6 Crystal-Clear FAQ answers for you to make up your mind about seal products
Because the Sealing Industry is not very well known, some people might have questions or concerns regarding our seal products on their dog’s health. This article aims to provide you with clear answers on 6 FAQ in order for you to make up your mind about our healthy seal products!
Trying new things can be undoubtedly daunting like trying seal products, since they are absolutely new to some people. We know it is difficult to break out of our comfort zone, but so worth it because the benefits of seal products are enormous. Here are answers to 6 common questions from our clients that can clear worries of your mind.
Question 1: Seal meat is really nutritious?
Yes! It is very nutritious. It is packed with protein, zinc, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and vitamin B-12.
Some other unique benefits of seal meat are:
- Naturally raised: Seal Meat is wild caught in the icy waters off the coast of Atlantic Canada and is free from antibiotics and added hormones.
- Low in fat and calories: seal meat has an average of 2% fat while their domesticated competitors typically have a fat content of 23%.
- More good fats: Seal meat has Omega-3 running through it which helps to maintain healthy skin and shiny coat, reduces shedding and allergies and can help in the battle against joint pain for older dogs and cats.
- Good for the environment: SeaDNA practices sustainable and responsible harvest. In addition to consuming less energy, seal meat has another environmental advantage — it is less polluting than factory farming where the animals’ wastes build up, becoming a source of water and air pollution. Seal populations are very abundant in Canada. You can learn more about the Canadian Seal Industry at: https://canadiansealproducts.com/
Here is an article on how this wild Canadian meat is different from other protein that we usually give to our dogs: https://www.seadna.ca/6-reasons-go-wild-game-dog/
Question 2: Is your seal product safe?
SeaDNA consulted with canine and human nutritionists to develop our products. We worked with the Quebec Agrifood Innovation Center as well as Karine Simard (Agronomist and holder of a master’s degree in animal nutrition).
Here is some key information about the safety of our seal treats products:
- Chemical contaminant: the results of our analysis show that the levels of PCBs, dioxins and DDT (pesticides) are below the standards set by the CFIA for marine products, which are respectively 2ppm, 20ppt and 5ppm. PCB levels are also below the FDA standard of 2ppm for animal feed.
- Physicochemical analysis: the aW values obtained are less than 0.60 and the pH values are less than 6.4, which ensures the good microbiological and physicochemical preservation of the treats.
- Nutritional qualities: Our seal treats analysis have shown that they are very dry, rich in protein (80% for 100% seal snacks / 44% for seal meat and sweet potato / 29% for seal sticks) and rich in iron (1223mg / kg). Regarding iron, the low weight for treats ensures that the health risks for dogs associated with its overconsumption are minimized. Indeed, although a consumption of 6 treats (of the 100% seal snacks of 1g each) allows to reach the recommended daily iron content (7.5mg for a dog of 33lbs), it would be necessary for a dog of this weight to consume more than 100 pieces of it. There is no real risk for their health.
Seal Oil: As for seal oil, we conduct third party analysis for each lot of bottles that we produce. On this page, you can find more information on our seal oil quality analysis on our website. Because it comes from a mammal, seal is easy to digest for your dog. Seal Oil contains DHA+EPA+DPA as opposed to fish oil which only includes DHA and EPA. DPA is a powerful fatty acids which will convert into EPA / DHA during the digestion process of your animal.
Question 3: I heard some concern about parasite in wild meat. Is seal meat parasite-free?
Together with the Veterinarian Pierre-Yves Daoust from the Atlantic Veterinary College, the industry conducted some studies on zoonothic pathogenes that could be present in seals. In the last studies that we made, seals that were examined were negative for Trichinella spp. These negative results together with other studies suggest a very low rate of infection in seals and thus a low risk of human (or pet) infection associated with the consumption of undercooked seal meat.
For protection against microorganisms, the manufacturers that SeaDNA is working with have established a critical control point (CCP) during drying, which states that products must reach a core temperature of 85 °C. According to the CFIA (2013), reaching a temperature of ≥70 °C allows an instant reduction (no holding time required) of 6.5 log of the pathogenic bacteria.
Question 4: Have your seal meat products ever been tested positive for the parasite?
Seal meat products have been analyzed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) according to specific codes of practice and by the MAPAQ on multiple seal meat productions in order to ensure that there is no danger for human (or pet) consumption. We do not test every lot of product but several critical control point during productions allow us to ensure high quality meat: For example, the disease that is the most “at risk” is toxoplasma, but it is easy to eliminate this problem by freezing the raw seal meat at -10 degrees centigrade (or lower) for 3 days. This is a process that we use for all our seal meat products. In addition, the dehydration process used for SeaDNA seal treats ensures product safety.
Question 5: What kind of facility do you process the meat at?
We process our treats in 2 different facilities based in Ontario. One of the facilities is CFIA and FDA inspected and the other one is SQF Level 3 Certified.
Question 6: The ingredient list says seal meat treats are made of seal meat, does this include organ meat or just muscle?
No, this only includes seal muscle. We use 2 types of muscle in seal: the loin meat and the flippers meat.
