Dry Pet Food Recall

If you can't trust the major brands to feed your pet properly, where do you turn?

It is becoming increasingly difficult to know what is safe and what to avoid in the dry pet food recall. It's not just canned food hitting the headlines - it is now dry food too! Just what type of pet food is best and how do you know?

My aim with this lens is not to point the finger at any particular brands of pet food and explain how they have it wrong and how they ended up in the dry pet food recall. I would rather look at a completely different angle and share my philosophies on how you can really help your pet. It is probably simpler than you think and involves you taking control over your pet's health.

My common sense approach...

For decades, we have been told that science knows best and the commercial food for sale in our supermarkets and pet stores is healthy pet food. Because we love our pets and want to do the best we can by them, we follow this advice, sometimes without stopping to question the information or the motives. Who does the advertising for these products? The pet food companies!

Who provides the education to pet stores and vets? The pet food companies!

And what is the result of all this expert knowledge? The dry pet food recall of course! And it's not the first time.

So, what are the manufacturers' main objectives? Is it to ensure your pet has the very best diet or is it to thrive in the commercial world?

Would you live solely on one brand of processed 'complete' food even if someone told you it was the best thing for you?

No?

Then why take this advice for your pet? Did nature provide these processed foods?

Have you ever thought that perhaps you might know best for your pet? That, actually, because you care and are very familiar with your pet, your instincts might serve your pet better than a commercial organisation? That all you might need is a bit of confidence and guidance on a practical level?

The medical profession (mainly through vets) and the commercial world have frightened us in to thinking they know best. As a result we have a complete lack of confidence in our own abilities to think things through and therefore we follow diligently down the path we are lead. We are in a quite understandable emotional hold, as we love our pets and only want to feed them safe pet food.

We have all heard the phrase 'We are what we eat' and have also seen evidence in the human world of the effects of too much sugar, additives and certain chemicals in our food. Indeed, some of these have been banned from our food, but amazingly, some are being added to pet food. Is it any wonder our pets are suffering? Is it any wonder that the recent dry pet food recall has happened? Is it going to happen again? You bet. Much commercial pet food is at best nutritionally inadequate, and at worst, downright poisonous.

The following symptoms and illnesses in the dry pet food recall have been associated with at least 6 chemicals in some pet foods which have been banned from human foods:

Birth defects
Chronic diarrhoea
Liver dysfunction
Immune system collapse
Kidney cancer
Stomach cancer
Bladder cancer
Leukaemia
Skin cancer
Spleen cancer
Major organ failure
Blindness
Behavioural problems such as increased aggressiveness
Severe allergic reactions
Hair loss

If chemicals causing these conditions are considered unfit for human consumption, who makes the decision that they are suitable for animals? Should they not be considered pet food poison? Who does the pet food recalling? This pet food scare is evidence that some commercial foods are causing, directly or indirectly, a huge number of pet food deaths.

My philosophy is that basic is better. In other words, the less processed and fresh our food is, the better nutrition it will contain (and will mostly taste better too)! The more 'messed about' it is, the harder our bodies have to work to digest it and flush out the toxins. Not only is this true for us, it is true for our pets. Cooked or raw, plain or fancy, fresh is best! Using wholesome ingredients that are species-suitable is the best way to avoid the 'poisons' present in many commercial foods. We are what we eat, and so are our pets.

What about time constraints?

Preparing your pet's food at home need not be the time-consuming tedious task that springs to mind. The convenience of buying ready-made commercial pet food is obviously a factor for many people. It is easy to store, easy and quick to serve. Today's society is about convenience and time-saving practices. The holy grail is to free-up as much time as possible from 'chores' so that it can be used for leisure activities. However, I would argue that having to eat the same old tinned or dry stuff day-in, day-out is a pretty high price for your pet to pay to save you a bit of time. After all, they give you unconditional love and rely on you for their well-being. Preparing his or her food need only take an hour or two per week - I know, I do it!

Above is our dog, Nina, whom we rescued when she was about 6 months old. She eats a variety of home-made pet food including meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruit, pastas and rice, some cooked, some raw. She has had no illnesses, is full of energy, always has a wet, cold nose and her coat is shiny and soft. Her teeth are healthy and her eyes are bright. On top of this, our costs of feeding are reduced - it really can be cheaper this way.

So you now know that the dry pet food recall list is part of a problem that won't go away just by changing brand. The pet food contamination won't go away just by suppliers recalling their food. You have to make the decision to take control. You will not only change your pet's life, you literally could save it!

The trouble is, how do you start? If you are not used to choosing the food for your pet and are worried about a balanced diet, you may never begin. This is understandable, because you only want the best for your pet and have been consistently told by the 'experts' that they know best, not you. However, it wouldn't be hard to produce a better result would it?

Dog Food secrets is a great place to start, with lots of detailed information not only on the dangerous ingredients found in the dry pet food recall, but also how to cook for your pet with lots of free recipes included too. The important thing is that you are in control of what you are feeding your pet, you call the shots. Knowledge is power, and by looking at this site, you will certainly gain more knowledge.