We all want the best for our beloved dogs, especially when it comes to the foods they eat. We want to give them only the healthiest food available to make sure that they will live a long and healthy life. But what if the so-called “healthy pet foods” that are being sold in the market today are not reliable anymore?

What do we do when we can no longer trust the food manufacturers who is supposed to provide us with safe and healthy foods for our animals?

When The Food Is Killing Your Pets, Something Has To Change

The several recent widespread recalls of pet food has created a scare for all dog and cat owners who rely on commercial brands to feed their pets. All over the country, contaminated pet food has caused many dogs to become severely sick, while a large number of them have actually died.

In March 2007, Menu foods, an Ontario based manufacturing company, recalled over 60 million containers of food after numerous animals became ill and died from eating them. One of the most disturbing aspects is the illusion of superiority it has shattered for buyers of expensive pet-foods because Menu Foods manufactures both low cost and high end pet food products. It supplies pet food for 17 of the top 20 North American retailers, including PetSmart, Safeway, Wal-Mart, Winn-Dixie, Wegmans Pet Valu, Kroger, and Ahold USA. It is also a contract manufacturer of branded pet food products, manufacturing for five of the top six branded companies in North America, including Procter & Gamble, for which it is the exclusive supplier of canned wet pet food sold under the Iams brand, P&G having sold its South Dakota plant to Menu Foods in 2003. Menu Foods also produces Loblaws’ President’s Choice, A&P’s Master Choice, Sobeys’s Compliments, Safeway’s Select, Eukanuba, and Nutro.

In all, 53 brands of dog food and 42 brands of cat food were affected.

How did this happen? A combination of greed and laziness was to blame. It was later discovered that wheat gluten, an ingredient found in the pet foods, was contaminated with rat poison. The risk of Salmonella contamination has also been the cause of a recall for two brands of pig’s ear dog treats.

Cases of toxic pet foods go back to December of 2005, when several dogs died and dozens fell ill after eating kibble manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods. It was later found out that the food was contaminated with aflatoxin; a naturally occurring chemical produced from fungus and can be found on crops such as wheat, corn, rice, and beans. This chemical is also toxic to domestic animals, livestock, and even humans. Other pet food recalls during this past decade also involve the risk for Salmonella contamination.

Are These Pet Food Companies Breaking The Law?

FDA regulations state that pet foods should be manufactured similarly to the way human foods are manufactured. They should be processed under a sanitary environment, should not contain any harmful ingredients, should be accurately labeled, and safe to eat.

Commercial brands of pet foods are not beholden to the same FDA labeling requirements as human foods and due to very limited resources, the FDA can only inspect pet food issues after consumer complaints are made, or if the FDA has a reason to believe that there is a threat to animal health. A recall is then announced by the FDA or the manufacturer if a defective product is found.

Earlier this year the FDA launched an online database devoted to Pet Food Recalls. This represents a huge step forward because concerned pet owners will now be able to monitor this database regularly.

Andrew Lewis, a concerned consumer who lost his beloved dog to kidney failure due to a diet of commercial pet food, has subsequently devoted several years to intensive research of the commercial pet food industry. He has written reports and books and created several in-depth videos. To read his material >>>Click Here<<<

World-famous vet and dog-care author Alfred Plechner, says the poor nutritional properties of commercial dog food inevitably lead to disease.