Dog Food Recall - How Safe Are Our Dogs?

Recipes for homemade dog foods are popping up allThe chunky bits that we thought were meat in our
over. More and more pet owners are deciding tobeloved dog's food we find out are actually wheat
make their own homemade dog foods. The pet foodgluten, a totally meatless product. Rice Protein is
recall list is growing by the week. The food that youanother meatless additive to increase the protein levels
are feeding your beloved dog that is safe today, mayin the pet foods. Which leads us to ask just how much
not be tomorrow. Pet owners are in a panic trying tomeat are our carnivores getting.
keep their best friend safe...and rightfully so.A healthy dog's diet consists of 40% meat, 30%
The Secrets of the Pet Food industry are coming toprotein and 30% starch. It appears that the majority of
light.the pet food products on the market today consist
Chinese suppliers of animal feed have admitted thatmostly of cheap cereal fillers. Even many of the so
for years they have been spiking shipments to petcalled "premium brands" were not immune from the
food companies in the US to make it appear aspet food recalls as they also contained wheat gluten
though the food was a high protein quality product.and rice protein.
Before Melamine, there was Urea, anotherThe meat-by-products that are used in these
Nitrogen-based chemical that was used until it startedcommercial recipes are animal scraps that the FDA
making animals sick, then it was quitely discontinued.has deemed "unfit for human consumption" these
Guarding against contaminated products beinginclude heads, feet, intestines, lungs, spleens, ligaments,
imported has become quite a problem. According toand other scary parts. Even when the recipe consists
the Commerce Department, the pet food industry nowof meat, for the most part, it is scrap meat like backs
imports 7 times the amount of animal feed it did inand necks.
2000. Wheat gluten and rice protein come in the formSeveral companies that got its pet food from one of
of a powder and chemicals like melamine can easilythe manufacturers have said that the rice protein that
be mixed in (whether intentional or unintentional) andwas included in the recipes for their dog food was
not be detected by the FDA because they are not onwithout their knowledge or consent (the manufacturer
its battery of tests.has denied this). How do we know who's telling the
The FDA oversees a tillion dollars worth of productstruth? Many of us were under the assumption that all
annually, this includes about half of all imports. Theof the ingredients for the recipe had to be listed on the
agency regulates about 25% of every dollar that ispackage. What else are in the commercial dog food
spent by American consumers annually, so it isrecipes that we don't know about?
impossible for the agency to inspect more than aLawmakers are hurrying to change things but
fraction of all imports. About 99% of all food importseveryone knows that takes time. So in the mean time
are not inspected.what should you do? The choice is one that every
This massive pet food recall has not only brought toone of us is going to have to make. You can take
light safety issues with our dog food supply but alsoyour chances; you can turn to an even higher priced
quality issues. Little was known about Wheat glutenorganic or natural pet food; or you can turn to your
and rice protein until the recent pet food recall. Nowown kitchen and use recipes for homemade cat and
they are everyday words. People have beendog foods. After all, how difficult can it be to feed your
researching to find out just what they are...and thepet a well balance diet? We manage to do it for our
results are eye-opening.children everyday.