With pet owners across the nation seeking more detailed answers to their questions regarding the recalled pet food, legal experts are scrambling to thwart new laws from being formed, and veterinarians are warning their patient's owners about what to (and what not to) feed the animals. This, in and of itself, has caused a good amount of confusion.
In one group, we have the pet owners themselves. These are people who are trying to change their pets eating habits within a relatively short period of time, and, thanks to the natural stubborness of most pets, it has not been an easy task. This has left pet owners now looking for alternative food products that are safe to give their pets, and, fear that their now healthy pets may fall prey to the Kidney problems that have plagued pets across the nation for the last month.
In another group, we have the veterinarians that are trying their absolute best to help people determine not only what food products are now safe for their pets to eat, but who are also trying to help pet owners make health related choices, based on the current overall health of their pets. In Oregon alone, 28 pets have died so far, as a result of the contaminated food, and even more are suffering from Kidney infections, failures and stones. These are also the same veterinarians that are trying to calm patients to hopefully prevent an onslaught of law proceedings that could ultimately change the way the law looks at domesticated, non-working, pets.
Then, there are the lawyers. According to an article from the Seattle Times, under most state laws (save for a very few), most pets are viewed legally as 'possessions', such as a piece of furniture or clothing. They are not viewed as 'members of the family', or, as some people I know have referred to their pets as "fur babies" or "fur children". One lawyer put it well when he said, "I have a son, and I have a dog. I'm a true dog lover. But the truth of it is, I cannot replace my son when he dies. I can, however, replace my dog."
For those of us who are pet owners, we have all heard at least one person say to us as some point, "You can't feed your (pet) human food. It's not good for them!" What I want to know is who the idiot was that came up with this logic. Seriously, let's think about this for just a moment. Dogs are members of the Canus family. So are wolves, coyotes and hyenias. Cats are members of the Feline family. So are lions, tigers, leopards, panthers and bob cats. How many times has anyone seen a group of explorers BBQ-ing a side of antelope for these wild animals?
On a more domestic home front, these questions arise: How many times has anyone, on the average, set a fresh hamburger down in front of a dog, and see that dog walk away from it? Also, how many times has your pet cat brought you dead animals as 'gifts' and set them on the front stoop/door step of your home? AND... are people really that stupid to think for one second that feral cats and dogs get their food from breaking into pet stores and eating up all the prepared food? No, these animals literally have to hunt down their food. Garbage cans filled with thrown out restaurant food (human food), road kill (wild food), birds, squirrels, moles, mice, rats (wild food)...these are some of the things feral animals live off of.
Ok, so what was the origin of the pet recall issue? A little chemical known as Melamine. The FDA article on the food recall is not too specific or detailed. However, they do offer a list of recalled pet food on their web site. This also is not THAT easy to navigate through. However, it's a heck of alot easier than trying to figure out just what, exactly, all the so-called experts are saying about this pet food recall issue.
The Statesman Journal newspaper, from Salem, Oregon, also wrote a good article on this topic, and actually featured a list of SOME of the items that are found in pet foods. Below is a list taken from that article, found from the Gannett News Service according to the Association of American Feed Control Office:
Chicken, beef or fish: Clean flesh from those animals.
What's really in that can of pet food on your shelf? Here's a guide to some ingredients listed on the label and what they really are, according to the Association of American Feed Control Officials:
Chicken, beef or fish: Clean flesh from those animals.
Meat byproducts: Blood, bone and organs such as lungs, spleen, kidney, brains, liver, stomachs and intestines from slaughterhouses.
Poultry byproducts: Necks, feet, undeveloped eggs, lungs, intestines. Not feathers.
Meat or poultry byproduct meal: Blood, bone and organs that are rendered, dried and ground up. Can include tissue from animals that died outside slaughterhouses.
Steamed bone meal: Bones separated through cooking and ground up. It provides minerals, mainly calcium and phosphorus.
Taurine: An amino acid needed by cats.
Grains: Labeled either as whole grains, such as corn or barley, or as ground milled products, which are what's left after flour and cereal are processed.
Vegetables: Dried yams, beet pulp, carrots.
Additives: Vitamins and minerals, such as flavorings and preservatives.
Yes, you read this properly. Blood, bone, lungs, brains, spleen, kidney, stomaches, intestines, necks, feet, eggs...EW. This is what you are feeding your pet. Now I don't know about you, but there's no way I'm putting all of THAT into my body. I already have those parts. I do not need something else's parts in me as well. And still, the 'animal experts' tell us over and over that these foods are BETTER for our animals, than fully cooked beef, chicken and fish. Go figure.
No comments:
Post a Comment