QotD: Pet Food Recall
Have you been affected by the pet food recall? Has it changed the way you feed your pets?
As a veterinary technician, cat rescuer and behaviorist, it had a tremendous impact on me. My first emotion: sheer frustration. The misconceptions are running rampant. I wish to share my knowledge with others. The two most important concepts that I learned: 1. Cats, dogs, rabbits, etc are each extremely unique in their needs. 2. Nutrition is an exact science. The wrong amount of nutrients, either too much or too little, can cause fatal heart damage, blindness, toxicity, etc. Good intentions do nothing for an animal's physical health. Work with an animal doctor so you don't kill your pet.
After years of independent study, it was clear that guardians' misconceptions about nutrition for their companions is killing their pets. It's not as simple as cooking at home for companions, and it's also not as simple as "all pet foods are the same".
My next emotion was anger. The fact that several companies, who shall remain unnamed, tested the contaminated products and hid the facts from pet owners, resulting in thousands of deaths, did not surprise me but gave me major palpitations. It's criminal, period.
Then, panic. I emailed the company who make the pet food that I use for my cats. They assured me that their food is inspected by a human food auditing company, and no corn or wheat is used in their products. They do, however, use the same manufacturer implicated in the recall.
I am seeing the sharks emerge in this fiasco, raw pet food companies playing on people's fears for their own profit, people embracing blind mistrust in perfectly good and nutritionally advanced pet food that has managed to extend domestic animal's lives by many years, and general rumors and misinformation spreading everywhere.
* I should mention that there are new reasons to avoid feeding fish to cats. Besides the fact that fish contains thiaminase, and is a very common allergen in cats, there is research being done which suggests that a diet high in fish may be responsible for feline hyperthyroidism.
There is a very good article online called "What's Really In Pet Food". I urge people to read the entire document, and educate themselves for the sake of their pets. http://www.api4animals.org/facts?p=359&more=1
Comments
What food is safe? Is it to the point where the only pet food we should feed our cats is Science Diet from the vets? That's the worst part of the article to me, they didn't name safe brands, or safe alternatives.
Hi Mina! I've worked in veterinary clinics and we saw cats in kidney failure every week for all kinds of reasons. It was not necessarily the food you fed them, unless your vet did an autopsy or otherwise confirmed that it was. Was it a young or old cat? Did your cat go outdoors? Cats do not produce much glucuronic acid so they have trouble metabolizing many things that outdoor cats ingest.
Keeping your cat indoors is absolutely, positively the best way to protect your cat.
I don't want to comment on which brands are "bad" but I will say that I use Wellness (Old Mother Hubbard) for my cats because they do not use the ingredients that were contaminated in the recall and they have a human food agency inspect their food. The Wellness website lists EVERY INGREDIENT AND EXPLAINS EXACTLY WHAT IT IS AND WHY IT IS GOOD FOR THE PET.
Don't be scared - read the article and educate yourself, once you understand you will be able to make an informed decision - and speak to your vet before you switch foods because switching too fast can give your pets an upset stomach.
Seriously, email me if you have any more questions. Your pets are very lucky to have a concerned mom!!
Yes, menu foods is a huge manufacturer and many companies use them ranging from commercial to natural. The good thing about companies who are more natural/organic is that they have their products tested independently or make sure their company is following their recipe and protocol to a T.
The one good thing I hope comes out of this is that people do become better consumers in terms of really looking at what ingredients are in pet foods and treats. I'm still amazed at some prodcuts who have BHT/BHA is them as well as other filler type and by-products. Nutrition doe splay an important role not only in the health quality of your pet but also behaviorally. I have seen many dogs' behavior change when they went from one dog food to a more premium/super premium food.