What's in our pet food?

Recently I have discovered that what I was feeding my dog isn't what I thought I was feeding her. Do really know what's in your pets food?Probably not. Animals are getting sick and dying from what we are feeding them. These companies would have you think that they are putting real chicken, beef, vegetables and grains. This simply is not the case unfortunately and our pets are living much shorter lives as a result. There have been many recalls on practically every food you can think of for horrendous reasons. In my wildest imaginings I couldn't even guess that these things would be put in our loving companions food.

Some of the reasons these foods have been recalled are animal by products not fit for human consumption, this would include heads, hair, feet, bone, spinal cords, tails. When a manufacture just lists "meat" as an ingredient this has included roadkill, euthanized dogs and cats, sickly or diseased animals and animals from research laboratories.

Most dog foods have a long shelf life sometimes one to two years depending on how long they sit at the manufacturing plant to await shipping then depending on how long it takes for it to get to its destination and then finally to the store where who knows how long that bag of food will sit. So to make the food last manufacturer's have used either synthetic or "natural" preservatives. Synthetic preservatives include butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), propyl gallate, propylene glycol (also used as a less-toxic version of automotive antifreeze), and ethoxyquin.

Other Toxic ingredients for dogs that are regularly put in their food is corn or corn meal. Dogs have a hard time digesting corn. Several dogs develop skin allergies after eating corn over a long period of time. You will notice corn allergies by head shaking, butt biting, and endless scratching, turmors, moles, warts, blindness, deafness, bloating, ear aches, ear infections, inflamed kidneys, inflamed liver, heart conditions, and death. Gluten causes allergies dogs are inable to digest this. Soy or Soybean Hulls left over stuff after the good stuff is removed. This is just a filler dogs are allergic to soy and can't digest it. You will notice soy allergies by a dog licking his paws. Use of corn, wheat, or soy which cause skin irritation, fever, ear infections, kidney failure, liver failure. dental disease, obesity, chronic digestive problems, bloat, heart disease, IBD, Cushings Syndrome, and hyperthyroidism.

These are just a few of the horrible things that are put in our dogs food. Next I want to list the Dog food manufacturer's that have been recalled:

ALPO
Americas Choice, Preferred Pet
Authority
Award
Berkley & Jenson (Salmonella)
Best Choice
Big Bet
Big Red
Bloom
Blue Buffalo (RICE GLUTEN)
Bruiser
Cadillac
Canine Caviar Pet Foods (RICE GLUTEN)
Champion Breed Lg Biscuit
Champion Breed Peanut Butter Biscuits
Co-Op Gold
Companion
Companion's Best Multi-Flavor Biscuit
Compliments
Costco/Kirkland Signature (RICE GLUTEN)
Demoulas Market Basket
Diamond Pet Food
Diamond Pet Food (RICE GLUTEN)
Doctors Foster & Smith
Doctors Foster & Smith (RICE GLUTEN)
Dollar General
Eight In One Inc (Salmonella)
Eukanuba Can Dog Chunks in Gravy
Eukanuba Pouch Dog Bites in Gravy
Food Lion
Giant Companion
Gravy Train
Grreat Choice
Hannaford
Happy Tails
Harmony Farms (RICE GLUTEN)
Harmony Farms Treats (RICE GLUTEN)
Health Diet Gourmet Cuisine
Hill Country Fare
Hy Vee
Hy-Vee
Iams Can Chunky Formula
Iams Can Small Bites Formula
Iams Dog Select Bites
Jerky Treats Beef Flavored Dog Snacks
La Griffe
Laura Lynn
Loving Meals
Mars Petcare US Inc (Salmonella)
Master Choice
Meijer's Main Choice
Mighty Dog
Mixables
Mulligan Stew Pet Food (RICE GLUTEN)
Natural Balance (RICE GLUTEN)
Natural Life
Natural Way
Nu Pet
Nutriplan
Nutro
Nutro - Ultra
Nutro Max
Nutro Natural Choice
Nuture
Ol' Roy
Ol' Roy 4-Flavor Lg Biscuits
Ol' Roy Canada
Ol' Roy Peanut Butter Biscuits
Ol' Roy Puppy
Ol'Roy (Salmonella)
Ol'Roy US
Ol'Roy US (Salmonella)
Paws
Perfect Pals Large Biscuits
Performatrin Ultra
Pet Essentials
Pet Life
Pet Pride / Good n Meaty
Petrapport Inc. (Salmonella)
Presidents Choice
Price Chopper
Priority Canada
Priority US
Publix
Roche Brothers
Royal Canin (RICE GLUTEN)
Royal Canin Veterinary Diet (RICE GLUTEN)
Save-A-Lot Choice Morsels
Schnuck's
Schnucks
Shep
Shep Dog
Shop Rite
SmartPak (RICE GLUTEN)
Springfield Prize
Sprout
Stater Brothers
Stater Brothers Large Biscuits
Stop & Shop Companion
T.W. Enterpriese (Salmonella)
Tops Companion
Triumph
Truly
Weis Total Pet
Western Family Canada
Western Family US
White Rose
Winn Dixie
Your Pet

This list in my opinion is staggering. Check your dogs food and see if it is listed. Your dog on average should be able to live to be twenty years old with good care. I read that most dogs are only living to be eleven on average because of the illnesses that are effecting them. I want you to think if you only had eleven years here on earth. I would have been dead twelve years ago. Take the time to look into to this for your pet. They trust you. They eat what you give them not knowing that what you are giving them could be poisoning and ultimately killing them. Read the labels see what is in your dog's food. It's so easy to be complacent but we have responsibility as pet owners to bring a stop to this and not keep putting money in cheaply made pet food manufacturer's pockets. If everyone stops buying it then they will have to at least take a second look at what is going to into their food. Too many dogs and cats are dying.

I have done some of my own research on what pet foods have never been recalled and appear to be safe and natural. A big thing for me was to understand what the ingredients said. If I can't pronounce it then it probably isn't natural or good for my pet. Some dog food brands found are: Halo pet food, The honest kitchen, Life's Abundance, Three Dog Bakery Entrees. You can also cook at home for your pet. There is a ton of recipes for homemade pet food online. A quick search and you have alot of options at your disposal.

Now for my dog I tried The Honest Kitchen first and she didn't really care for it. So now I am trying Halo pet food. I have not tried the other brands listed but they have not been recalled and have natural ingredients.

Additonal information: Here is a link from the FDA on the subject: http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/petfood.html