On a recent Wednesday edition of the New York Times, somewhere around page 20, were a pair of articles one over the other.
E.P.A. TO REPEAL SOME LIMITS ON “FOREVER CHEMICALS” IN DRINKING WATER
FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE FINDS A WEEDKILLER SAFE
Ho Hum. Or Not? What are these articles really about and does this affect your dog? Does it affect you?
The first article discusses PFAS (per and polyfluoroalkyl substances) which are impossible for mammalian (or any) metabolism to break down. And so they accumulate in our organs: causing liver toxicity, kidney cancer, interfering with thyroid function, interfering with immune system function: and this is just what is known. There are thousands of variants of these chemicals
What are they used for? The number one use is for repellancy: of grease, of stains, of water, of crusty food. Think about grease proof packaging such as that wrapper around the food you just bought, pizza boxes, nonstick cookware, water or stain repellent textiles in your car or on your couch. They rinse off surfaces during manufacture, application to the treated surface, and from the treated surface into anything that contacts it including the food it is wrapped around.
Now go and look at the packaging of the food that you just purchased for your dog. PFAS have been found in significant levels in the packaging of at least 13 well known brands of kibble AND the kibble itself leaching into the food just and simply by prolonged contact. Your dog eats this food every day.
Atrazine, the Fish and Wildlife Service now declares, does not pose an extinction risk to threatened or endangered wildlife. This is a rather surprising statement for a weedkiller that was banned in Europe over 12 years ago. Here in the US it is the second most widely used herbicide to the tune of 72 million pounds of it poured on our crops (mostly corn and sorghum as well as sugar cane) and millions more pounds used as a lawn herbicide used in neighborhoods and parks everywhere. And from there it flows freely into our water. The most prevalent weedkiller is Glycophosate, commonly sold under the brand name RoundUp, with current commercials showcasing homeowners glowering at a dandelion and then dousing it with this toxin. This use pales in comparison the millions of pounds poured on crops multiple times throughout the growing season with a final very high dose application to dessicate the plant for easier harvest. These pesticides do not readily wash off and are infused into kibble foods that contain corn, oats, sorghum, wheat and other grains that have been rejected for human consumption. Immediate acute toxicity looks like drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy mostly due to the effects of the GI flora which is immediately killed off by these herbicides. Veterinarians see these cases every day and never know the trigger. Long term exposure is linked most especially to lymphoma. This aggressive cancer comes seemingly out of the blue in relatively healthy middle aged dogs and kills them in a matter of weeks. We as veterinarians never know the trigger. They are also linked to chronic imbalances in the GI flora and poor thyroid metabolism which together are the foundations of good health.
Be alert to how these toxins are permeating our environment in unseen ways: you and your pet have similar exposures but they are even greater for your dog. He laps away at water he finds in puddles and the yard. He rolls in the grass with joyous abandon and does not shower. He licks his fur when it doesn’t feel or smell right. He eats the same kibble or diet day after day even if it has been sitting in the same packaging for months on the shelves and then for weeks in your garage. He lies on your couch. He shares your tap water. You are both at risk.
