Ibs In Dogs

Posted on June 10th, 2011

Clean Labels include many other chemical ingredients besides MSG that go largely unnoticed. Since the food industry does not want you to know about Clean Labels, it makes any information a trade secret and exercises all of its power to keep the information confidential. This is information on one such ingredient that could not be suppressed by the industry.

One of the most dangerous food additives hidden in processed foods is sodium nitrite, which is a byproduct of sodium nitrate. Any amount of sodium nitrate added to meat breaks down into a poisonous form of nitrite. Although the words are spelled similarly (with only a change in letters), the differences between the two chemicals becomes the cause of cancer.

Nitrite occurs as part of the curing process during the manufacture of food and, if it doesn’t, it certainly occurs during your body’s digestion of sodium nitrate. One way or another nitrate decomposition results in nitrite residues in your body. Once nitrate breaks down into nitrite, it reacts with the ingested meat to produce compounds known to cause heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Sodium nitrate/nitrite contains up to 14% of MSG. It is also used as an ingredient in fertilizers, glass and enamels as well as in pyrotechnics, smoke bombs and as a solid-fuel rocket propellant.

In the food industry, sodium nitrate is used primarily to make non-organic gray-looking meat look fleshy red. It is added to non-organic bacon, sausages, hot dogs, pepperoni, deli meats and almost all other non-organic processed and/or cured meats. Any time the word “cured” appears on a label it means that there is sodium nitrate/nitrite in the product.

The highest amounts of sodium nitrate are to be found in those packaged meats used for children’s lunches, packaged meats sold in the deli section of your market and meats offered in fast food sandwich stores. With so many other addictive chemicals included, this is not a chemical cocktail that society should offer to children.

Nitrates/nitrites have been added to meat largely for their preservative qualities. When applied to the exterior of packaged meat cuts, the meat stays red for a long period of time. Nitrites also make meat turn reddish when cooked. The long curing of meat affects its flavor. Once you identify the taste, you will be able to identify it forever.

For example, cooked corned beef gets its classic reddish color from the sodium nitrite in the brine. Without it, corned beef comes out gray and many argue tasteless. Part of the distinctive flavor of corned beef comes from the length of time it is cured in nitrites. Most brine recipes require 2 cups of kosher salt and 4 teaspoons sodium nitrate. Sodium nitrate is also necessary when dry curing meats like pepperoni and dry salami, which are not cooked or refrigerated. This explains why so many Crohn’s, IBD and IBS sufferers cannot eat cured bacon or salami without becoming ill.

IBS in dogs

With dogs it is especially hard at first because the owner can never be sure that dog hadn't eaten something that he shouldn't. If your dog suddenly seems in pain, fatigued and has bouts of diarrhea or constipation, then it is best to seek the advice of your vet. The vet will run a few simple tests, such as blood work and a stool sample. This is to rule out any of the more common causes such as something the dog ate, bacterial infections and colitis. IBS in pets (and humans) is very hard to diagnose and the only real way of being sure is by ruling out everything else. Once your vet diagnoses your dog, there are several treatment options to consider. The vet may put your dog on a strict diet. This means no more human treats and/or table scraps. The vet may recommend a special food. Fiber is often added to the diet. Fiber can come as an over the counter supplement that is added to your dog's food. The vet may also prescribe a medication that will stop bowel spasms and relieve pain.

Nervousness has been associated with IBS. Vets see more IBS symptoms in dogs that work, perform or are in high stress situations. The best advice here is that you take measures to keep your dog calm. Keep in mind that your dog cannot control his bowels, so forgive accidents in the house. Reprimanding your dog will only make the symptoms worse.

With cats the symptoms of IBS may be more severe. Like IBS in dogs, the most common symptoms are bouts of constipation and/or diarrhea, along with abdominal pain. However, with cats the symptoms can also include loss of bladder control, loss of appetite and weight loss.

If your cat is sick the best bet is to take it to the vet. The vet will run tests that include blood work and urinalysis. If these tests are inconclusive, the vet may do a biopsy to rule out cancer, organ problems, inflammatory bowel syndrome (IMF) and other causes.

Once diagnosed, the vet will most likely prescribe a change of diet to include more fiber, antacids and laxatives and in very severe cases, anti anxiety medications.

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