| you don't know could turn out to be bad for your | | | | the food is balanced and healthy. Those words just |
| dog! | | | | indicate that the food has a particular percentage of |
| While most of us don't pay a lot of attention to | | | | protein, fat, and artificial minerals and vitamins. |
| what we're feeding out pets, we really shouldn't be | | | | Toxic Additives |
| trusting manufacturers to label things accurately and | | | | All of us have probably heard of the recent pet food |
| follow regulations. There aren't many rules about | | | | recalls created by contaminated wheat gluten from |
| what can be used in dog food, and what you don't | | | | China. However, melamine isn't the only dangerous |
| know could make your dog VERY sick. | | | | additive that can be found in pet food. There are a |
| Not Fit To Eat | | | | lot of preservatives that aren't allowed in human |
| Did you know that many different brands of dog | | | | food, and which cause illnesses like cancer, kidney |
| food could contain unpleasant substances like hair, | | | | failure, liver failure and more. |
| ligaments, organs, skin, nervous tissue, and meat | | | | Expensive Brands, Too |
| from diseased animals? Or that spoiled meat and the | | | | Unfortunately, it's not just the cheap brands that are |
| bodies of euthanized zoo animals and pets could be | | | | causing the problem. High end and organic foods are |
| used? | | | | also poorly regulated. They might be higher quality, |
| Even the good meat that ends up in cat and dog | | | | but there's no good way to tell what ingredients |
| food has undergone heavy processing, losing most of | | | | they're using. That can make it extremely hard to |
| the value it once had. Ingredients like "poultry broth" | | | | find foods that are appropriate for your dog, since |
| and "animal meal" are far removed from the meat | | | | even those recommended by the vet could be |
| we imagine. | | | | dangerous. |
| Animal meal, for instance, is what's left after fat and | | | | Solutions |
| meat have been processed out of a carcass. What's | | | | There are a number of things you can do to protect |
| left is dried and ground, resulting in a meal similar in | | | | your dog. First, learn to read the label - ingredients |
| texture to cornmeal. Broths are made up of | | | | higher on the label are in larger percentages. That |
| processed carcasses from many different animal | | | | means you should look for named meats instead of |
| types, in just about any condition. | | | | generic terms, broths or meals. |
| It's Not Illegal! | | | | You can also learn about the additives and |
| You might think this sort of thing would be against | | | | preservatives that can hurt your pets, and look for |
| the law. After all, there are strict rules about what | | | | the foods with the lowest percentage of grains. |
| can be used in human food and those laws are fairly | | | | There are also a number of excellent recipes out |
| well enforced. Unfortunately, pet food regulations are | | | | there that can help dedicated pet owners make their |
| a lot looser and are rarely well enforced. | | | | own foods. Just be sure to do something, since most |
| Just about anything could end up in your pet's food, | | | | foods are actually dangerous. |
| and the labels mean almost noting, even if they claim | | | | |