The nationwide pet-food recall, prompted by the tragic deaths of several dogs and cats who suffered kidney failure, will have repercussions for years to come. On the positive side, it has motivated pet lovers to be more careful about what they feed four-legged family members.
To learn more about protecting pets from toxic foods, read Ann N. Martin’s book Foods Pets Die For and make regular visits to Sabine Contreras’ excellent site, Dog Food Project.
Here’s something else you need to read: the ingredient list of your pet’s food. What contaminated the recalled foods is wheat gluten, commonly added to pet food as a cheap substitute for meat protein sources. Select pet food brands that contain no grains whatsoever. Remember, carnivorous dogs and cats prefer to be on the Atkins diet; what they want is meat, not wheat.
Happily, many brands offer grain-free formulas made with "human-grade" ingredients and no by-products.
The recalled foods came in cans or soft pouches, but that doesn’t mean all dry food is safe. Many manufacturers, including Iams and Eukanuba (two brands on the recall list) use the chemical preservative Ethoxyquin, a known carcinogen. Look instead for Tocopherol, which means the product is preserved with non-toxic vitamin E.
Another common pet-food additive is Menadione, which causes liver problems and should be avoided.
We owe it to our beloved pets to educate ourselves about what’s in their food - that’s the real lesson of the recall tragedy.
