a mere fraction of inspectors that the USDA has and from what Mr. Corbo related to me, inspection times of manufacturing plants is approximately once every ten years or so.

Furthermore, in human food, poultry producers based here in the United States have started building processing facilities in China because of the cost versus benefit equation.  That means they raise the chicken domestically then ship them overseas to process, package, and then ship back to the U.S. for human consumption.

I think I threw up a little in my mouth when we reached this part of the interview since I had consumed a fast food chain chicken meal shortly before.  I won't say which since that's not really my fight.

Them is Us

What are we really fighting here?  It's question and quandary that's kept me unsettled, unsure, and up late for months now following the Tour.

But it's like the life I learned on the road.  When you get too far ahead of yourself from Step One, Step Two, maybe Step Three that's when you start fucking up.

Without exception, every single thought leader, oncologist, veterinarian I met during the tens of thousands of miles I've traveled now for this cause, feels that there is a seriously strong correlation between cancer and diet and nutrition.  But there haven't been any long term, comprehensive, longitudinal studies conducted and that's where I need your help....

Coming up:  Part II.  What You Can Do? 

You’re Feeding Your Pet What?

Our friends Patti, Lydia, and Bob at Everything & The Dog, LLC, along with Leesburg Dogs (Friends of the new Leesburg Dog Park), and Nordic Naturals are hosting a very special event April 24th, beginning at 6:30 PM EDT at the Ida Lee Community Center.

Guest speaker will be Tracie Hotchner, who will be speaking about the importance of animal nutrition. The title of her presentation will be “You’re feeding your pet what?” and it promises to be an informative, lively presentation, and an exciting evening.

As many of you know, Tracie Hotchner, the author of both The Dog Bible: Everything Your Dog Wants You To Know and The Cat Bible: Everything Your Cat Expects You To Know, is also the host and producer of two live weekly national radio shows – DOG TALK® on NPR station WLIU out of Southampton, New York and CAT CHAT® on the Martha Stewart Channel of Sirius XM satellite radio. As Patti Best says, “Tracie has a devoted following because she entertains while admonishing people to make wise, independent decisions for their pets’ well-being.”

Tracie has appeared on Oprah, The Today Show, and The Martha Stewart TV show, and has spoken at the Pet Sitters International Annual Convention and Camp Gone to the Dogs, Glen Highland Farm Border Collie Rescue Summer Camp and Camp Unleashed. Recently Tracie has also begun a national tour of veterinary colleges beginning with Tufts University in Boston, Virginia Tech Veterinary School in Blacksburg, Virginia, and UC Davis Veterinary School in Northern California.

Along with guest speaker Tracie Hotchner, we hear from our friend Bob, the Fantastically Amazing Blogging Pit Bull, that there will be awesome gift bags for the first 100 guests, with all sorts of goodies in them, including: a Nordic Naturals full sized bottle of Omega-3, Wagatha’s Biscuits, Halo samples, Honest Kitchen samples, Weruva dog and cat food, X-O Odor Neutralizer, Platinum Performance Feline and Canine. There will also be gift certificates from local places, including Bev Hollis Photo and a couple of local groomers. As you can imagine, Bob is beside himself lately because all of these goodies are coming in to Everything And The Dog and no one has offered HIM a gift bag. But we’re working on that!

During the evening’s event there will also be a wonderful raffle and items so far include a Knitamil from artist DanaMarie Hosler, a Ruffwear x-large K-9 float coat, Bottoms Up lift leash – to help large dogs with hind end issues to walk, get into cars, etc , Bags on Board that attach to a leash with refills for pick up, a big fanny pack for a dog walker from Pet Habitats, with flushable poop bags and compartments for other stuff, Four Paws deluxe large support harness, which can be used with a leash and also with a seat belt, hot pink Packabowl flexible bowl , a large orange Kong Wubba floatable ball with tail, a Premier pet large treat/kibble dispenser, and a Cranberry Patent Leather Sherpa Bag.

WOW! I bet Hudson and Murphy are trying to figure out how fast they can drag their Papi across hill and over dale to get there in time!

Patti says they also already have 12 vendors lined up who will have tables with lots of cool displays and goodies for sale.

Ticket price is only $15 per person and includes a dessert buffet at the reception and prize raffle.

The whole evening sounds like a terrific event. Things start happening at 6:30 PM, and Tracie is scheduled to speak at 7. After her presentation, guests will enjoy the dessert buffet with refreshments, check out vendor tables, visit with Tracie, and participate in the raffle.

All proceeds from this event will go to Leesburg Dogs to improve and support Leesburg’s new Dog Park at Olde Izaac Walton Park, Leesburg, Virginia.

To reserve your place at this very special event, please send your check for $15.00 per person (and please include names of attendees) to: Everything & The Dog, 39202 Mt. Gilead Road, Leesburg, Virginia, 20175.

For questions & more information please e-mail Lydia at: lbest@everythingandthedog.com

Directions to Ida Lee Park can be found at http://www.idalee.org/parks/idalee/directions/ .

We hope those of you in the area will support Leesburg Dogs. Have a great time at the event, send pictures, and puppy up!

A Conversation with Wagatha's Norman Levitz

I had the opportunity the other day to speak with Mr. Norman Levitz, one of the founders of Wagatha’s organic dog treats . We’re very pleased that Wagatha’s is one of 2Dogs’ sponsors.

Our conversation began when I asked him how he learned about 2Dogs2000miles and Hudson, Murphy, and Luke.

I came to know of Luke’s efforts from a mutual friend, Tracie Hotchner. Tracie actually lives a few miles from us down in Bennington (Vermont). She told me about Luke’s efforts and I thought it was just a fabulous idea. I just thought it was great. I’m totally supportive of what he’s doing. There needs to be more of this kind of a thing going on.

I noticed on your web page that an important part of your philosophy is to give back to the community. One of the things that Luke has told me is that for every shelter that he visits, you send them 10 pounds of Wagatha’s Treats.

That’s correct. … The products that we make are 100% organic, we manufacture everything right here in Vermont. Most of our ingredients are domestic and the ones that aren’t are either from Central America or Europe. Everything we do is human quality. We want our best friends to have the best.

You’re the developer of the biscuits yourself?

Yes, my wife and I started making these biscuits about 30 years ago when we were in college, so there’s quite a lot of history behind them.

Can you give us a little bit of the history? Why did you start making dog biscuits?

Well, here’s the thing. Like I said, about 30 years ago my wife and I started making these biscuits in college because we had a lot of friends and family who had dogs and … you know, on a college budget, there’s not a whole lot you can do at holiday time. So we decided to try making dog biscuits. The dogs loved them and it became an annual tradition for us. About 15 years ago we had a bakery in Rhode Island and we started making these biscuits at the bakery just as an aside. We sold a lot of them. I always wanted to do this as a business but the timing just was never right. Then I finally got together with my present business partner [Neil Reilly] who thought this was a fantastic idea and here we are, 2 years later.

So you got started in 2006?

2006, yes that’s right.

Right from the beginning we wanted to be 100% certified organic and we do not do anything that does not fit that profile. We’re also kosher. We didn’t want anyone to have any barriers to why they couldn’t bring Wagatha’s into their lives.

As a professional chef and as a culinary educator, you obviously understand the issues of good nutrition. Do you see a connection between nutrition and the higher incidence of cancer in animals?

Yes, I do. I see it in people too. You are what you eat and your body can only fight off and deal with so many chemicals and artificial ingredients and things of that nature before it begins to rebel. Even more of a reason for us to be completely organic … every ingredient in our treats is there for a reason. Most of the treats are very high in antioxidant properties to help fight cellular damage.

What drew you personally to the issue of nutrition in dogs in particular?

I think it was a number of things. One of the things is, as a culinary educator, nutrition was a big part of what I had to learn and teach to my students. So, to me that really made a lot of sense. And then, the more I researched commercially available pet products and pet foods, it was horrific what I found. I knew if I was going to get involved in this business that everything we did had to be nutritionally sound because I didn’t want to be part of the problem. I wanted to be part of the solution.

I understand that Hudson and Murphy especially like the Tuscan Tomato and Herb Biscuits. Do you know what your best selling product is?

The best seller is our Breakfast Biscuit. In the South we found that the Tuscan Tomato and Herb is the number one seller. In the North it seems to be that the Cranberry and the Breakfast go neck and neck, and on the West Coast is seems the Breakfast is number one. I think it just depends on people’s life style, eating habits … we haven’t found a dog who wasn’t partial to these biscuits!

In the years ahead, do you see your company expanding into dry food, because there’s certainly a need for that?

We are actually doing research into that – whether it’s going to be dry, wet, or raw or some combination of the three we’re not sure yet, but we’re really working hard to find the right direction to go; but no, we’re not going to be just a treat company. We are looking to extend our philosophy beyond the treats.

Do you see yourself moving into less of the canine boutique or on-line ordering and maybe getting out there to mainstream your product?

We’ve really built our business so far on supporting the independent retailer. Once you cross the bridge into the mass market there are a lot of problems that go with that and we really want to maintain the integrity of our brand. So, independent is where we’re staying. But our treats are all available on our web site, you can purchase on-line, and shipping is very reasonable – over $50.00 shipping is free. And we ship almost immediately – we usually ship that day or the next day FedEx ground.

Do you see your company, even as new as it is, leading the way to a new philosophy of thinking about feeding animals?

I think we understand the difference between right and wrong and understand what the health requirements are for animals and I think that we are just reflecting changes in the way people are starting to look at animal nutrition. We’re supporting that in everything we do. We try to get that message out to everyone we interact with -- that by feeding Wagatha’s they’re feeding their dogs the best available products that they can find. We put a lot of research and time into our biscuits and stand behind what we do.

Is there anything else you would like to tell us about Wagatha’s and your interest in 2 Dogs?

I think that what 2 Dogs is doing is fantastic and I think raising awareness about canine cancer is really important. I think that grass-roots efforts will raise the awareness of people’s choices when they go into the store and buy what they buy. It seems that every month there’s another food recall, whether it’s pet or people … and why take that chance? For the majority of people, their pets are the center of their lives -- why subject your best friend, your family member to something you don’t have to subject them to? There are choices. And they’re not necessarily any more expensive.

Mr. Levitz, thanks for speaking with us. And special thanks for donating to the shelters Luke goes to.

It’s my pleasure. We live in a world where we all really have to help each other out … reaching out to our neighbors and friends is really what we have to do.

Wagatha's name and logo are the copyrighted property of Wagatha's. Their logo is used with permission.

An Interview with Tracie Hotchner

I had the good fortune to talk with Tracie Hotchner, author of THE DOG BIBLE: Everything Your Dog Wants You to Know and THE CAT BIBLE: Everything Your Cat Expects You to Know and web and radio host of Dog Talk and Cat Chat. While we talked, she was massaging her dog’s knee. Scooby Doo, one of her two Weimaraners, had recently had knee surgery. Tracie had met with Jody Chiquoine, canine clinical rehab consultant to Luke and The Boys and owner of Fitter Critters and had learned some massage techniques to help Scooby Doo.

I asked her how she became so interested in and committed to companion animal issues. She told me she’s “an investigative reporter who wanted to get facts to people about how to care for their dogs and cats. What are the right ways to feed them, what are the right ways to exercise them, what are the right ways to meet their psychological and physical needs?”

She sees herself as “a consumer advocate for dogs and cats and the people who share their lives … I’m there to tell you the truth. To not be biased, emotional, hysterical. My intention is to be as balanced as possible.” She said she feels incredibly lucky that she has been able to create her radio shows and the web site that goes with them. “They’re a place where people can come and read something that is transparent, unbiased.” The information she provides is based on material she’s researched, and if anybody gives her new information she’s thrilled to learn more. Her point is to be as flexible and knowledgeable as possible. “Nobody has the last word on anything” she said. “If you’re being led down the garden path and sold a bill of goods, I’m there to tell you about that … you need to know what’s being done to your pets and the pets of others in America in the name of something that may in fact just boil down to commerce.”

I asked her to comment of the Menu foods calamity. “You know, I had already written the truth about how pet food is made… Big business definitely has its hooks into places that you wouldn’t necessarily expect.” She went on to say she thought, “The food recall was actually a real blessing in disguise. I think it was the first time that people really stopped and said, ‘What am I putting in that dog’s mouth?’ … I think it saved a lot more deaths down the road and a lot more illness, even for people. None of us was really very clear how little food is made in America anymore and how much [food comes from] countries where they have a completely different value system — be it about animals or about people.”

So, how did she come to know about 2Dogs2000Miles? “…through The Honest Kitchen.” As she was on the road publicizing her books, she gave out samples of their food. Her dogs have been eating The Honest Kitchen food as part of every meal for many healthy years. “It was a way for people to see the diametric opposite of commercial dog food — something virtually unprocessed and completely healthy.” It was the Honest Kitchen’s owner, Lucy, who got in touch with her and said they were providing food for Luke’s dogs. Was there any chance that she could help get the word out about his walk? So that’s how Tracie came to know about 2Dogs and Luke, Hudson, and Murphy.

What is her advice to people whose dogs are about to go through or are going through chemo? The first advice she would give people, particularly those who own breeds that are at higher risk for cancer is, you have to have pet insurance. “You cannot make the decision to have a high risk breed in a vacuum. For an average of $30.00 a month [per dog] you will get up to $100,000.00 worth of any kind of medical care [the animal] needs. In a country where half of all dogs of every breed over the age of 2 are going to get cancer, when people say ‘I can’t afford it’ all I can say to them is you can’t afford not to.” Without insurance “you’re making decisions based on your pocket book. And you always have to say about cancer, if it wasn’t going to cost me anything, what would I do? The answer isn’t always, well, I would lay it all down. It isn’t always that. So my advice would be to anybody with any dogs who haven’t had cancer, get insurance immediately, with a cancer rider.”

Her second piece of advice: “Get a second opinion from another oncologist. Somebody has to tell you what the up side is of giving chemo. The really good oncologists are learning something new every single week. Your own vet doesn’t know it. It’s not realistic to ask your vet to know it. You have to take the animal to an oncologist. You have to find out what you can buy in terms of quality lifetime. They now give drugs that accompany the chemo that basically take away any of the down side in terms of nausea, and all those issues that plague people so badly.”

But, she also made this point: “Are you prolonging a mediocre quality of life? Stop a minute. Let’s talk about quality end of life care — where you stay home all day and feed them steak! Spend the money on steak. Spend the money on drives out to the beach and sit together and look out at the sea. You have to look at quality of life issues. What is it you’re prolonging? Is it quality of life or is it simply life because you cannot bear to let go? You have to put the dog’s quality of life before your own emotions. You have to be thoughtful in figuring out what you’re doing.”

Before we ended our conversation, I asked her to tell me something funny about her dogs, her two Weimaraners, Scooby Doo and Teddy, and her Collie Mix, Jazzy. (pictured above)

“Weimaraners are an extraordinary sort of dog. What would it be like to have a dog that would be totally fine if you left the room? I don’t know what it would be like to not have two, three dogs following me at all hours in any room I come and go from. It’s quite interesting to be a Pied Piper. It’s the nature of the breed. You cannot exclude them. They’re fine as long as somebody is talking to them or touching them every waking hour. Other than that, they’re really low maintenance! With Scooby Doo – if he looks at you and you don’t look back at him, he barks as if to say ‘Look at me!’"

And her Border Collie mix? “She’s a beautiful little dog. But Border Collies rile up other dogs. They bark in this high-pitched, shrill sort of way. They feel they have to alert you to everything going on; they have to go herd the car, herd the people, and the barking makes the other dogs think there’s something up that they should be worried about. Living with an animal on high alert – one eye open, one ear cocked all the time.” No wonder her name is Jazzy.

Very special thanks to Tracie for the interview and for her interest in and support of 2Dogs2000Miles. If you haven’t tuned into her radio show, which is archived on her web site, please do so. She talks with Luke twice a week, during her Dog Talk and Cat Chat shows, and every show offers great advice on animal care. And you can hear Tracie on WLIU 88.5 FM (Long Island University Public Radio) live at 11:00 AM Saturdays (Eastern time) as well as on Sirius Satellite Radio, channel 112.

The Honest Kitchen Journal - Entry One

This morning was Hudson & Murphy's first Honest Kitchen meal! I've listened to both schools of thought on 'transitioning' dogs to new foods. Some say it can cause bloat. Some say it won't. For me, why risk it? So I gave them each a cup of their old food with 3 Tbs of 'Verve'.

As soon as I opened the pouch my senses were aroused by the aroma of fresh herbs. For this batch, I used a 1 to 1 mixture and let it sit for about 10 minutes or so. The consistency was similar to porridge, perfect for my purposes.

To say they loved it would be an understatement. Poor Murphy, long after his meal was gone, he kept licking the bowl. And licking. And licking. For 42 seconds. I timed him. I'm going to chronicle this new experience over the next week or so.

The Honest Kitchen

It is with great pride that we formally announce our pet food sponsor - The Honest Kitchen, though I'm hesitant to label their products just for pets. Not only are they 100% human-food-grade, their meals are produced in an FDA approved, human-food-producing facility in Southern California, that makes the very same foods you eat. Isn't that incredible?

And so are the ingredients they use. Let's take a look at just one of their five entrees for dogs, Force: Hormone-free chicken, organic flaxseed, potatoes, celery, sweet potatoes, apples, alfalfa, organic kelp, honey, zucchini, green beans, cabbage, bananas, papayas, yogurt, basil, garlic and rosemary.

Perhaps the greatest appeal to me though is that the meals are prepared fresh and raw and then dehydrated so all I'll have to do is add water and voila, gourmet cuisine back country style.

The Honest Kitchen also offers cookies and ice treats and supplements, too, and they were honored with the 2006 Puplife Food of the Year Award.

The first shipment of food went out yesterday so I can't wait to share more with you. Thanks again to Lucy, Cami, and the rest of the people at The Honest Kitchen for sponsoring our hike.