Safe Dog Food

It’s sad that so many dog food companies have had so many recalls in recent years. But in a way, it’s a good thing. Now that people consider their pets (especially dogs, I would say) as part of the family, many dog food companies have upped their quality and the media is really paying attention to these dog food recalls. Just think if this were 50 years ago, when dogs were mainly “just animals” to people, no one would care if dog food was recalled. The Alpo recall was a top story for days on television and was everywhere on the Internet. I think that says something about people – we cherish our pets!

In fact, the FDA has gotten involved and on February 6, announced that “two Chinese nationals and the businesses they operate, along with a U.S. company and its president and CEO, were indicted by a grand jury for their roles in a scheme to import products purported to be wheat gluten into the United States that were contaminated with melamine.” The indictments allege that more than 800 tons of purported wheat gluten, valued at nearly $850,000, were imported into the United States between Nov. 6, 2006, and Feb. 21, 2007.
Melamine is used to create products such as plastics, floor tiles, cleaning products, fire retardant materials, inks, and fertilizers. Melamine is not approved as an ingredient in human or animal food in the U.S.
Dog foods that have quality protein sources, chicken, beef, lamb, fish, or turkey listed as their first ingredient are best. Ingredients are listed in descending order by the amount in the food. The first ingredient shouldn’t be an animal by-product, a vegetable, or wheat or grain. Check out the package too – it should have an expiration date and a phone number or web site so you can contact the company. A TODAY show story warns against buying generic or store-label brands because “the food is probably from bulk suppliers.” Also, you should avoid preservatives like BHT, ethoxyquine, BHA, and propolyneglycolb.
It seems to me that to be safe, when you look at the ingredients on your dog’s food, you should be able to understand the first few ingredients at least. I’ll keep researching the healthiest dog food for Hazel, but with so many dog food companies supporting research, it’s hard to know who to trust. Like Hazel, I’ll just keep sniffing around until I find something good.

Curious Creatures

The Beagle nose leads everywhere! Here's Hazel investigating a downspout.