Pets Killed By The Pet Food Industry

Pet food industry is a billion dollar business which we trust to provide our pets with quality nutrition. However, pet food recalls seem to prove that our trust might be misplaced. One reason for doubting the claims about quality nutrition is that pet food industry is self-regulated. While pet food must contain the name and address of the company manufacturing it, whether the food is meant to be offered to dogs or to cats, weight of food and guaranteed analysis, there is no restriction on the source of protein included in the food.

What this means is that protein might come from slaughterhouses, road-kill, euthanized companion animals or even zoo animals. While the industry has always denied using such sources, there seems to be no company that separates raw materials they process into acceptable or unacceptable sources.

The drug used to euthanize animals is pentobarbital, which is considered a poisonous drug. And this drug survives rendering without being degraded in the process. This means dogs fed with commercial dry food are exposed to pentobarbital. Tests conducted in 2000 on pet foods from famous brands showed various levels of pentobarbital in pet food.

Pentobarbital is not approved to be used in pet food but the claim was that it was present in such small amounts that it should not cause any problems. However, even traces of pentobarbital can slowly cause degenerative diseases.

Other additives, preservatives and vitamins together with mineral mixes are added in much higher amounts to pet food. The reason why they are added in higher quantities is that the processing can degrade these supplements. But excess levels of Vitamin D can be damaging and even fatal to our pets.

The largest recall in the pet food industry happened in 2007. The Canadian-based company, Menu Foods recalled more than 60 million cans and pouches of wet food which had been distributed in North America. Other pet food manufacturers were involved in the scandal and pet treats together with dry foods were recalled.

This time melamine contaminated pet food caused the recalls. Melamine is a material used to manufacture kitchen utensils and as a fertilizer in China. Melamine was added to wheat and rice to raise protein levels in the end product. Companies that imported contaminated wheat and rice from China were forced to recall their pet food products.

Pets infected by such food had not only melamine but also cyanuric acid in their tissues, kidneys and urine. Cyaniric is used in swimming pools as a stabilizer.

The rates of cancer, kidney and liver diseases in our pets have risen considerably during the last decades. Autoimmune diseases, allergies and skin problems are also on the rise, perhaps at the same rate the pet food industry is growing.

As a result we are faced with increased veterinary care costs while pet food industry tries to convince us

that if we feed our pets other types of food we are causing them harm. However, should we really trust what they say?

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