'Are we killing our pets?' Petfood article.

Claire_Bear

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1244595/Is-food-youre-feeding-pet-killing--making-vet-rich.html

Article discussing how commercial petfood could be making our pets ill, and why Vets will sell and recommend it despite this. Thoughts?

dehaani

Claire_Bear wrote: »

Thoughts?

Couldn't agree more. I actually think we're doing exactly the same to ourselves too. The stuff we eat these days is so far removed from what I'd call food.

The difference with pets is that they have such specific requirements and shorter lives than us, it's so much easier to see the damage their "food" is doing to them.

Greenbynature

Totally agree!
I looked into this back in 2001/2002, after reading about what went into dog food and switched my dogs over to a raw diet and haven't looked back since.

Claire_Bear

I'm currently the same too, I got my first cat in November and was feeding her Whiskas pouches as I thought that because they were expensive that meant they were going to be better for her. Then I started reading what people were saying on pet forums and things and decided to do some research and now as soon as I've finished all the pouches I have in the house (bulk bought when they were on offer) I'm going to switch to a high-meat wet food and am going to try converting to raw after a time, but Pepsi doesn't seem convinced yet. Hopefully the article will at least make people consider what they're feeding their pet.

ravernoloo

thats is really shocking! Does anyone have any links to sites or info on what to feed dogs and cats if you want to give them a raw diet? Im getting a kitten in 2 weeks and we already have a stafffordshire bull terrier, we are currently feeding him Pedigree thinking this was the best food for him, but i am wrong! We are on a very low income so a raw diet which doesnt cost too much more than pedigree (£5 a week) would be brilliant and hopefully would help our dog live longer and give a great start to my kittens life

dehaani

ravernoloo wrote: »

thats is really shocking!

If you think that's shocking, try looking at some of the stuff you probably eat and drink every day. Look up 'E' numbers, aspartame and preservatives.

Search these forums for BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods) for help with the critters.

Good luck with your animals, just remember you're an animal too.

ravernoloo

yes i know about our own foods, they are shoking, i was watching this thing on the bbc the other night about meat in foods, its was disgusting, they had a chicken kiev on there, it had 10% chicken meat, but according to fsa, they could declare 19% chicken in it because they included the fat and skin. Gross really! And there is so much stuff hidden in our foods, no wonder more children are being bor with things like adhd etc, and obesity levels are up! A very interesting article.

Apricot

ravernoloo wrote: »

thats is really shocking! Does anyone have any links to sites or info on what to feed dogs and cats if you want to give them a raw diet? Im getting a kitten in 2 weeks and we already have a stafffordshire bull terrier, we are currently feeding him Pedigree thinking this was the best food for him, but i am wrong! We are on a very low income so a raw diet which doesnt cost too much more than pedigree (£5 a week) would be brilliant and hopefully would help our dog live longer and give a great start to my kittens life

Have a look at this and this for information but if you google Raw Food Cats (and dogs) you will find a wealth of information.
My cats are both fed raw. I like others started Missy out on Whiskas dry food - I chose dry for my own convenience before I actually read into what cats really need. Coco was fed raw almost as soon as I got him and he adores it. I keep meat in the freezer & bring it out the day before. I have a Halal butcher close to me that keeps me absolutely loads of offal for my cats - he charges me £1 for a carrier bag full & will more often than not give me extra for free.

They say the younger you start them the easier they adapt to it. I do still feed some dry food but always ensure it is a high meat content. It's not always convenient to feed completely raw but mine also get high meat/fish content pouches/tins such as Feline Fayre or Hi-life - both can be bought cheaply from Asda & Home Bargains.

It made a real difference to my cats in that their poos were considerably smaller & less smelly:T - very important in a flat! Their fur is shiny & their teeth are lovely & white & strong from the bone crunching.

It is really easy and for me considerably cheaper to feed my cats the better quality food. Im glad the issue has been raised more prominently as some (most) people think Im positively insane for feeding my cats the way I do. Don't get me wrong, I have heard of cats that have lived to the age of 18 on dry food but I just don't want to take the risk & will do anything I can to make my cats as healthy as possible.

roddydogs

What about vets insistence on yearly inoculations, that should be investigated too.

ninky_2

pet food can contain dead pets and styrofoam too...

http://www.rense.com/general70/dead.htm

ninky_2

ravernoloo wrote: »

thats is really shocking! Does anyone have any links to sites or info on what to feed dogs and cats if you want to give them a raw diet?

there are quite a few make your own pet food books if you look on amazon or similar.