Picky Princess Puppy Poo

[Brynn]

Lately it seems to be Iams that's making dogs sick, actually, but it's all pretty bad regardless of what you pay for it.

I saw a clip quite a few years ago shot at a slaughterhouse that I shrugged off at the time because I had no pets. Later, it was just more economically convenient to buy kibble and not try not to think about it.

(warning: this is really gross, so if you can do without that today, or would prefer to blissfully continue eating cheap meat, don't read).

Basically, cows don't respond well physically to the cocktail of growth hormones, chemicals to increase milk production and bad diet in your typical American slaughterhouse, and after death, all the tumors found inside the carcass have to be cut off before packaging the "edible" stuff. It's thrown into a barrel of formaldehyde to be "de-natured."
It's not uncommon for these barrels to be sold (either intentionally or by mistake) to pet food manufacturers along with the brains, hooves, intestines, tumorous organs and other offal. As we've all suspected, surprise surprise, there's very little (if any) actual "meat" in kibble.

I really should not be shocked that my dog has tumors if that's what she's been eating. I figured that the science on contagious tumors was sketchy at best, but then I heard this on Radiolab yesterday:
Discovery of contagious tumors in Tasmania

Btw, I am shocked by the difference in my dog this week since her diet's become more wholesome and she's finally on steroids and painkillers. She's gone from lethargic misery to almost a second puppyhood. She still gets tired and her arthritis is there, but there's a will to live now - she's alert, she's wagging again, she no longer smells like yeast, her coat has improved, and most importantly, no more diarrhea or vomiting anymore.
So plans to euthanize Karma have been put on hold.