What's Really in Your Pet Food - The Top 12 Ingredients to Avoid

What's Really in Your Pet Food - The Top 12 Ingredients to Avoid

Many of us have been convinced that the healthy, natural, premium and recommended by labels on dog food and cat food must mean that the food inside the bag is good for our pets. Chances are you are feeding a pet food which contains more than one of the ingredients discussed below. The pet food industry has a broad range of unsavory options when it comes to what substances may be used in pet food and freedom to print enticing pictures, however misleading, on their packaging. Top 12 Pet Food Ingredients to Avoid

Corn, Corn Meal, or Corn Gluten Meal

Years ago pet food manufacturers discovered that pets adore the sweet taste of corn. The gluten in corn is used as an inferior protein source in pet foods.

Wheat

Wheat is another ingredient found in abundance in many foods. Wheat gluten contamination was the cause of the massive 2007 Menu Foods pet food recall, which caused a countless numbers of companion animals to suffer from kidney failure, debilitation and death. Menu Foods manufactured food for hundred's of common brands. This ordeal would have been avoided if the pet food companies involved used quality ingredients such as human grade meat rather than lower cost cereal alternatives.

Carnivores were never meant to eat soy, it is commonly used in pet food as an inexpensive substitute for meat protein. Genetically modified foods are shown to adversely affect our pet's health, just as it does with us.

By-Products

Cat and dog food routinely contains by-products. By-Products are left over wastes from human food production. Examples of named by-products include chicken by-products and pork by-products. Un-named by-products include meat by-products. Animal Fat

Unlike chicken fat (a named animal source), un-named animal fat is a rendered product from animals of unspecified origin.

Meat Meal

Meat Meal consists of rendered, unspecified sources of animal tissues.

Recently many cat and dog food companies and rendering plants have undergone scrutiny over their inclusion of euthanized pets in meat and bone meal. Ann Martin, in her book, "Food Pets Die For", exposed this revolting practice and the detection of sodium pentobarbital in pet foods, a veterinary drug used in the euthanasia of pet animals.

BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole) and BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene) are petroleum derived preservatives used in food and hygeine products. Ethoxyquin is used as a food preservative and a pesticide. In pet foods it is typically found in meat and fish based ingredients. Propyl Gallate is another preservative used in foods, cosmetics, hair products, adhesives, and lubricants

Table sugar is often used to perk interest in the unsavory concoctions pet food manufacturers make. There is no reason for added sugar to be placed in pet food, other than the reason mentioned.

It is another questionable ingredient in pet food. Our pets could care less what colour their food is, this is simply another marketing trick to catch your attention in the meriad of pet food labels. Artificial colours are synthetic chemical dyes that have no place in pet food. We can see that any pet food can claim healthy and natural when such is not the case. Recommended by statements also have little impact on the quality of these pet foods.

Quite simply quality pet foods do not use these ingredients. Clearly pet foods found in supermarkets and even pet chain stores do not have the best interests of your pets at heart.

At present, Menu Foods is recalling dog food products marketed by about 50 firms and cat food products marketed by about 40 firms.

When did Menu Foods first notify FDA of the problem and a possible recall?

What is wrong with the pet foods?

It is unclear what is causing the adverse effects reported by Menu Foods and pet owners. FDA is working with Menu Foods, pet owners, pet food companies, local veterinarians, and diagnostic laboratories to identify the source of the problem.

Are only dog and cat foods involved in the recall?

The recall is only confined to pet food intended for dogs and cats. The products have been described as "cuts and gravy" style pet foods.

Please check the Menu Foods Recall Information: 1-866-8952708 to see if your pet food is involved in the recall. If your pet food is not listed, the pet food is not affected by the recall and you can continue to feed it to your pets. If the pet food is one of those being recalled, do NOT feed it to your animals. Feed your pets another pet food that is not included in the recall.

Is dry dog or cat food affected by the recall?

At this time, no dry dog or cat food has been implicated in pet injury or death.

What should I do if I have cat and/or dog food included in the recall?

Do NOT feed the pet food to your animals. Return the pet food to the store where you purchased it and ask for a refund. If you cannot return the pet food immediately, store the food in a secure place where pets and children cannot get to it.

What if my pet ate one of the dog and cat foods being recalled?

Monitor your pet. If your pet is diagnosed with renal failure, we suggest you hold onto the food if the brand and lot numbers match the recall.

If your pet shows any of these signs, please consult your veterinarian.

FDA is conducting an investigation and working with Menu Foods and affected pet food companies to ensure that the recall is effective, and to identify the source of the contaminant. Consumers with questions may contact Menu Foods at 1-866-895-2708. Some of the other affected pet food companies whose products are included in the recall may also have consumer question lines. Check the product label of the pet food. Pet owners in the United States and in some other countries began to seriously worry about the safety of pet food in the Spring of 2007. Pet food was found to be contaminated on what can only be called a massive scale. Pet owners in many different locations were faced with very sick pets -- even with pets that ended up dying.

As a result, the move towards preparing and creating homemade pet food became even stronger. There are a number of stellar benefits associated with creating homemade pet food for your pets.

Of course, as has been mentioned previously, many people have become concerned about the safety of commercially made pet food. Nutrition and Homemade Pet Food

When you obtain food your pet, one of your primary concerns needs to be the nutritional content.

The problem is trying to dig through all of the claims and counterclaims associated with commercially produced pet food. By making your pet's food directly, you know precisely the nutritional content that is in the food. You have 100% control over what goes in and what stays out of your pet's food items.

Saving Money with Homemade Pet Food

Because pet owners overall have become more astute about what their pets should eat, many pet owners are investing more money in commercial pet food products. By making your pet's own food, you really have the ability to prepare high quality food for your pet and not pay high prices for those meals.

Homemade Pet Food -- Variety for Your Companion Animal

Pets have a number of things in common with people. For example, most pets like at least some variety when it comes to their food. Creating Homemade Pet Food can be Enjoyable

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