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NOTE: If you are looking for the list of RECALLED dog food, they can still
be found HERE
Do you really know what it is that's in the food you feed your
dog?
Most people don't. It's not your fault.
The 'pet food' industry is one of the best kept secrets in this
country. Billions of dollars every
year are spent on these pampered animal friends of ours. That's no surprise, considering what
they give us in return. We're talking cuddles every night, unconditional love, an ear to listen
to our every problem when otherwise we would feel alone.
The truth of the matter is that you really do get what you pay for --
Even when it comes to the
health of your loving animal friend!
Sure the pictures on the front of the package lead you into thinking
you are buying something
that is wholesome and healthy. Made from chunks of protein-filled meat,
nutrient-rich veggies...
Veterinarians are of no help when it comes to the food they recommend.
As a matter of fact,
vet school offers little to no information on the nutritional needs of
our beloved pets. Most
vet schools are sponsored by Science Diet. You know what this means,
right?
Yep --THAT is what they are told to promote! What a
coincidence. That's what they sell in
most Veterinarian offices. Commissions, folks!
Surely the truth about the things that go into my pets'
food can't be that bad, right?
Well, let's just say pet food is really not very highly
regulated, if at all.
Now, let's take a look at different 'ingredients' that are common in
most
commercial foods, and find out what they mean.
Here we go!
By-product: These are pretty much anything that could not be
sold as "human-grade". The waste produced by creating human-grade and other
products.
Poultry By-product:
These are all the parts of the chicken that would otherwise
go to waste
if not thanks to the pet food industry. We're talking feathers, beaks,
heads, undeveloped
eggs, blood, intestines. All the stuff that isn't offered to
you at the grocery store, is considered
unfit for human consumption and goes into dog food under the name
"Poultry By-Product"
Fish By-Product:
This is the fun stuff that humans don't want to eat;
including heads, tails,
intestines, blood, etc...
Meat By-Product:
This is anything that comes from the process of creating the
human-grade
meats! And could include such yummy ingredients as viscera, sawdust
that got bled on while
the animal flesh was being processed, all neatly swept up for
consumption by our pets. This
can be pretty much any mammal including goats, horses, cows, pigs, and
so on... And again,
all the body parts (and hair) that cannot be used for human products.
Digest:
This is the stuff that must be melted down with heat and
moisture to be used. Such as
chickens' feet. As for the example, this would be called
"Poultry Digest" on your pet food bag.
Mill Run:
This is the fruit or vegetable's equivalent of animal
by-products... This consists of the residue
left behind after the human products were taken. For instance,
Corn Mill Run would be what was left behind
after the corn was extracted. Corn cobs, corn husks, etc...
Meal:
This is a ground up mixture of 'animal grade' items. Again,
this is not a meat, or any kind of
human-grade product. In AAFCO's 1994 publication, they describe this
as:
"Poultry
By-product Meal consists of the ground, rendered, clean parts of the
carcass of slaughtered poultry,
such as necks, feet, undeveloped eggs, and intestines, exclusive of
feathers, except in such amounts as might occur
unavoidably in good processing practices."
Gluten:
This is the sticky stuff in wheat or corn that gives the
starch its' tough elastic properties. This
holds together all of the ground of animal-grade ingredients.
Often the only way to get your pets to eat this
horrible mixture, is spraying the dog food
with a combination of animal fat, lard, kitchen grease, and other oils very
rancid and deemed inedible for human consumption.....it makes an otherwise
bland or distasteful product edible, for the dog who is hungry enough. .Now a
big problem with this, is sometimes toxic chemicals can be used to preserve
this mixture these of un-edible items. This is not healthy, and many of the food
allergies could be reversed if we just gave our pets pure, healthy dog food
ingredients that provide
them the nutrients and protein they need.
Here is another
benefit to feeding a high-quality dog food: Your dog will be getting more of
the nutrients that he needs, and will therefore, not feel the need to eat as
much. Unlike those low-quality foods with all the cheap-filler, a high quality
food can actually be a good deal and save a lot in future Vet bills!
The first three ingredients of a good pet food should not be fillers or
by-products. Great examples of HIGH QUALITY pet food, would be Canidae,
Solid Gold, Timberwolf... Typically pet foods that are made of high-quality
ingredients, that are even human-grade! If these brands start killing off our
pets, we are all in trouble!
Want to see what some High-quality Dog food ingredients look
like, right now??
Then go Here: High Quality Pitbull
Dog Foods
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