Buyer Beware.(research on what Fido eats)(Brief Article)

It pays to think twice about what you feed your pet

Most consumers assume that pet foods are safe, wholesome products that our pets thrive on. If you are like I was, you never stop to consider who regulates the pet food industry -- or who inspects the ingredients or even the source of the ingredients used in pet foods. I once assumed that pet food ingredients would cause no harm to my animal companions.

It was only after I began some persistent questioning of exactly what the contents listed on pet food labels really meant did I begin to realize how difficult it was to determine just what was in the product. Basically, labels are vague. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), state laws require a label statement on pet foods of "Guaranteed Analysis" for minimum protein and fat content, maximum fiber content and, in some instances, maximum moisture content. What is legally allowed in pet food, however, is extensive. Labels do not indicate the hidden hazards that can be contained in cans and bags of pet food -- foods our pets ingest on a daily basis.

Perhaps the most disgusting ingredients rendered into pet foods are the carcasses of cats and dogs. Yes, the remains of dogs and cats can be legally used in pet food. Rendering plants use these remains, often collected from animal shelters and veterinary clinics, and render them into the raw material that is sold to many pet food companies to make their pet food products. To this day, many companies deny this practice. Nevertheless, there is a strong body of evidence that indicates this happens -- and frequently. Because pet food companies don't test the raw material they can deny or claim that they have no knowledge that rendered pets are in the material they purchase. However, this doesn't make the facts any less truthful.

After talking to state officials about precautionary testing of pet foods to determine exactly what is in rendered product, I learned that there is no testing undertaken nor is it required by law in any state in the United States or in Canada. Inordinate amounts of heavy metals, hormones, drugs, pesticides, pathogens, and toxins have been found in pet foods, in addition to animal remains, but due to lack of testing and strict regulations, all of these are allowed in pet foods. The FDA does, however, state that pet foods may not contain poisonous substances or pesticides in excess of established tolerances.

In addition, it is legal to render diseased animals for use in pet food. Cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, and turkeys also carry diseases -- a vast array of diseases, including bovine squamous cell carcinoma, osteomyelitis in turkeys and even avian (bird) encephalomyelitis, just to name a few.

Animals found with these diseases at the time of slaughter are usually condemned or the parts of the animals that are affected are condemned "not fit for human ...