Most people are unfamiliar with the facts about commercial pet food for dogs and cats. Brands that can be found at your local grocery offer minimal quality that is barely above edible. Even Hills and other veterinarian recommended brands are made with grain and typically have corn listed as their number one ingredient.
As far as nutrition, these foods are fillers and supplements at best, but the real shocker is the amount of toxins and "animal byproduct" in each bag. These foods do much more harm than good, causing your pet's health to decline early in life and ultimately leading to an untimely death. On an ordinary basis, commercial dog food manufacturers use meats that are far below the quality allowed by the FDA for human consumption. This will not surprise most people. However, these meats are not only chicken by products, sick cow parts, feathers, and other unmentionable parts, but are often dead cats and dogs which have been gassed and are received from shelters, euthanized zoo animals, and even sometimes road kill. On top of the risk of infection and potential illnesses associated with eating such poor quality meat, the toxins used to euthanize these animals are clearly lethal. Levels of these chemicals can build up in your pet's body and over time and sometimes acutely cause organ failure and death.
There could be libraries filled with information regarding the indecencies of the commercial pet food industry. They use clever marketing with images of adorable puppies and kittens that invoke in us a mixture of love and loyalty. They fill commercials with dogs running and chasing balls and cats begging for their Meow Mix. It is almost the easiest thing to sell since their image alone creates a warmth in us and a desire to make them happy. But it is propaganda. Most of these companies are under scrutiny from animal rights organizations, such as PETA, for doing inhumane animal testing and for the negligible treatment of their test subjects. Undercover agents from these organizations have gone in and video taped under weight dogs kept in kennels made of concrete slabs and bars, with no blankets for warmth or comfort, no human love, affection, or care, and not even a clean bowl of water and a decent daily meal. It is heartbreaking and it is true. These companies do not actually care about the well-being of our pets. They are corporations feeding into a multi-billion dollar a year industry. It's about money and so they effectively keep this sort of information secret. And we, we lovingly serve a bowl of food to our dog or cat thinking we're giving him the best possible and sadly, we are not.
You may remember the pet food recall in 2007. This was an eye opener for a lot of pet parents. Little by little, frustratingly slowly, we are learning and catching on and discovering other options. I encourage you to do your own research and see for yourselves.
There is hope though and you can do better. There are smaller pet food companies that make food that is good for you pets and is made with wholesome ingredients. These brands of food can be found in small pet stores and sometimes larger pet department stores. One good thing to look for is a grain free food. Commercial pet food is loaded with more corn than anything else. Dogs and especially cats should be eating predominantly protein. There are organic foods that guarantee that not only will your pet not be eating any unusual toxins, but they will not be eating any plants or animals that have been treated by any chemicals or altered in any unnatural way. As a side not here, a lot of dogs have allergies to ingredients that are often a part of packaged foods, such as beef, wheat, and soy. Try to avoid feeding foods with these ingredients to your dog if he/she has any allergies or a sensitive stomach. Another tip on packaged food, wet or canned food tends to be more healthy and of a more natural diet than dry food. Cats especially should eat wet food because they consume most of their water intake with their food, just like in the wild. Insufficient water intake can over time lead to kidney failure which is one of the most common ailments of older cats. Though these better brands of food may be more expensive than the commercial pet food you were buying at the grocery store, less of it needs to be fed at a time because it is more nutrient dense. So a bag or a case will last you longer than the mostly filler commercial brands. Buying better dog and cat food will also save you money in the long run by keeping your pets healthy longer and avoiding expensive veterinary bills.
Another good option is to make your own dog food. This requires some research because you do not want to cause any vitamin or mineral deficiencies. But a good home cooked (or raw) meal with a vitamin supplement is a great way to keep your dog or cat healthy. There are many complete and healthy recipes online. Talk to your veterinarian about selecting the right one.
Studies show that feeding dogs and cats commercial dog food greatly increases their health problems and risks for diseases and greatly reduces the length of their lives. On average, pets who eat proper homemade meals or complete and balanced packaged foods can almost double their life expectancy. Please do yourself and your pets a favor and do the research. Become more knowledgeable and feed your pets what they deserve because you love them and they love you too.
Author:
Tess Marine Abbott
http://www.keepyourpetshealthy.com
