Why Is the Pet Food Industry Killing Our Pets?

from Earth Island Journal, via AlterNet:


Why Is the Pet Food Industry Killing Our Pets?

By Ann Martin, Earth Island Journal. Posted June 15, 2007.



Many were shocked by the thousands of pet deaths that prompted the recent pet food recall, but the truth is that the pet food industry has a long history causing the deaths of many more.

The commercial pet foods industry rakes in billions of dollars annually. In exchange for our dollars, we trust the companies to provide our pets with quality nutrition. The recent pet food recall demonstrated that our trust has been misplaced. But while many were shocked by the tragic deaths of beloved pets, many more would be shocked to know that the pet food industry has a long history of mistreating our pets. I first began researching the industry in 1990, when my two dogs became ill after eating a well-known commercial food.

The first thing that came to light was the fact that the pet food industry is virtually self-regulated. The only requirement that the industry must meet is to adhere to the Labeling Act, which states that food must contain the name and address of the producing company, whether the product is intended for dogs or cats, the weight of the food, and the guaranteed analysis. The source of the protein included in the analysis can be anything: condemned material from slaughterhouses, road-kill, zoo animals and even euthanized companion animals. Of course, the industry denies all this, especially the use of dead dogs and cats in pet foods. However, a senior official from a large rendering conglomerate in the United States wrote to me, "I know of no rendering company in the U.S. that will segregate companion animals from the rest of the raw material they process."

Dog eat dog?

I personally have been able to trace euthanized pets from veterinary clinics in the city where I live to rendering plants where they are processed; the end results are shipped to pet food companies. Pentobarbital, the drug used to euthanize these animals, ends up being fed to our pets. Results of a study conducted by the University of Minnesota show that pentobarbital "survived rendering without undergoing degradation." In the late 1990s, officials from the Food and Drug Administration, Center for Veterinary Medicine (FDA/CVM) decided to investigate a theory that dogs were exposed to pentobarbital through dog food. Researchers developed a test to detect pentobarbital in dry commercial dog foods.

Tests were conducted in 1998 and again in 2000. The first series of tests detected only the presence of pentobarbital but did not indicate the levels that were present in the foods. The second series of tests used 25 samples: 15 were found to contain pentobarbital. Ol' Roy, Heinz, Kibbles 'n Bits, Trailblazer, Dad's, Purina Pro Plan, Reward and a number of lesser-known brands were among the pet foods showing various levels of pentobarbital. In tests designed to dispute that dogs and cats are the source of pentobarbital in pet food, the FDA/CVM conducted DNA testing to ascertain what animals might be in the food. In a statement released on its Web site, it said that no dog or cat DNA was found and that "the pentobarbital residues are entering pet food from euthanized, rendered cattle and even horses."

Their report two years later in the American Journal of Veterinary research contradicted these findings. "None of the 31 dog food samples examined in our study tested positive for equine-derived proteins." Additionally, they stated: "Cattle are only occasionally euthanized with pentobarbital, and thus are not considered a likely source of pentobarbital in dog food." Their conclusion? "Although the results of our study narrow the search for the source of pentobarbital, it does not define the source (i.e., species) responsible for the contamination. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/healthwellness/54236/

the old pets obsolete. What better way than to kill them?

:(

Besides, the tainted goods are coming from China. (no wonder the packages read "Not intended for human consumption".)

and obviously to all Chinese businesses. They only care about the quarter they are in - just look at the American car companies - they funnel all their money out the top to share holders and the "important" people but reinvest little to nothing in their products and less to those that do the actual work and then they whine that we don't buy their products.

As if we didn't already know what is safe to feed pets!

That was not mentioned in the article, but is just another way these huge pet food companies kill pets.

My dog loves fish and since we're trying to make sure her good days continue to outnumber any days where she's not up to par , I try to encourage she eat by stirring some wet into her dry. She's 7 yo but has developed slow growing lung cancer. We hope to continue to have good days with her. As soon as her bad days outnumber the good or she shows any sign of pain, that's when we say goodbye. Until then, I want to make sure she's not eating any of the crap with the melamine, etc.

My BIL works for a cold food storage place and said that he had cases of fish (destined for Walmart) that were being discarded because the inspectors came in to test them. Once the pallet was unsealed for the test (on one package from the pallet), then the whole pallet was trashed. He said most of the time they make him pour dye over the product so it's inedible, but he had some the he could snag for us. I told him no thank you! I asked him if it was Chilean Sea Bass. He said yes, why? So I filled him in. Most people have no idea what's going on around them.