You’re not alone if the ingredients list is one of the first things you look at when selecting a pet food. When purchasing pet food, the majority of respondents (57%) indicated “back label” information (e.g., ingredients, nutrition facts) is “very” or “very” essential to them.
Have you ever pondered about the unusual, strange, and chemical-sounding terms on a pet food’s ingredient list? If that’s the case, you’re not alone in your thoughts. That’s why we’ll be disclosing some of the components used in Diamond’s various dog and cat food recipes.
The first ingredient is Yucca schidigera extract, which looks (and sounds) weird.
What is it?
Yucca schidigera, sometimes known as “Spanish dagger” or “Mojave yucca,” is an evergreen shrub or small tree native to the Mojave and Sonoran deserts of southeastern California, southern Nevada, and western Arizona, as well as Baja California and Sonora, Mexico. Native American traditional medicine employed the plant to cure a range of ailments, including arthritis.
Y. schidigera tree trunks are now pulverized and processed into powder and extract forms for usage in a variety of products, including dog and cat feeds. GRAS (generally recognized as safe) classification has been granted to Yucca schidigera, indicating that these products are safe to consume.
Why add it to pet food?
To assist lessen the stink of pet faeces, Yucca schidigera extract is added to several dog and cat meals. It’s also likely to be labeled as an ingredient in ferret and rabbit meals.
According to studies, adding Y. schidigera to pet meals can reduce stinky feces by altering the generation or availability of a foul-smelling gas hydrogen sulfide in the large intestine.
Although additional research is needed, experts know that saponins, which are natural detergents, are the most abundant chemicals in Y. schidigera extract. Saponins have been touted for a variety of health benefits, including reducing feces odor by lowering ammonia production. These chemicals have also been reported to suppress gram-positive bacteria, which helps to stabilize fermentation in the large intestine and may explain why Y. schidigera reduces ammonia production and stool odor.
In dogs and cats, Yucca schidigera has no effect on palatability, mineral usage, food digestion, or stool consistency.
While the addition of Y. schidigera to pet feeds is new, the plant has long been utilized in livestock and poultry diets (and for the same reason).
Is Yucca Schidigera extract poisonous to dogs?
Yucca schidigera extract is a highly refined yucca plant extract. While the leaves of the yucca plant are toxic to our pets, the roots are not, and the plant is utilized as a healthy ammonia binder. That implies it can help both you and your cat by reducing odors in the litter box.
What is yucca extract used for in dog food?
Yucca is a desert plant that grows primarily in the United States and Mexico. The yucca plant’s extract is supposed to assist the body naturally eliminate toxins and aid digestion. Yucca extract may also help to eliminate body odor and the smell of urine and feces.
Can dogs have yucca extract?
When valuable herbs become extremely popular in the mainstream market, they frequently appear on product labels as “buzz phrases.” Such herbs become fashionable as a result of market forces. After all, who wants to buy a herbal cold cure that doesn’t include the powerful echinacea?
When a mass-market, celebrity herb is created, oceans of study and written contemplation usually follow to fulfill the consumer’s curiosity. We’re curious as to why particular herbs keep popping up in the things we buy and use, and we’re not alone. Despite this, numerous herbs are still included as ambiguous phrases on the labels of our favorite pet goods.
Why is this the case? Because federal restrictions make it very impossible for manufacturers to convey any real information regarding the therapeutic or nutritional properties of the plant ingredients listed on animal product labels.
The yucca, a succulent, cactus-like member of the lily family that grows in desert locations and garden landscapes across America, is one of the best examples of this. Anyone who has looked at natural dog and cat food labels, shampoo labels, or animal feed ingredient lists has come across the name of this vital plant food and medicine, but few of us can quote its intended function, let alone a broad picture of its holistic potential.
Yucca as a Nutritional Aid to Dogs
The term “nutritional supplement” doesn’t quite describe yucca as well as “nutritional help.” Although yucca root contains significant amounts of vitamin C, beta-carotene, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, niacin, phosphorus, protein, and B vitamins, saponins, a group of chemicals found in the root of yucca, are responsible for the herb’s greatest nutritional and healing properties.
Saponins are plant glycosides that, like soap, have a tendency to foam up rapidly when agitated with water. Saponins have a cleansing and penetrating impact on the mucous membranes of the small intestine when consumed in tiny doses with food, which aids in the assimilation of vital minerals and vitamins through intestinal walls.
The outcomes can be breathtaking. Cattle fed tiny amounts of yucca root gained more weight than those who were not, according to experiments conducted at Colorado State University. Other studies have found that poultry fed yucca lay more eggs and dairy calves produce more milk.
According to other studies, yucca can help minimize the emission of unpleasant odors in urine and feces when added to dog food. This conclusion is based on research into the chemical breakdown of urea (the body’s ultimate by-product of digested proteins). The results showed that when food supplements containing Yucca schidigera preparations were administered, anhydrous ammonia, which is mostly responsible for the less-than-pleasant odor of animal faeces is generated by a single microbial enzyme called urease, was suppressed. Fecal and urine odors were reduced by up to 56 percent in dogs and 49 percent in cats in the experiments.
While the idea of less foul feces and less yard cleanup appeals to many, excess urease should not be ignored, as this type of imbalance can lead to health issues far more serious than a filthy backyard.
Excess urea (and larger, more unpleasant feces) are frequently the result of a poor quality diet, in which protein fillers (such as soy meal) or inexpensive animal by-products are not adequately broken down and removed during digestion. If left untreated, this might result in significant complications such as bladder stones, renal illness, arthritis, or chronic skin problems.
In other words, if you provide a well-balanced, natural food, extra feces and urine stench should not be an issue.
My conclusion is that yucca root can aid in the optimization of a high-quality food that has been specifically suited to the needs of dogs who require additional nutrient absorption assistance. However, yucca has no nutritional value as a supplement to bad meals.
Steroidal Effects of Yucca
Yucca root also has chemistries that add to the veterinary herbalist’s toolkit of powerful therapeutic properties. Sarsasapogenin, smilagenin, and other chemicals loosely referred to as sarsasapogenin and smilagenin by the herbal/scientific community are among these chemistry “phytosterols,” says the author.
Phytosterols are thought to benefit the body by promoting and supporting the body’s utilization and manufacture of natural corticosteroids and corticosteroid-related hormones, according to herbalists. Unlike corticosteroid medicines like prednisone, yucca is hypothesized to work in tandem with the body’s natural autoimmune mechanisms, promoting rather than suppressing immune system functions.
It’s reasonable to assume that yucca’s natural corticosteroid-like effects contribute to the body’s natural production of growth hormones, which, in turn, may contribute significantly to the accelerated growth and production seen in animals fed it. Despite the fact that this notion has not been proven, “We know that yucca is highly safe in the diet when fed in moderation and in a logical manner because it has been declared “fact” by the scientific community.
All of this suggests that yucca could be an effective natural arthritis medication.
When taken four times daily over a period of time, yucca was proven to provide safe and effective relief (from pain and inflammation) to human arthritis patients in a research done at the turn of the twentieth century. Despite the fact that the American Arthritis Foundation has repeatedly discredited this study due to the controversial manner in which it was conducted, the beneficial effects of yucca in humans and animals remain clearly validated in the minds of holistic practitioners who have used it and seen positive results.
In my research on the medicinal effects of yucca root in arthritic dogs, I’ve found that the herb can help reduce inflammation in the knees and hips, especially when combined with liquid licorice root (Glycyrrhizza spp.) extracts, alfalfa, and a liquid glucosamine supplement. Part of this could be due to better glucosamine assimilation, which is another probable benefit of yucca’s excellent saponin components.
Undiscovered Values of Yucca Root for Dogs
Although scientists are primarily interested in the saponin ingredients of yucca, there is clearly much more to learn about a variety of other compounds found in this plant. Native Americans employed the roots, leaves, and blossoms for a range of ailments, including burns and digestive issues, as well as contraception.
In mice, a water extract (tea) of Yucca glauca (“little yucca” or “soapweed”) showed anti-tumor effect against a specific kind of melanoma. Its mechanism, rather than its steroidal saponins, is thought to be based on its polysaccharide contents.
The high saponin content of yucca has been widely used to manufacture soap and shampoos, perhaps most famously.
A Few Words of Caution
The FDA and the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) classify yucca root as a “For use in animal feeds and supplements, it has been deemed “Generally Regarded as Safe.” In dogs and other mammals, yucca root powders, extracts, and other preparations can be used safely. Nonetheless, there have been various debates over the years about the safety of yucca saponin components.
Many of these worries arise from cattle incidences of intestinal bloating or photosensitivity. When too much saponin-rich, fresh alfalfa was fed to the plants while they were in bloom, the majority of these incidents occurred (alfalfa should only be harvested and fed prior to blooming).
Bloating and other digestive issues have also been reported, which have been linked, at least in part, to the use of inexpensive, fibrous, saponin-rich vegetable by-products (such as beet pulp) in commercial dog diets instead of entire vegetables.
There are also multiple scientific investigations in which animal subjects experienced digestive difficulty after ingesting (or being force-fed) isolated saponin components in chemical concentrations considerably beyond that found naturally in yucca root, or any other herb. In my opinion, such an experiment just confirms that animals (and humans) should not ingest soap.
Despite the fact that saponin is found in many of the vegetables we consume and commonly offer to our dogs (including yams, beets, and alfalfa sprouts), a few vocal individuals believe that anything containing saponin must be hazardous. This simply isn’t the case. Almost anything, including herbs and vegetables, will cause a hazardous reaction if consumed in excess.
Here, common sense reigns supreme. A hazardous reaction will almost always occur when you consume too much of anything, and yucca root is no exception. Keep in mind that Yucca is also known as “Soapweed,” says the author. If consumed in large quantities over a long period of time, yucca might irritate the stomach lining and intestinal mucosa. This may result in vomiting. In reality, yucca concoctions were utilized by several Native American tribes in the southwest to induce vomiting in situations of food illness. Stop using it if you experience nausea or any other side effects.
Yucca Dosage for Dogs
Although yucca has become a popular component in pet diets, I do not offer meals containing more than 2% yucca root on a regular basis unless a holistic pet care practitioner has discovered a therapeutic need for a greater dose.
When it comes to yucca supplements for dogs, it’s better to stick to the manufacturer’s instructions. Yucca products differ in terms of concentrations and other additives. If the product you’re buying doesn’t have a recommended feeding amount on the label, contact the manufacturer or look for another brand.
As a meal supplement for dogs that have been diagnosed with malabsorption: To each pound of food fed each day, add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried, powdered yucca root (available at health food stores). Feed on a four-day-on, three-day-off plan each week to avoid overstimulation and consequent irritation of digestive tissues, which can occur with long-term use.
Use a liquid tincture solution that has been specifically designed for use in dogs as an anti-inflammatory and tonic for dogs with arthritis, and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations or the advise of your holistic veterinarian.
You might also use an alcohol-free liquid extract. Purchase one that is specifically designed for dogs and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
In the subject of veterinary herbalism, Greg Tilford is a well-known expert. Greg has written four books on herbs, including All You Ever Wanted to Know About Herbs for Pets (Bowie Press, 1999), which he coauthored with his wife, Mary. He is an international presenter and instructor of veterinarians and pet owners alike.
What ingredients should you avoid in dog food?
You and your family pay great attention to what you consume. You avoid processed foods, buy organic foodstuffs at a premium, and study labels meticulously. But, when it comes to the food of your cats and dogs, are you as picky?
The answer is no for many pet owners. Their pets devour anything is placed in front of them from the grocery store shelf. Careless food choices, on the other hand, can expose pets to many of the same health difficulties that their parents face if they aren’t careful about what they eat: heart disease, cancer, obesity, circulatory and digestion problems, diabetes, toxicity exposure, and general bad health.
Because pets and their health are at the core of everything PetSafe does, we’re happy to share some basic information about pet nutrition and how to make sure your cats and dogs are eating as well as the rest of the family. Our automatic dog and cat feeders make caring for your pets simple and easy, and you can even customize portion size, but it’s up to you to make sure the feeders are stocked with nutritious food.
In the United States, the majority of dogs and cats consume food and treats designed exclusively for their species. Holistic vets are concerned about the quality of nutrients entering pets’ bodies and try to place them on whole-food-based diets with the same nutritional grade as humans. Pet parents are fooled into believing that their pets’ greatest health is being served by offering commercially available dry and moist foods and snacks and under a barrage of buzzwords stressing their purportedly nutritious nature This isn’t always the case, though. In reality, pet parents can poison their furry family members unintentionally.
Let’s start with the ‘positive’ reasons why pet food could be a good or terrible decision for your pet.
Feeding your pets has never been easier thanks to automatic feeders. Even if you have a hectic schedule, you won’t have to worry about your pet’s breakfast or dinner.
Pet owners benefit from the convenience of opening a bag of dry food or a can of wet food, or defrosting and serving frozen pet food when feeding most commercial diets. Processed foods that require little to no preparation have become popular among pet owners as our society has become more focused on convenience rather than health.
Commercial pet food must be nutritionally complete and balanced for all life phases, giving pet owners confidence that their companion animal will consume a variety of proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals to meet their nutritional requirements.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates commercial diets and treats, and product labels must provide certain information “Proper listing of all contents in the product, in order of weight, from most to least” with “Guaranteed Analysis” (percentages of crude protein, fat, fiber, and moisture).
There is also a recommendation for the daily amount of food to feed based on the pet’s weight. Let us now turn our attention to ‘the bad.’
Unfortunately for our dogs, almost all commercially available dog and cat food is manufactured with feed-grade components rather than human-grade ingredients. Ingredients for feed are of lower quality than those for human consumption.
Furthermore, toxins found in feed-grade ingredients, like as mold-produced mycotoxins, are allowed in much lower concentrations than in human-grade foods. Meat’meals,’ such as’meat and bone meal,’ and ‘by-products,’ are created during the rendering process and can contain a variety of ingredients “Fats, grease, and other food waste from restaurants and stores; and dead animals from farms, ranches, feedlots, marketing barns, animal shelters, and other facilities.” (The National Agricultural Law Center claims).
Pentobarbital, an anesthetic used to euthanize animals, is another pollutant that can be found with these deceased animals (confirmed through FDA testing of dog foods). Even the least dubious substances may not be as healthy as you believe. High temperatures are used to destroy microorganisms in dry (kibble) and canned foods, however this also deactivates helpful enzymes and denatures the more accessible form of protein. In the same way that microwaving or “When you “nuke” your food, the nutrients in it are depleted.
Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA), Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT), and Ethoxyquin are three chemical preservatives that are harmful to your health. BHA and BHT are preservatives that are added to oils (fats) and can be found in pet diets and treats. BHA is on the list of Known Carcinogens and Reproductive Toxicants, according to the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. BHT is a carcinogen that damages the kidneys and liver in rats.
Ethoxyquin is another chemical preservative that is prohibited in human food in the United States but is permitted in pet food. According to human safety data, if Ethoxyquin is eaten or comes into direct contact with the skin, it might cause injury. Ethoxyquin is frequently introduced through ‘fish meal,’ and it may not even be listed on a label. Preservatives should be avoided in your pet’s food and treats, but natural alternatives such as Vitamins C and E are safer solutions.
Some soft dog diets and treats contain propylene glycol (PG), a humectant (moistening agent). Ethylene glycol (EG), generally known as antifreeze, is a substance that is exceedingly hazardous to animals. Although PG is advertised as being non-toxic and non-absorbent for your pet, eating ‘pet-safe’ antifreeze will have no effect on your pet’s health.
In humans, blue 2, red 40, and yellow 5 and 6 have been linked to hypersensitivity (allergic-like) reactions, behavioral issues, and cancer. Caramel hue has recently been criticized for containing 4-methylimidazole (4-MIE), a known animal carcinogen. Artificially colored food only appeals to people, not pets, when it comes down to it.
Rendered animal fat adds flavor to kibble while also containing microbes (Salmonella, etc.) and poisons (heavy metals, etc.) If moisture gets into a dry food bag, it can lead to the growth of hazardous germs and mold.
The FDA’s compliance guideline, CPG Sec. 675.100, states that “does not object to human food contaminated with rodent, roach, or bird excreta being diverted to animal feed.” As a result, your dog or cat could be consuming potentially harmful and disease-causing ingredients that are not approved in human meals.
Meeting our pet’s nutritional needs while using subpar quality and perhaps hazardous ingredients might have both short and long-term health repercussions. Offer a diet of human-grade, whole-food-based ingredients to your pet early in life, and limit the use of dry and canned diets and treats.
- Ingredients that are fit for humans (Although only a few meals are allowed to put this on their labels, and you won’t find it on any kibble packaging)
What part of the yucca is poisonous to dogs?
Spoon-leaf, silk-grass, needle-palm, bear-grass, Spanish bayonet, common yucca, and Adam’s needle are all names for the yucca plant. These perennials appear in a variety of shapes and sizes, but the most common features are long, thick, pointed leaves and tall stalks with white flowers. The steroidal saponins are distributed throughout the plant, including the roots, and have a foaming property that induces nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea in the intestine. The effects of eating enough of the plant, or in tiny or elderly dogs, can swiftly shift to weakness, confusion, and potentially convulsions.
The yucca plant, which is a typical desert plant with several species that thrive in all sections of the United States, causes yucca poisoning. The yucca’s toxic components include steroidal saponins, which cause severe intestinal irritation and potentially central nervous system effects if enough of the plant is consumed. Fortunately, it has a bad taste and produces instant stomach trouble, so it is rarely consumed in lethal quantities.
Can dogs be allergic to yucca?
Yucca (Yucca spp.) is a poisonous perennial plant for dogs belonging to the Agavaceae family. The steroidal saponins found in the evergreen yucca plant, which blooms in the summer, can cause weakness, drooling, and vomiting in dogs. When your pet eats yucca for the first time, it normally gets modest symptoms, but the plant’s toxins become increasingly deadly for your pet as time goes on.
What is Yucca Schidigera for?
Yucca schidigera is a medicinal plant that has been shown to help in arthritis prevention and therapy. Steroidal saponins and polyphenolics like resveratrol and yuccaols are active components of yucca. Saponins may have anti-arthritic properties due to their anti-protozoal properties. Polyphenolics from Yucca may have a number of roles in anti-arthritic action. They block NFkB, a transcription factor that activates iNOS, an inducible enzyme that creates nitric oxide, an inflammatory gas. Yucca phenolics are also antioxidants and free-radical scavengers, which may help to reduce inflammatory reactions by lowering reactive oxygen species (ROS). According to folk medicine and anecdotal reports, entire yucca plant powder can help prevent and treat arthritis. More research into yucca’s anti-arthritic properties is needed.
What are the benefits of yucca?
Yucca has a lot of vitamin C and antioxidants, which are good for your immune system and overall health. White blood cells, which fight diseases and viruses, are stimulated by vitamin C.
Is green lipped mussel safe for dogs?
Mussels retain a large amount of potent nutrients and minerals since they are a natural seawater filter. Green-lipped mussels, according to a study conducted by the American Society for Nutritional Sciences, include nutrients such as:
Zinc, copper, iodine, and manganese, among other vitamins and minerals
Most pet owners are aware of the importance of omega-3 fatty acids to their pet’s health, particularly the joints, which is why they use fish oil. Green-lipped mussels have a third type of omega-3 fatty acid termed ETA, which is not found in fish oil. This is an uncommon type of omega-3 fatty acid that inhibits the formation of cyclooxygenase, an inflammatory enzyme. Your pet will experience less pain, inflammation, and increased movement as a result of this.
Green-lipped mussels are high in glucosamine and chondroitin, as well as vitamins C and E, antioxidants, and minerals like copper, zinc, and selenium, all of which are important for joint health in your pet.