“Pet food manufactures are adding various types of clays, such as montmorillonite, sodium Bentonite, and similar porous materials in an attempt to counteract the problems associated with molds and mycotoxins. If the particle size is not small enough they will not have the proper dispersion in a feed and their surface area will be too limited; Mary Poppin’s spoon full of sugar example.
Some clays offer absolutely no nutritive value in their own right while reducing overall feed value through their nonselective binding property, which immobilizes vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.
Recently some companies have been promoting the use of FOS into a pet food as an attempt to counteract the problems associated with mold, and mycotoxins.
For many of the clays and sources of FOS, their particle size per gram is too large for adequate dispersion in the blend. In addition, the larger particle size does not give the dog the needed amount of surface area.
In the battle against unseen combatants in a dog’s digestive tract, I prefer to use select sources of MOS (mannan oligosaccharides) that provide the highest possible surface area at the lowest possible inclusion rate. For example one pound of MOS may contain a minimum of 2.5 acres of surface area! That type of surface area is not going to happen with some of the clays and FOS particles the size.
The bottom line in this year’s battle against mycotoxins and mold is “less is more.” Pet product recalls and dog health problems are going to get worse instead of better for some companies that use corn, wheat, and soybeans; the less of these ingredients might mean more safety, and more consumer confidence.”
Blog by Dr. Gary Pusillo Regarding Mycotoxins
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