I really want to end this saga of salt enhanced chicken. So if you are interested in this topic please read the entire post before making a decision on where you stand.
And I want to add that I have great respect for other raw feeders on the forum. I just want people to read the facts and then form their own opinions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RawFedDogs  The enhanced chicken from Walmart is just fine. I have known hundreds and hundreds of people who buy that chicken for their dogs and the I can count the ones that had problems on the fingers on one hand. It's just not a big deal. They put saline solution in them. Saline solution is the moisture that's in the body anyway. Blood is saline solution. You read that our bodies are 80% water? Chicken's bodies are 80% water also. That "water" is saline solution. |
I'm a medical biochemist. Blood is <1% salt. If you are given a saline IV because you are dehydrated, "normal saline" (the bag they hang for the IV drip) is 0.9% saline.
Here is some info on daily requirements, deficiency, and toxicity for sodium in dogs (table salt is sodium chloride in proper proportions):
American College of Veterinary Nutrition states:
"Daily sodium and chloride requirements in dogs...
In general, the chloride requirement is 1.5 times the sodium requirement. This is because most of the sodium and chloride come from salt, and by weight, salt provides 1.5 times more chloride than sodium. Adult dog foods should contain at least 0.06% sodium and 0.09% chloride (on a dry matter basis). Puppy foods should contain 5 times that much. Kitten and cat foods should contain at least 0.2% sodium and 0.3% chloride (on a dry matter basis).
Sodium and chloride deficiency
A dietary deficiency of sodium and chloride would be extremely rare because most pets today are fed commercial pet foods. A sodium or chloride deficiency is more likely to occur because of an excess loss of these two minerals from the body. This can result from prolonged (or chronic) severe diarrhea and/or vomiting. This can be a very serious condition and animals with prolonged vomiting or diarrhea should be seen by a veterinarian.
Sodium and chloride toxicity
Sodium and chloride toxicity generally does not occur in normal animals with access to good quality drinking water. Any excess intake of sodium or chloride is filtered through the kidneys and excreted into the urine. If good drinking water is not provided, however, the concentrations of sodium and chloride can become too high. Signs of sodium chloride toxicity include seizures, blindness, dehydration, loss of appetite, and death within 24 hours."
Then, since I love documentation:
COMMITTEE ON NUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS OF DOGS AND CATS
DONALD C. BEITZ, Chair, Iowa State University
JOHN E. BAUER, Texas A&M University
KEITH C. BEHNKE, Kansas State University
DAVID A. DZANIS, Dzanis Consulting & Collaborations
GEORGE C. FAHEY, University Of Illinois
RICHARD C. HILL, University Of Florida
FRANCIS A. KALLFELZ, Cornell University
ELLEN KIENZLE, Zentrum Für Lebensmittel Und Tierernährung, Oberschleissheim, Germany
JAMES G. MORRIS, University Of California, Davis
QUINTON R. ROGERS, University Of California, Davis
(this is a varied group of individual who are nationally recognized at the university level)
100 mg of sodium per day for a 33 pound dog, daily
Just for perspective...15% enhanced salt in 4 oz of chicken is 180 milligrams of salt.
Now for humans...
UK Sodium RDA
The US sodium RDA of less than 2,400 mg is higher than the UK Recommended Nutritional Intake (RNI) whose upper limit for sodium is 1,600 mg.
Sodium RDA - Lower for Those with Blood Pressure
People with high blood pressure should consume less sodium as recent research has shown that people consuming diets of 1,500 mg of sodium had better blood pressure lowering benefits. These lower-sodium diets also can keep blood pressure from rising and help blood pressure medicines work better.
Sodium RDA - National Research Council
The National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences recommends an approximate daily range of 1,100 to 3,300 mg of sodium for adults.
Sodium RDA - American Heart Association
The American Heart Association recommends that for every 1,000 Calories of food consumed, the sodium intake should be 1,000 mg and should not exceed the 3,000 mg limit.
Sodium RDA vs. Average Intake
The average intake in the United States is between 4,000 and 5,000 mg of sodium per day.
No Specific Sodium RDA for Children
Specific recommendations regarding sodium intake do not exist for infants, children, and adolescents. However, since eating habits and attitudes about food formed during childhood are likely to influence eating habits for life, moderate intake of sodium is suggested.
Note: Sodium Deficiency
Sodium deficiency is not common but can occur during heavy/prolonged exercise, due to loss in sweat and in high temperatures. Signs of sodium deficiency include: cramps, weakness, fatigue, nausea and thirst.
Sources include:
US Dept of Health
National Institutes of Health
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Lastly, take notice of the recommended daily intakes as stated above and then page down a bit to the " Sodium RDA vs. Average Intake."
Humans don't need "salt enhanced" products either.
And why would you spend 15% of the cost of meat on salt and water. This equates to ... for every pound (16 ounces) of chicken, by weight, 2.4 ounces is salt water. Or...if you are paying $0.50 per pound for that bag of enhanced chicken thighs you are paying 7.5 cents for salt water, per pound...that equates to 75 cents for a 10 pound bag...for salt water. I think that's a good tactic to rip off the unsuspecting consumer. I prefer to buy 16 ounces of meat per pound, not 13.6 ounces of meat per pound. I can make my own salt and water much cheaper, if I want it.
OK, I'll never stand on the enhanced chicken soapbox again. Done.
Another thing I don't think you are thinking about ... as soon as an animal dies, it starts to dry out. Enhancements just replace some of that water lost in the drying out process. It makes the meat juicier, more tender and tastier.
Lucky.
