| Did you know that sodium pentobarbital, the drug | | | | foods are mostly carbohydrates and sugars along |
| used to euthanize animals, has been found in popular | | | | with toxic preservatives and additives (like sodium |
| pet foods? | | | | pentobarbital) with very little or no meat in them. |
| Rendering plants accept road kill, dead zoo animals, | | | | This is tragic, because cats and dogs need meat, and |
| and euthanized pets from shelters and vet clinics. This | | | | cats in particular need even more meat in their diet |
| means that if the pet food manufacturer uses | | | | than dogs. Did you know that wild cats die if fed our |
| protein from rendering plants , the drug is ending up | | | | commercial cat food? Our pets have been |
| in pet foods. In the 1990's, vets started noticing that | | | | conditioned over the years to be able to survive |
| the drug sodium pentobarbital was having a reduced | | | | eating commercial pet food, but that doesn't mean |
| effect for anesthetizing and euthanizing pets, and | | | | it's good for them, and it also is very likely the |
| reported it to the FDA/CVM. It was investigated and | | | | reason they now are diagnosed with so many human |
| determined that pets were becoming immune to the | | | | diseases, like heart problems, diabetes, cancer, and all |
| drug because it was in their food. Sodium | | | | kinds of allergies to name a few. |
| pentobarbital was found in 31 of 37 dry dog foods | | | | So how do you avoid feeding your pets these |
| tested. Foods selected contained ingredients such as | | | | harmful chemicals and preservatives? Make sure the |
| "meat and bone meal", "animal digest" and "animal | | | | meat source in your pet food isn't coming from a |
| fat." The reason is that if the meat or fat source isn't | | | | rendering plant. One way is to make your own pet |
| specified, it's source isn't known as it came from | | | | food from human grade meats. If you don't want to |
| rendering plants, where the drug is not degraded by | | | | make your own food, a good alternative is a natural |
| the rendering process. In other words, it's still able to | | | | or organic pet food which uses human grade meat, |
| do harm to our pets, causing liver and kidney | | | | and is preserved with Vitamin E or Rosemary. I have |
| damage, to name just a few. | | | | a list of pet foods I have personally checked out in |
| There's an interesting article entitled "Why is the Pet | | | | my sidebar which you can refer to as a guide. Make |
| Food Industry killing our pets?" by Ann Martin of the | | | | sure the first ingredient is meat, and it should be |
| Earth Island Journal. The author was able to | | | | specified whether it's beef, chicken, turkey etc. Avoid |
| personally trace euthanized pets from local vet clinics | | | | any foods listing "meat by-products," "chicken or |
| right to the rendering plants where the end product | | | | turkey by-products and meal." Any animal fat should |
| is shipped to many pet food companies. | | | | be specified, such as "chicken fat." These are good |
| There's also a lawsuit that has been filed on the side | | | | rules of thumb to be sure that the protein hasn't |
| effects of pet food which states that today's pet | | | | come from a rendering plant. |