DOG FOOD & SAPONINS
A Scientific Study of Potential Risks Associated With Feeding
Saponin-Containing Ingredients
An Article by Mr. Robert Abady. President, Abady Dog Food Co. Ltd. Poughkeepsie, N.Y. 12601 USA. Ph. 1-845-473-1900
Soybeans and beet pulp are ingredients commonly used in dog feeds.
Both contain saponins- substances that may be hazardous to your dog's health.
In the late 1970's during feeding experiments, Robert Abady successfully linked the development of bloat and various gastrointestinal disorders, including colitis, to diets that contained large amounts of soybean meal and beet pulp.
Follow-up research isolated the substance contained in both ingredients that Mr. Abady believed was connected to these problems.
Saponins, when they are mixed with water and shaken, create a dense foam with a very high surface tension similar to shaving cream or the head on a beer.
The saponin foam envelops the feed, trapping the gasses produced by the normal
fermentation of the ration thus preventing them from escaping via the normal oral and rectal routes.
As a result, the mass of ingested feed and gas trapped in the saponin foam will continue to expand until it cuts off the flow of blood to the major organs, eventually crushing them, and causing the dog to collapse from the excruciating pain and the buildup of toxic metabolites.
Theories advanced by industry spokesmen have included a gamut of explanations, including one which suggests that gluttony is responsible because ravenous eating causes the dog to gulp atmospheric air.
This theory has no scientific merit since air is mobile and will not accumulate under pressure unless it is physically prevented from escaping.
Dogs naturallygulp their food (particularly if fed chunks or raw meat) and, to this writer's knowledge, there are no recorded cases of bloat among carnivores in the wild.
Logic therefore, tells us that the explanation lies elsewhere.
In the 1980's, quite by accident, while examining the molecular structure of snake venom, Mr. Abady recognized that the highly paralytic component of snake venom was similar to another familiar structure - the saponin!
The last piece of the puzzle was in place.
Saponins were not only foaming agents, but toxins as well.
Follow-up research revealed that saponins suppress the vomiting reflex and can paralyse the gastro-intestinal tract, which explains why dogs cannot simply vomit the foam and fermenting feed.
Rectal elimination is largely prevented due to the suppression of natural peristaltic action of the intestines by the saponins, the impenetrability of the saponin foam and by the masses of expanded food and fibre contained in most commercial rations.
SAPONINS HAVE LETHAL CHARACTERISTICS BEYOND BLOAT
Most saponins are very toxic, but because of the large size of their molecules they are not readily absorbed by the intestines, thus oral doses usually produce only local effects.
Research on various animals has demonstrated that saponins may irritate and even inflame the intestinal tract, causing a range of gastro-intestinal disorders up to and including death.
Death in such cases has been ascribed to the inflammation caused by contact with the saponins rather than to the direct absorption of the saponins themselves.
Other researchers have found that continued ingestion at sub-lethal levels can lead to corrosion of the intestinal mucosa, allowing increased absorption of the saponins.
Experiments on the effects of the intravenous injection of various amounts of broomweed saponins on pregnant rabbits resulted in abortions and death of the rabbits.
The same pattern of abortion and death was observed in rabbits when saponins from different sources were injected intravenously, even some that were considered non-toxic to humans.
(It usually takes a larger oral dose of saponin to produce the same results as an intravenous injection.)
Experiments with other pregnant animals, and observations of animals grazing in areas containing saponin-rich grasses yielded similar results.
Symptoms of toxicity ranging from convulsions and paralysis to bloat and sudden death were evident.
Necropsy findings were fairly consistent.
They revealed intestinal inflammation, enlargement of the veins in the abdomen,
intestines and uterus, haemorrhages in the heart, uterus and abdominal cavity, retained placentas, gastroenteritis and colitis.
Saponins have caused bloat in every animal in which they have been tested, including dogs and cats.
Saponins may not be the only case of bloat - there are many other toxins that may be responsible.
Some may be concentrated in stool, making the stool-eating dog more vulnerable.
Regardless of whether or not saponins are the only possible cause of bloat, they are a major cause for concern.
Theoretically, the risks of animals consuming saponin-containing ingredients may be compounded when they are combined with substances used to harden stools, since they hold the saponins in the large intestine for longer-than-normal
periods of time.
Beet pulp, sodium bentonite and cellulose flour artificially harden stools by absorbing large quantities of water and expanding to such a large degree that they slow the passage of food and fibre through the large intestine.
The large intestine, or colon, is where the body extracts the moisture from the forming stool, therefore the longer the period of time
the material spends in the colon, the harder and drier the resulting stool.
It has been found that bloat can begin in any organ in the gastrointestinal tract, while Colitis is specific to damage suffered by the colon.
Avoiding products that contain these ingredients can be easily accomplished by reading the list of ingredients printed on each bag of dog food.
Soybeans, beet pulp, alfalfa, peas, beans and oats all contain saponins.
Avoiding stool hardeners also insures that toxins are not artificially retained in the intestines for longer than normal periods.
By feeding Abady, you avoid giving saponin-containing ingredients and artificial stool hardeners to your pet, as well as the
high levels of artificial preservatives that are added to most commercial products.
The benefits of using Abady products include a superbly effective protein base which is the finest in the industry derived from the finest raw materials in the marketplace.
In addition, Abady products are produced through an exclusive manufacturing process developed to help maximize the availability of the nutrients.
A move toward the Abady Formulas is not only a move toward greater safety in feeding but also a move toward a new dimension in nutrition.
The cost of feeding Abady is, as a rule, no more (and often less) than most premium brands.
The benefits, both calculable and incalculable, of feeding Abady are enormous.
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