Organic In Style

If your pet is really lucky, he/she is chowing down on a grilled chicken breast or a can of tuna.  If he/she is like most pets, however, it’s whichever bag of dried pet food the owner picked up at the store.  Susan Thixton, an internationally known pet food expert, recently made a trip to her local Walmart to take a closer look at the labels on pet food.  You may be surprised at what she found:

• Flavored food - a lot of pet food has the word “flavored” after the words “chicken” or “beef.”  The problem is that most pet owners see the words chicken and beef and assume that chicken or beef is actually in the food.  But if the word flavored is listed, that’s what you’re pet is getting - food that only tastes like chicken or beef.
• No Fillers - Thixton found one bag of food that said “no fillers.”  She turned it over and saw that the first three ingredients listed were fillers!
• Protein and Phosphorus for Strong Muscles - What does Phosophurs have to do with building muscles?  “Wikipedia provides us with the following: “The most important commercial use of phosphorus-based chemicals is the production of fertilizers.  Phosphorus compounds are also widely used in explosives, nerve agents, friction matches, fireworks, pesticides, toothpaste, and detergents. Among other uses these are used to improve the characteristics of processed meat and cheese.”

And these were just some of the things she found!  The moral of the story is: look at the labels before you buy and make sure you understand what you are really feeding your pet.  Doing this may extend its health and life.

Source:

A Trip Down the Pet Food Aisle Reveals Harmful Food Additives.  Natural News.com.  07/15/08.