PROCESSED PET FOODS

If you're still feeding dry or canned processed (cooked) food to your pets, then I have to believe that you are doing it in the same trusting way that we all did for decades and that you have never really been told what it is that you are really feeding your pet. This page is dedicated to educating you about what is (and isn't) in processed pet foods. It is my fervent hope that after reading these articles, you will be committed to providing a more natural diet for your pets. Whether or not you ever buy anything from Pets By Nature, if this information causes you to improve your pet's diet in any way, then the time and effort that went into providing the information will have been worth it.

On February 20, 1990, the San Francisco Chronicle ran an article titled: Are Pets Being Recycled into Pet Food by Tim Phillips, D.V.M. Although many of the sources quoted in the article dispute the fact that rendering plants utilize companion animals, other sources are quoted as saying that "Rendering pets for pet food is not harmful to pets consuming such pet foods. . ."  and "Rendering is an economical, environmentally sound way of disposing of pets." Following is a link to the complete article in Good Dog Magazine. You need to register with the magazine site to read the article but registration is free. The article is copyrighted, so I can't reproduce it here, but I urge you to read it.

Following is a link to the Animal Protection Institute's web page and an article titled What's Really in Pet Food. This is a very informative article by an unbiased organization. (i.e. They're not trying to sell you anything.)

Wendell O. Belfield, D.V.M. has been a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine since 1954. He is a firm believer in the importance of vitamins and minerals in the treatment of disease and sells his own line of dietary supplements. In his web site archives is an article titled Food Not Fit for a Pet in which he describes the lack of oversight in pet food manufacturing as well as the substandard ingredients and practices that abound. Dr. Belfield also has an article Raw Meat Diets for Companion Animals in which he agrees that natural raw diets are a healthier alternative to processed foods. His only concerns regarding a raw diet are related to the use of by-products and other questionable ingredients. Although Pets By Nature believes that raw is better, we do not believe that all raw diets on the market are the best that they can be. We caution you to be diligent in reading the ingredients of raw foods to be sure that they include only high-quality ingredients.

There are many more sources of information about processed pet foods. A simple search on Google with the phrase "processed pet foods" brings up links such as:

• The Question of Bacteria in Processed Pet Foods
• Processed pet food - why you should avoid it
• What's really in Pet Food?
• What are Commercial Pet Foods made of?
• Pet Diet can be related to their illness.

. . . and many, many more. I encourage you to read as much as you can about processed pet foods and then make an informed decision about what you want to feed your pet for the rest of his life.