Just in case anyone feeds this: Natural Balance expanded its recall, and melamine has been found in a rice protein concentrate. Natural Balance Recall
Can you see what is happening? The commercial pet food industry is beginning to crumble. Company after company is recalling their products. First it's the cheap wheat gluten, now it's the rice protein. What's next? These are all cheap fillers that pet food companies have been depending on for decades to keep their production costs low and their profits high. Cheap Filler
The only good that may come out of this is that maybe now, FINALLY, the pet food industry will be scrutinized and regulated.
Oh, didn't you know that?
Up to this point, the pet food industry has not had to follow any regulations besides labeling what they put into their food. And if you really looked into the ingredient list and researched what Chicken "Meal" or Beef "By-Products" are, you would not be feeding this to your dog unless you didn't care about their health. They are not responsible for testing the actual nutritional value after the food is processed into kibble. They are not responsible for studying long term health.
Also, do you know what happens in rendering plants? Do you really think they will throw out any pieces of meat that are from dead, diseased, and dying animals? Hell no! Do you think they really care where "meat by product" or "meat meal" came from? Or even worse, what kind of meat it is? Is it road kill? Are they from farm animals? Are they from domestic animals? Are they from shelters? If you don't believe this, I understand. It's hard to swallow (literally). But at least believe this.
THIS INDUSTRY IS NOT REGULATED.
Now the FDA has stepped in and is supposedly checking to make sure retailers have pulled all recalled items off their shelves. Even they admit, some of it is still out there. FDA Report This is YOUR responsibility to your pet. Don't expect or assume that the pet food industry, retailers or the FDA is going to fix this problem any time soon.
High profit industry that is not regulated. Hmmmmm.......If that doesn't send a clear message, I dunno what will.
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3 comments:
This is so upsetting. At the moment we're feeding Wellness Simple Food solutions (kibble) and Merrick canned (to tempt Molly to take her medicine, which given that she now has at least one arthritic wrist on top of the hip and elbows is very important). Merrick has been above suspicion thus far, as has Wellness. But I gave them a leftover section of cheese fritatta for breakfast yesterday...
I find the raw-feeding idea a bit overwhelming, which is why I don't always comment when you write about it. I'm not that great at feeding my own human children the world's most balanced diet!
songbird:
Just my opinion on the two commercial dog food brands you mentioned (based only on my own research and the trusted opinions of my pet community).
Merrick: GREAT! I keep several cans of Merrick around for times when raw is not feesible (aka when the DogFather feeds, the dogs are kenneled, we're on the road, etc).
Wellness, in my humble opinion, recently within the past year or so sold out. Their nutritional quality is not what it used to be.
That said, you're still better off than people who feed any of the brands found at the local supermarket. Remember: raw food is not for everyone.
Thanks for that feedback, Ang. Simple Food Solutions was recommended by the vet because Sam had so much diarrhea. I always heard feeding raw was too much for a sensitive stomach. But isn't that Riley's problem? And you seem to have managed well with him.
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