Commercial Dog Food – What’s Really In Dog Food
With the recent dog food recall causing all sorts of discussions between dog owners about the quality of the food they feed their dogs and dog health in general, it seems that very little of these conversations are actually asking the important question about whether or not pet food is nutritious enough for their animals.
Most people seem to be unhappy with the fact that the food was tainted, yet has anyone considered going deeper into the situation and really finding out what is in the food to begin with? Do you really want to know what you are feeding your dog or cat?
Peaking Into Pet Food Ingredients
The first question you should be asking yourself is whether or not the ingredients in your pet food is actually quality material. For those of you that have believed for years that the dog and cat food you have been feeding your pets are top-notch products, you may be disappointed to know that the foodstuffs which make up the base of these pet foods is extremely low grade, hardly edible, animal by-products.
These products come from the remains of whatever animals are not deemed suitable for human consumption. There are no special chicken farms, grass fed beef pastures, or anything of the sort, that is specifically utilized for pet food. These companies use whatever they can get their hands on: blood, ligaments, lungs, bones, beaks, heads, feet, etc. All of these items are converted over for several purposes, such as livestock feed, fertilizers, poultry, and of course – ingredients for pet food.
As a consumer, you cannot find this information when you read the labels. You have no idea whether or not the quality of the “beef” or “chicken” which is printed on many pet food packages is actually healthy, nutritious meat. And most people do not know the difference between whole meat and meat meal or meat byproducts.
Advertising At It’s Best
Years ago, it was common practice to feed our cats and dogs whatever food we were eating. Table scraps were considered everyday food for these animals. Somewhere along the line we have been convinced that dog and cat food produced by corporations are the best nutritional products we can feed our pets.
Our thinking today is that “my dog will not get a balanced diet if he just eats what we eat”. Once you think about it, that notion really doesn’t make any sense. How can a human get all of the nutrition they need yet a dog will become nutritionally deficient by eating the same food? Ask yourself the same question and you might just think twice before grabbing process that dog food and feeding it to your cat or dog.