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With more pet food recalls daily it seems, people are taking great risks in buying dog food or cat food for their pets if they do not know what they are buying.   It is a wonder that we can chose any product on the market today, that is not tainted or treated in some way. 

As we have seen in the last 20 years the decline in the health of pets worldwide and the rise of pet diseases such as cancer, diabetes, asthma, and damaged immune systems rendering them more susceptible to illness.  If this seems scary to you, it is because it is a real minefield, trying to find something healthy to feed your dog.  Many pet owners are resorting to making home cooked meals for their dogs, or buying selective truly organic pet foods, which are clearly defined by “what is not in it”.   Some are choosing organic only raw dog food diets.

Yet even today, after six months of a massive recall of pet foods with the list growing longer each day and the number of pet deaths climbing, we have to look closely at the label of what we buy for our pets more than ever.  Not all the slick advertising in the world and wonderfully colorful packages with pictures of healthy dogs, jumping in mid air over fences in a meadow, can hide the actual ingredients.  In addition, recommendations from Veterinarians do not ensure your dog is getting wholesome, unaltered real food.  Many Veterinarians recommended dog and cat foods were on the Recall Lists, although they gained the financial benefits of these higher priced products.

The following is a look at “What Not To Buy” in a pet food, and reverse the decision making process to make it easier to buy dog food.

Meat By-Products:

What do they mean by meat by- products?   Is this dog meat safe for our dogs?  Well, is not really meat, as you know it; however, they call it meat by-products because there are parts of the cow that comes from the slaughterhouse – it is what they throw away.  It is a very gruesome list, which includes: Cow hooves, diseased tissues, such as cancerous tumors, intestines, horns, dead carcasses all derived from Class 4-D sources.  These Class 4-D sources are included in pet foods, from dead, dying, diseased or disabled cattle, hence the name four D, which is rotted, diseased meats.  They are denatured, which is a chemical process that makes them “unfit for human use” by treating carcasses with: fuel oils, citronella, grain alcohol and kerosene, which were are all approved by the US Department of Agriculture. These are all included in the term “protein” in pet foods, but of course, you will not see “D-4” on the label.  Not what I would call dog food naturally made, or from a healthy source ingredient.

Chicken By-Products:

This again cannot be classified as chicken as you and I would know it.   It is similar to the beef by products, only beaks, feathers, diseased chicken’s entrails and carcasses, which is unfit for dog consumption.

Food Dyes and Coloring Additives:

The same dyes used in the meat supply for human use, is also added to pet foods. These dyes contain carcinogens that cause cancer.  Why are they added to pet foods?   To make to dog food look more appealing to the eye of the purchaser.  It does not really work on my dog, she will not eat it.   Obviously red dye # 3 used in beef, is not a healthy additive.

Chemical Preservatives:

These are chemicals such as BHT, Butylated Hydroxytoluene- or Butylated Hydroxyanisole, and the rule of thumb is, “If you can not pronounce it, you do not want it in your pet’s food”.  They are added to extend shelf life but are associated with liver and kidney diseases. Fillers:To create more volume, similar to just adding water, sawdust, chicken beaks, animal parts are added to the pet food mix. You can also find hair, ears, fat and diseased organs.

Artificial Flavors: 

Flavor additives are produced through a process of adding these chemicals to animal tissue that is to make dead meat tastier and better for your dog.Steroids and Antibiotics: Eating products treated with steroids and antibiotics as are cattle raised on beef farms, destroys the immune system over time. Proper nutrition is by definition a process whereby we ingest food to improve health and support health, not to destroy it. Wheat and Corn: These ingredients can cause allergies in pets, and are hard to digest, as dogs do not chew much of their food. Grains have been added to pet foods to provide again low-cost filler, which also binds together other ingredients.

Melamine:

We can now add Melamine to the list, which is not high on my list of must haves, for my dog’s diet.  It makes great plastic counter tops and other plastic products but not good dog food.  Rat poison also is not what you need to feed your dog, even if you were to throw in some omega 3’s or some fiber filler, it does not improve the nutritional quality of pet food.  However, if you see these ingredients listed here on the label of your pet food, you may make better choices with healthier pet foods that do not contain these words on the label.   Its better to get an idea of where things come from before you buy them these days.

Teri Salvador

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