 |
Natural Pet Nutrition for Your Dog or Cat-The Cornerstone of Good Health
Natural pet nutrition is undoubtedly the cornerstone of your dog or cat's good health. This fact is more relevant than ever, considering the massive recalls of foods we thought were not only safe, but healthful, for our pets. These products, some of them labeled “natural” contained wheat gluten that was contaminated with a chemical that’s anything but natural-melamine -a plastic derivative that can be poisonous to our pets. While the numbers of pet deaths due to consuming the contaminated food vary, the FDA reported that as of April, 2007, the agency had over 17,000 consumer complaints relating to the contaminated products and among those complaints were reports of the deaths of approximately 1950 cats and 2200 dogs (sfgate.com, May 1, 2007, Christie Keith).
What's in My Pets' Food?This broad-reaching recall of household name pet foods caused many pet owners to question what is in the food they are feeding their pets, opening up a discussion that in the long-term I believe will not only benefit our pets’ health, but our own as well. If we are looking more closely at what is in our pets’ diets, naturally we begin to give more consideration to what is in our own. The truth is, the pet food industry has not been carefully regulated or monitored. This lack of oversight has allowed manufacturers of pet foods to run amok with what they put into their pet foods and how they label those ingredients. As an example, the contaminated wheat gluten that launched the recall wasn’t even listed in the ingredients of the products in which it was found. Long before the recall, however, manufacturers were known (and still are) to include stomach-turning ingredients in pet food. Waste from slaughterhouses, road-kill, moldy food products no longer fit for human consumption, drug residues, pesticides/herbicides, non-nutritional “fillers” (which can include saw dust) have been found in the few instances where pet foods have been analyzed (can you imagine how prevalent this would be if all pet food went through inspection?) But you may say-I feed my pet the highest quality food available! Certainly, these ingredients aren’t present here! Well, these manufacturers of high-quality pet foods rely on suppliers for their ingredients-suppliers who may not always be forthcoming about where the ingredients come from.
What is a pet owner to do in light of pet food manufacturing practices that are so prevalent and secretive? The good news is, this massive recall of pet foods will launch a massive overhaul of the pet food industry. People who love their pets as part of their families will not support companies who do the unthinkable-produce foods that are potentially harmful to their pets’ health. People will pay more for documented, certified quality and companies who wish to prosper in this market will step up and make these desired changes. Change takes time, though, and what do you do if you don’t want to take chances with your pet’s diet and health in the meantime? “Cook” for them!
Go to Natural Pet Nutrition for Dogs
|
