|
"Feeding Our Pets - Whats wrong with commercial pet foods"
The “Big 5" pet food manufacturers (Nestle, Colgate-Palmolive, Procter & Gamble, Nutro and Heinz) would like us to believe that all our companion animals need to eat is lovingly packaged in affordable servings, readily available at any local store. It is easy and convenient to believe that this is true while ignoring the Wizard behind the curtain. After all, aren’t we shown how years of research and all the finest ingredients go into every can and bag. Don’t we all see the colorful ads and TV spots highlighting healthy, glowing pets running up stairs, performing heroic feats and thanking us repeatedly for feeding them brand X?
What we don’t see is the ugly underbelly of the agribusiness industry. They don’t tell us that 1 out of every 2 dogs will die with cancer! That pet life spans have shortened substantially since the advent of packaged pet foods. That cancer, obesity, liver & kidney diseases, reproductive failure and congestive heart failure are all directly related to this diet!
The major pet food companies make a huge profit turning waste products considered "unfit for human consumption" into pet food. What is wrong with turning a profit? Nothing, if it isn't at the expense of our pets. What is wrong is what is happening to our pets. Commercial pet foods subject our companions to ongoing doses of chemical preservatives, hormones, antibiotics, fungal toxins, heavy metals, meat and meat by-products in addition to styrofoam trays and shrink wrap. And - worst of all - to each other. That's right, if you take beloved friend to the vet to be euthanized, Fluffy may well go into the next batch of pet food. In 1997, the New York Times reported that Los Angeles sends two hundred tons of dogs and cats to the rendering plants every month!
Besides being disgusting what is the big deal? Shorter, more painful lives. Forty years ago a small dog could be expected to live for 20+ years, a large one for over 15 years. Now, 12 year old dogs are considered aged.
Our pet food labeling laws are extremely lax. In the U.S. and Canada there are no real regulations. No mandated testing, no necessary "Truth in Labeling". Just because a food is called "Lamb and Rice" does not mean that I contains much lamb or rice. In fact, by law, any listed meat or meat by-products only have to actually include 50% or that item. The rest may be elephant, road kill, pets with their flea collars and tags left on. Most pet food is made from 4D’s - Dead, Dying, Decayed and Diseased; animals considered unfit for human consumption.
What can you do? Educating yourself. Read the label on the foods you feed your pets. Find out what the terms mean. Think about what God fed your pets in the wild: meat, bones, grass, fruits and a few ripe grains. If you decide to feed a commercial pet food look for the following guarantees:
1. Human-grade USDA meat and meat meal with no by-products.
2. Naturally preserved; No ethoxyquin, BHT, BHT
3. No food colorings or propylene glycol
There are “Ultra-Premium” pet foods available - Dynamite, Precise, Wysong, Azmira are a few locally available brands. These will cost a little more but will ultimately save money on vet bills and pay for themselves with more years with your animal. Or learn how to feed a balanced diet that you make yourself. The best diets are those closest to what God fed our friends in the wild - raw meat and bones along with seasonal fruits and vegetables.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
