# Rosemary in foods



## KayC (May 3, 2005)

Chloe's breeder will not feed Orijen or Acana because it has contains rosemary. She was having misscarriages and deformaties that all stopped when she quit feeding foods with rosemary. What are your thoughts on this. I was looking for others thoughts on this.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

I have heard of it causing seizures in dogs as well. (The people with epileptic dogs are very adamantly against it.) It certainly is not a necessary ingredient. I see it included in fish oil for dogs occasionally. I stay away from it.

There are some interesting opinions on the internet about it .... both positive and negative. I err on the side of safety and being conservative, thus I avoid it and would not feed it.

PET FOOD NEUTROTOXIN – ROSEMARY EXTRACT & SEIZURES, by Nel Liquorman, TheDogPress Health Editor

Rosemary in dog food nutritional myths| GREATDANELADY.COM


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Here's an article from the Petfood Industry's Newsletter .....

Rosemary extract acts as natural antioxidant

This common ingredient is most effective in dry petfoods that use high levels of polyunsaturated fats and marine oils.

*By Greg Aldrich, PhD Release Date: August 9, 2010*

Rosemary extract, a common ingredient in dry petfoods, is the oily resin derived from the leaves of the rosemary plant.

Rosemary extract is a common ingredient found on dry petfood labels, typically at or near the bottom of the ingredient listing. While rosemary extract is generally viewed with favor by pet owners, it doesn’t provide nutritional fortification, it doesn’t provide medicinal support for any specific ailment, nor does it enhance the taste appeal of the food (for pets). In fact, pets don’t really like the taste or smell at all. So what exactly is rosemary extract and why is it in petfood?

Rosemary extract is the oily resin derived from the leaves of the rosemary plant (Rosmarinus officinalis L.). This plant is a woody evergreen perennial shrub from the Limiaceae family that grows readily in warm arid climates around the world. There are hundreds of varieties, each with its own aesthetic value, growing characteristics, seasoning profile and functional utility.

Aside from recreational gardeners and farm-to-market suppliers for the restaurant and culinary trade, industrial scale cultivation occurs in only a few regions of the world—most notably the Mediterranean countries such as Morocco, Spain and Turkey. In the US, agricultural production of rosemary is growing from a small base principally in the Southwest.

On commercial rosemary farms, the leaves and stem tips are harvested in a way similar to pruning a hedge, and the clippings are shipped to extraction facilities. Most industrial scale extraction plants use organic solvents such as acetone, hexane or methanol in a process not too different from extracting oil from soybeans or canola.

The resulting extract is a complex mixture of compounds rather than a specific defined chemical entity. The dark black-green extract contains aromatic “essential oils” (such as cineol or eucalyptol, pinene and camphor) and antioxidant diterpenes (such as carnosic acid, rosmarinic acid and their metabolites). This crude extract is further processed to a uniform consistency (viscosity) and activity.

In so-called natural petfoods, rosemary extract is added to retard fat oxidation (rancidity). Though we can’t claim it as such, rosemary extract functions like a preservative and is purported to work in synergy with the mixed tocopherols. Hard evidence of this latter aspect is lacking in petfoods, but that doesn’t detract from its own unique antioxidant effects.

In so-called natural petfoods, rosemary extract is added to retard fat oxidation (rancidity).

Rosemary extract has been found to be most effective in petfoods that use high levels of polyunsaturated vegetable and marine oils to meet essential fatty acid requirements or label claims. In the course of petfood production, the rosemary extract is added to these polyunsaturated fats and oils as a blend or premix. In addition to the rosemary extract, these oily liquid premixes commonly contain mixed tocopherols, citric acid, emulsifiers like lecithin or mono- and di-glycerides and a vegetable oil carrier.

The level of rosemary extract in one of these blends can range anywhere from trace amounts to 20% or more depending on the preparation and intention. In most cases, the deciding factor for the amount that gets added depends on the intensity of the residual aroma, cost and antioxidant capacity. The final concentration of rosemary extract in a petfood resulting from this delivery route ranges from 1 to 500 ppm.

Rosemary is safe, with a long history of use in human foods, household cleaners, personal care products, folk medicine and even insect repellents. It is popular in aromatherapy, and recent research would suggest that rosemary essence (or aroma) may improve long-term memory (Moss et al., 2003).

Rosemary may even play a role in cancer therapy. For example, Dorrie et al. (2001) reported that carnosic acid from rosemary promoted apoptosis (programmed cell death) in a leukemia cell line. Toxicity testing in rodents revealed that it is very well tolerated in large doses (Anadon et al., 2008) and for long periods (EFSA, 2008). No contradictory toxicity data was found for pets.

Despite its recognized utility and safety, there have been a few owners of epileptic dogs express concerns to petfood companies and their suppliers that rosemary extract might trigger seizures in their pets. This is a rare condition in dogs and generally understood to be an inherited disorder. However, in humans and rodents, the essential oils like eucalyptol (cineole), camphor and pinenes (but not the antioxidant diterpenes) have been implicated as an epileptic seizure trigger (Burkhard, 1999).

No cases were found in the literature substantiating a similar association between rosemary and canine seizures. At this stage, the cause and effect appears to be an extrapolation across species. If there is a link, and if the essential oils are a trigger, then dose is likely a factor. To that end, the estimated amount of these essential oil compounds in a petfood is likely less than a few parts per billion.

In the regulatory world, rosemary is considered a spice and/or seasoning (21CFR582.10) and is permissible as an essential oil (21CFR582.20). Since this is the extent of its definition, how well rosemary extract functions is completely dependent on the quality and dependability of the supply stream and the intended petfood application. Developing methods to assure a consistent supply and periodic verification for efficacy are vital to its sustained success.

In the regulatory world, rosemary is considered a spice and/or seasoning and is permissible as an essential oil.

In the end, incorporating rosemary extract into petfoods reflects the state of the art in natural functional ingredients for the maintenance of fresh products designed for modern distribution systems and convenient product placement on store shelves. It also represents the types of technologies needed to ensure safe, healthy and sustainable petfoods for the next generation.

*Dr. Greg Aldrich is president of Pet Food & Ingredient Technology Inc.

Updated: Sep 08, 2010 This article appeared in Petfood Industry, September 2010. ©Copyright 2010, All Rights Reserved.
*


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## michele (Jan 12, 2009)

OMG i'm wondering now if it gave Simba his seizure/Stroke ????? I'm going to look at other foods ,maybe Z/P tins wet food ? Arden Grange is a good food here in UK but i'm checking for rosemary in it as well.


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## KayC (May 3, 2005)

Oh Tracy what a great read. Thank you so much for posting. Now I am 2nd guessing the Orijen. Michele, you can't blame yourself. But like you, I am doing more research now.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Zoey's Mom said:


> Oh Tracy what a great read. Thank you so much for posting. Now I am 2nd guessing the Orijen. Michele, you can't blame yourself. But like you, I am doing more research now.


You're welcome Kay. It's always good to hear both sides of the story and do your own research. Then make up your own mind.


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## theshanman97 (Feb 19, 2012)

oh no! i feed acana that was all i could find! :'(


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## KayC (May 3, 2005)

My breeder was feeding TOTW but after the recall she is feeding Earthborn Grain Free Primitive Naturals.


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## KayC (May 3, 2005)

I didn't want to get everybody afraid to feed Orijen or Acana as they are listed #1 & #2 in kibble but I just wanted to get others opinions on the rosemary.


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## jan896 (Dec 9, 2009)

OMG... I checked the Salmon Oil I am feeding Chico and Kody.... sure enough there is Rosemary Extract in it....... UGH...


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## michele (Jan 12, 2009)

I checked Arden grange also had rosemary in it,the only other one i have that hasn't got it is James wellbeloved made by a vet,so J.W it is for me and more Ziwi P


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## Hollysmom (Nov 26, 2011)

Now that's just great. I just switched Holly over to Orijen. (She loves it too!) It's the first dog food I've gotten that she's willing to eat on her own. With every other dog food I've tried I've always had to hand feed her. She'd flat out refuse to eat it otherwise. 

Seems like no food is safe anymore...


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## 20887 (Mar 16, 2011)

Interesting, not sure what my opinion is on this yet. I will have to do some more reading. I would probably still feed Acana I couldn't do ZiwiPeak.


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## Hollysmom (Nov 26, 2011)

I'm still reading up on it as we speak. 

By the looks of it, it's the last ingredient listed (not including vitamins, etc) when it comes the Orijen Puppy formula. Hopefully the amount used is minimal. Though I guess the only way to know for sure is to contact the companies directly...


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## theshanman97 (Feb 19, 2012)

im now going to raw feed after a long hard think and speaking to my mum!  x


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## Hollysmom (Nov 26, 2011)

Thanks for the links Tracy! Sorry for not commenting back sooner, I only got around to reading the info now. 

GREATDANELADY made a lot of interesting points, including people misinterpreting information and taking things out of context..I know as I'm guilty of doing that myself. But just like with anything I'm willing to learn so I can make an informed decision.

Thanks again!


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## missydawn (May 29, 2012)

jan896 said:


> OMG... I checked the Salmon Oil I am feeding Chico and Kody.... sure enough there is Rosemary Extract in it....... UGH...


me too,but I haven't seen any additional problems,thank the Lord!


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

You may want to check the particular Acana food that you feed your chi. I feed Lulu and Gidget Duck and Bartlett Pear, so I looked at the ingredients. There is no rosemary in that particular food. There is rosemary in Acana Pacifica, so I think to be on the safe side I will not feed that one any more.


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