Health food

A friend of mine forwarded an article from "Mens Health" on french fries. What was interesting about that was an advert from Alpo. Don't know if you have ever taken the time to read the ingredients from Alpo, but they are at least as harmful as the chili fries "Mens Health" deemed most dangerous. Just as family parents need to quit taking the manufacturers word that the food is healthful, dog owners need to do the same! Read the bloody label folks! You would be better off giving them the left overs from the kitchen table, than giving them commercial food. There is a good assortment of kibble that is good food! Few easily purchased at any Petco or Petsmart. Blue Buffalo organic is one, Dick Van Patton's Natural Balance, any variety, is another.

Food desperately needed

This is Pat Lambert with the Columbus Humane Society/Whiteville, N.C. and I'm writing this to beg for help with Dog/Puppy food and Cat food. We just took in 12 puppies (7 are only 3 days old) and a mother dog, and yesterday I got another dog and found out that she is preg. and we have three more to get (all coming from a breeder and all outside). This isn't counting the other 11 puppies that we have and all the Adult dogs. If anyone would like to donate a bag of Purina puppy Chow or Purina Dog food, or cat/kitten food please drop it off at : K&K Pet Grooming at 5028 Wrightsville Ave. Wilmington (they are closed on Sunday's and Monday's) or either call : Ruth Turner 910-470-5554 and you can drop off at her house, if in Whiteville then contact me: lambertpat54@yahoo.com .We are also helping with food for a feral cat colony and need food to help.We also need foster homes for the other three small dog (20-25 lbs) that are outside in the cold in a yd. that looks like a swamp. God Bless and Merry Christmas: Pat lambert

Senator Durbin asks for overhaul of the FDA

Dear Margot, Thank you so much for your support of my efforts in Congress to clean up the food supply. I know how important this issue is to you -- for companion animals and humans alike -- and your strong support is clearly making a difference in Washington. Last week, the Senate passed important legislation to overhaul the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As part of that bill, the Senate agreed to an amendment I offered to address many of the food safety problems that have become all too apparent over these past few weeks. My amendment will do several important things: Create an early warning system for all food products -- including pet food -- so we can identify potential food contamination problems much earlier and provide accessible product recall lists directly on the FDA website Establish uniform standards, inspection processes, and better labeling of pet food -- replacing today's voluntary guidelines that manufacturers and individual states can choose to ignore Improve the FDA's ability to regulate imported food products -- to deal with problems like the recent contaminated wheat gluten and rice protein shipments from China The new FDA legislation will make a difference -- but equally important is continuing to push the FDA to take their responsibility as guardians of our food supply seriously. That's why I hope you'll invite your friends and family to join you, me, and thousands of other Americans, urging the FDA to step up their vigilance of our food supply -- for companion animals and humans alike. Thank you so much for your continued support on this critical issue! Sincerely, Dick Durbin U.S. Senator Blogmaster notes: When you visit this website and send in your plea, please also contact Mr. Durbin and beg him to ask for stricter labeling and ingredient listing criteria. Currently, a dog food may market itself as a lamb and rice formula even though it's first two ingredients by weight are chicken and corn. Also demand that dog food manufacturers provide exact percentages of protein, grain and other contents, rather than listing ingredients by weight prior to processing. Why? A pound of chicken is considerably less going into processing than a pound of rice, corn or oats. Listing ingredients is important, but I also want to know the total percentage of protein, grain, vegetables and filler in the finished product. This is how I make an informed decision as to what my dog eats. This is why I will not buy commercial dog food. I have no clue what I'm getting.

Current FDA list of all recalled pet food

The FDA has published a continuously updated list of all recalled dog and cat foods. To view the current list click here

Selecting a good food requires reading labels

I've heard a lot of frustration and remorse over the current Menu Foods recalls. Many ask, "How can I know if I am feeding my dog a safe product?" Quite simple, learn to read a label and learn a few simple facts about dog and cat food The extrusion process The majority of dry dog and cat food is made with an extruder. An extruder will gum up if the protein content of the food is more than 50%. Most commercial brands of dog food (Alpo, Pedigree, Purina) as well as those foods that claim to be premium (Nutro, Iams, Bil-Jac and Science Diet) have less than 30% protein. The rest of the food is comprised of filler. It is the type and quality of the protein and the filler that should be your primary concern. Protein Dog food ingredients are listed by weight. At least two meat sources should be among the top three ingredients in the food you serve to ensure your dog is getting enough protein. Whole fresh meat contains moisture and simply weighs more than grains and other fillers. If the first listed ingredient is a grain, run away...run far away. The quality of that meat is important too. Look for fresh meat or meal and the type of meat or meal should be clearly identified For example a product listing chicken, lamb and herring meal would be superior to a similar product offering chicken, lamb and meat/animal meal. Steer clear of meat by-products and animal proteins. The FDA does not have strict standards for these categories. Poor handling and slow transport can affect the quality of by-products. There is a much wider range in the quality of by-products than there is in fresh meat. Many commercial brands like to utilize these sources because they are cheaper sources of protein. Generic animal proteins or by-products enable them to utilize whatever is cheapest that day. Fats to need to be specific as well. Chicken fat is vastly preferable to animal fat because it is clear what your getting. Animal fat again gives the manufacturer the ability to purchase cheap fats and mix them anyway they want. Some commercial pet foods have been known to purchase used restaurant grease and rendered fats. Grains and Vegetables Look for whole grains and vegetables. Avoid food fragments which are by-products of another food manufacturing process, such as brewers rice, wheat bran, rice bran, rice flour or wheat gluten. If you have a dog with food allergies, steer clear of foods that list wheat or corn in any form. It is important to mention that in both the Menu Foods recall and the Diamond Foods recall, grain quality was the problem. Brewing grains that get wet can ferment. Grains outsourced from other countries may be of substandard quality. Look for manufacturers who use grains that meet human consumption standards. Preservatives, colors and sweeteners Preservatives such as BHA, BHT, Ethoxyquin, propylene glycol, artificial colors and sweeteners such as corn syrup, sucrose and ammoniated glycyrrhizin should all be avoided. Finally, any company that makes a food you intend to feed your pet should be completely upfront and honest about the quality of the ingredients, where and how the food is manufactured and what quality controls are in place. If they aren't, don't buy it