Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Is there Safe Dog Food

By Miranda Concagh

Recently we have read of many manufacturers recalling their dog food for safety reasons. This has made many wonder if they are feeding their animals safe dog food. And well it should, because safe dog food is not easy to find at your grocery store. Commercially made dog food companies don't make their labels easy to read. In fact they are confusing and difficult to comprehend. That's because the food processors, the grocery industry and the pet food manufacturers have made every effort to fight the FDA to keep the labels from being easily understood.

When you break down the ingredients in most commercial dog food, you will understand why they want to keep you in the dark. Pick up a can or bag of dog food and peruse down the label. You may notice a rather innocuous sounding ingredient called meat meal. That sounds rather wholesome: sort of a cross between wholesome meat and perhaps a high fiber cereal. Meat meal. But what is it?

Meat meal is a delicious stew that comes from rendering plants. Generally it is the rendering of animal carcasses that have been gathered from various sources. Euthanized animals that are picked up from animals shelters, zoos, and even county and state highway departments (that's right - road kill) comprise the main ingredients in meat meal. Many of these animal were dogs and cats that had flea collars, I.D. Tags and were even wrapped in plastic bags -- all which were dumped into the rendering vats and turned into a rather unsavory ingredient blandly named meat meal. Does that sound like safe dog food?

We have lost beloved family pets in the past because our vet told us they were filled with tumors. Have you ever had that sad experience? It is gut wrenching. But it is no wonder. Animal advocates and veterinarians have been telling us for years about the carcinogenic dangers of the residues in commercial dog food left from the chemicals and poisons used to euthanize the animals that became dog food ingredients. Cats and dogs that eat this food have become filled with cancers. Damage is done to their immune systems, their livers and kidneys, their brains, all because of the harmful chemicals in their food.

That is the reason so many dog lovers have decided to make natural home made dog food for their pets. They do it so they know their pet is eating safe dog food. You might think this would be a big, messy, and expensive job. But those that do it have found it is less expensive than buying commercial food. And the process is simple.

Natural homemade dog food can be prepared once a week and frozen. The ingredients need not be expensive. In fact most people actually save money making safe dog food at home. Hundreds of recipes are available both in books and on blog sites. It is no wonder that more and more pet lovers are opting for this method of providing their pet with natural home made safe dog food.

The next time you fill your dog's food bowl, think about what you are feeding her. Why not try making some mantural homemade dog food? Her health depends on you providing her with a nutritious, safe dog food that will extend her life.

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