Size matters especially with your dog’s health.  Dr. Gary Pusillo

Mary Poppins sang “A teaspoon of sugar helps the medicine go down;” she did not say a huge lump of sugar helps the medicine goes down.

About 5 grams of “normal” particle size (granulation) white sugar can fit in a teaspoon. If you are making a cake that calls for two teaspoons or 10 grams of sugar, putting in a single 10 gram piece of sugar into the recipe will not work.

Particle size of the granulated sugar allows it to be blended throughout the cake mix so that every piece of baked cake has sugar in it; a 10 gram piece of sugar might only wind up in a single piece of cake.

Particle Size really matters when pet food companies are trying to figure out a way to deal with the recent dog food recalls caused by mycotoxins. Mycotoxins and molds are extremely tiny and they can spread easily throughout a feed. Ingredients added to counteract molds and mycotoxins must be able to fight them through “direct engagement;” like granulated sugar mixed with medicine, they must interact.

The 2011’s mycotoxin problems reported in some dog foods made with corn, wheat, or soybeans from last year’s crops, it is going to only get worse in the next 5 months.

Much of the Midwest has had record breaking warm temperatures above 50 °F. All the mold and mold spores that went into the storage bins at harvest are ready to return to the world outside the bin in the form of mycotoxins; unseen and ready to destroy a dogs health status.

The frigid cold temperatures are going to slice into Iowa, tonight and in a few days we will be at 8°F. The dramatic change in temperatures will cause the storage bins to “sweat,” providing a sudden moisture boost to grain in the outer layers of the bin. I would hate to be the dog that receives corn, wheat, or soybean products from a contaminated outside layer which had not been properly tested for molds and mycotoxins.

Heat from grinding corn, wheat and soybeans can cause migration and external concentration of moisture. When done properly extrusion of a dog food containing distressed corn, wheat, and soybeans is effective at killing molds in pet foods. However, this WILL NOT destroy all mycotoxins.

Dog food companies test their final products just for aflatoxins, might experience disastrous results for  the dogs that consume it.  Considering the negative consequences, if a dog food contains corn, wheat, or soybean meal, it needs to be also tested for at least DON (Deoxynivalenol), ochratoxin, T2, Fumonisins, and zearalenone.

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.