| Just looking at the pet food ads on TV and in | | | | Third, healthy pet foods are made of human-grade |
| magazines, you’d get the impression that all | | | | quality ingredients. |
| commercial pet foods are healthy. All those fresh | | | | |
| ingredients could tempt you to try these pet foods | | | | Although it doesn’t seem to make much sense, |
| yourself! Unfortunately, the truth about most pet | | | | there are both USDA certified organic ingredients for |
| foods may be far from what artful ads would have | | | | human consumption and USDA certified organic |
| us believe. If you’ve ever opened a pet food | | | | ingredients for animals (examples are eggs, peas, |
| can that was marketed as healthy, and then found a | | | | etc). The latter are called ‘feed-grade’ |
| glob of unrecognizable, grayish something-or-other, | | | | ingredients, and are approved for the use solely in |
| then you probably know what I mean. | | | | pet foods. Feed-grade ingredients are certainly of |
| | | | | lower quality than human-grade ingredients. So, if |
| Now, if you’re already aware that not all pet | | | | you’re searching for a healthy pet food, look out |
| food commercials and ads live up to their promises, | | | | for the descriptive word ‘human-grade’ on |
| you should ask yourself a simple question: how can I | | | | the pet food package! Never assume that pet food |
| tell if a particular pet food is healthy? The answer | | | | manufacturers are required to tell the consumer |
| to this is often hidden in plain sight, on the pet food | | | | whether they use human-grade or feed-grade |
| label, often in the midst of a bunch of unfamiliar | | | | ingredients; they aren’t. But they most certainly |
| terms. To do well for your pet, you need to be | | | | will indicate if they use human-grade ingredients |
| able to interpret pet food labels correctly. | | | | because these are of higher quality (a major selling |
| | | | | point) and more expensive to produce (a justification |
| First and foremost, healthy pet foods contain real | | | | for charging more for their product). |
| food ingredients. | | | | |
| | | | | Fifth, healthy pet foods can be identified by the way |
| Healthy commercial pet foods are made from natural | | | | they’re processed. |
| food ingredients that reflect the needs of the pet | | | | |
| for which the foods are intended. Remember that | | | | Even certified organic pet foods, containing all of the |
| ingredients are listed in the order of their relative | | | | appropriate ingredients for a particular species of pet, |
| quantity in the pet food. Healthy dog and cat foods | | | | are not necessarily healthy. Healthy pet foods must |
| should contain animal-derived products as their first | | | | offer more than just organic certification and species |
| ingredients. The quality of these ingredients is | | | | appropriateness. They must also be processed in a |
| absolutely essential to the health of your pet. If | | | | manner that preserves the integrity and bioavailability |
| you see terms like ‘chicken meal’, ‘fish | | | | of the nutrients in their ingredients. Heat-based |
| meal,’ ‘animal by-products,’ or | | | | processing, such as canning, baking or extruding food |
| ‘animal fat,’ you should know that these | | | | into nicely shaped kibble or biscuits, ruins the quality |
| ingredients are of extremely low quality. Better | | | | of many nutrients and can render even the best |
| choices are products that list terms that precisely | | | | ingredients ‘lifeless’ and all but useless to |
| describe the ingredient, such as chicken, cod, or | | | | your pet. Dehydration is a better way to process |
| animal parts, such as chicken heart or beef liver. | | | | foods—but keep in mind that cats in particular |
| Finally, the addition of synthetic chemicals should be | | | | don’t do well on dry food alone and that certain |
| kept to a minimum, as most of the available pet food | | | | problems can even be associated with rehydrated |
| supplements added routinely to pet foods are of low | | | | pet foods that were previously dehydrated. If |
| or questionable quality and value. | | | | fresh foods are unavailable, the best choices among |
| | | | | commercial pet foods are products that have been |
| Second, healthy pet foods are certified organic. | | | | fresh-frozen. Of course, freezing is less convenient |
| | | | | and more expensive for the manufacturer to ship |
| This is true quite simply because organic ingredients | | | | and store, and those costs get passed down to you, |
| are both safer and healthier for your pet. Organic | | | | the consumer. Nevertheless, keep in mind that this |
| ingredients are safer because their production and | | | | additional expense will almost certainly ensure that |
| processing precludes by regulation the use of toxic | | | | your pet will stay healthy longer, and will also save |
| manufacturing and processing chemicals. These | | | | you the pain and financial burden of caring for a sick |
| include agricultural pesticides, fertilizers such as | | | | animal. |
| sewage sludge, hormones and antibiotics used to | | | | |
| raise livestock, and toxic chemicals used during | | | | Finally, a pet shouldn’t live on one prepared pet |
| manufacture, including among others, fumigants, | | | | food alone, even if it is healthy and nutritious. |
| pesticides, and corrosive sanitizers. As well, organic | | | | |
| ingredients can never include genetically engineered | | | | No plant or animal can thrive on just one combination |
| foods (some of which have been implicated in a | | | | of nutrients. Variety is a must for your pet’s |
| variety of health problems, such as allergies or | | | | health and wellbeing, and you have the responsibility |
| reproductive disorders). Increasingly, studies have | | | | to provide this variety for your best friend. Just as |
| shown that organic ingredients are healthier than their | | | | you and your family would not live happily ever after |
| conventional counterparts, not only because they are | | | | on even the best quality ‘astronaut’ food |
| free of toxic residues and diligently processed, but | | | | (freeze-dried ice cream—blecchh!), your pet needs |
| also because they contain more nutrients, including | | | | different foods to stay both healthy and happy! |
| vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, and critically important | | | | Since your pet has few choices of her own, it’s |
| trace elements. | | | | up to you to provide her with a variety of different |
| | | | | safe and healthy USDA certified organic, |
| However, you should be aware that only USDA | | | | human-grade, quality foods where ingredients have |
| certified organic claims are regulated and enforced by | | | | been processed in ways that are designed to |
| Federal law; other non-certified organic claims cannot | | | | preserve the endogenous nutrients. Your pet will |
| be verified by an unbiased third party. | | | | thank you for your diligence and care! |
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