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Nutrition for your pet is important too!!!
We all know that eating healthy food is important for us (whether we eat healthy food or not!). But keeping chemicals and preservatives out of our bodies shouldn't stop with human. Pet food can also be jam packed with tons of crap! Most brands are laced with fillers and unnatural ingredients.
Some of you are aware that I have a beautiful pure bred Siberian kitty. She is the apple of my eye and I am so blessed to have her. Last summer, I was training 3 princesses from Saudi Arabia while they were vacationing in Los Angeles. One of the princesses bought 3 pure bred Siberian kittens (only 2 months old! ) from a breeder and was devastated to learn that bringing them back to Saudi Arabia would be very difficult with customs (they would've been quarantined for 6 months!). She didn't want them to go through that so she asked me to help her find homes for them. As soon as I saw them I fell in love with one in particular: I named her Bisou.
When I adopted her, the princess told me that when she took them to the vet, there was blood found in all of their stools. She gave me the medicine that she was giving to all of them, along with the food that she was feeding them. When I got home and introduced her to my place, I looked at the food she put in the bag: canned Fancy Feast (actually recommended by the breeder, so it was not her fault). I knew before I even looked at the ingredients that this was the culprit for her irregular bowels and "need" for medication. I looked at the ingredients anyway and they looked a little something like this:
Water Sufficient for Processing
Poultry By-product Meal
Soybean Meal
Corn Gluten Meal
Wheat Flour
Ground Yellow Corn
Salmon
Tuna
Chicken
Animal Fat Preserved with BHA (what's BHA? Read below!)
Phosphoric Acid
Brewers Dried Yeast
Fumaric Acid
Tricalcium Phosphate
Vegetable Oil
Salt
Sorbic Acid (preservative)
Choline Chloride
Added Color (Red 40, Blue 1 and Other Color)
Propionic Acid (preservative)
Dried Whey
Taurine
Zinc Oxide
Ferrous Sulfate
Niacin
Vitamin Supplements (A, E, B-12, D-3)
Calcium Pantothenate
Riboflavin Supplement
Manganese Sulfate
Biotin
Thiamine Mononitrate
Folic Acid
Pyridoxine Hydrochloride
Copper Sulfate
Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity)
Calcium Iodate
Ummm, okay... That list is almost like a whole PARAGRAPH! And WHY does there have to be preservatives and dyes in there?! And ANIMAL FAT preserved with BHA?! Disgusting! Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) is a white or yellowish waxy solid. It is used to prevent fats from spoiling. In addition to preserving foods, BHA is also used to preserve fats and oils in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Would YOU eat that?! There is evidence that certain people may have difficulty metabolizing BHA, resulting in health and behavior changes (source: About.com: CHEMISTRY).
So, anyway... I immediately tossed all of the Fancy Feast cans and went to Whole Foods. I found a brand called Wellness (also found at Petco and Petsmart). All of their ingredients are natural and you can recognize all of them! You won't find an ingredient you cannot pronounce! Below are some words from their website (www.wellnesspetfood.com):
Our Ingredient Philosophy
If you read our ingredients they probably sound familiar. That's because they are the same quality you would feed to your own family. Why should pets be an exception? Each ingredient in our recipes is thoughtfully chosen for its nutritional benefits, providing just what pets need for a happier, healthier, longer life.
WHAT GOES IN:
Highly Digestible, Beneficial, Human-Grade Ingredients
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Quality Protein Sources for Strong Muscles |
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Easily Digestible Grains for Healthy Fiber and Energy |
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Rainbow of Fruits & Vegetables for Antioxidant Protection |
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Low Magnesium Recipes for Urinary Tract Health |
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Omega 3 & 6 Fatty Acids for Skin & Coat Health |
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Taurine for Heart Health |
WHAT STAYS OUT:
Inferior Quality, Nutritionless or Potentially Allergenic Ingredients
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No Meat By-Products |
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No Corn |
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No Soy |
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No Artificial Preservatives
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No Wheat |
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No Added Sugar |
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No Artificial Flavors, Colors or Dyes |
I also threw away the medication (I didn't give it to her once) and only fed her the Wellness brand. I inspected all of her bowels and never saw a drop of blood. When I took her to the vet, she was impressed that Bisou (my kitty) was so vibrant and healthy. So please be good to your pets' bodies as well as your own! Always read the ingredients before you buy something! If you cannot pronounce it, you (or your pet) probably shouldn't eat it! |
Posted: 2:17 PM, Tuesday, February 10, 2009 |
Add Comment |
Facinating
| That's an interesting story about how you obtained your kitty. Healthy food choices are so essential for both humans and animals. The fewer ingredients, the better for good health. The world really needs to get back to basics as far as eating natural, simple foods instead of all this processed garbage. |
Posted by gogan5 at 7:12 PM, Wednesday, February 11, 2009 |
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just to add to that...
| those of you know me are well aware of my affection for dogs and how much i love my puggers! jenna points out some great info here. i think the reason most people don't seek out better food is the cost. Wellness is fantastic and the pugs love the "Ninety Five Percent" formulas, which are 95% pure meat, but at $2.50/can, it's a bit tough to swallow...for me, not them! Spot's Stew, Canidae, Avoderm, Nutro and the new formulas by Cesar Millan are all great, high quality choices. I swear the pugs eat better than my husband and I do, but they're worth it. bottom line: if corn (or anything in that family) is listed as the 1st ingredient, you want to avoid it. instead, look for chicken/meat. and don't assume that b/c vets sell it (i.e. science diet, iams) that it is the best...not true...check those labels and enjoy your best friends! |
Posted by keri at 11:25 PM, Wednesday, February 11, 2009 |
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Good to point out!
| I'm going to check my puppy's food when I get home! |
Posted by jenb at 1:23 PM, Thursday, February 12, 2009 |
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The results?
| Hey jenb! Have you tried any new brands of food for your pet? |
Posted by Jenna at 1:27 PM, Wednesday, February 18, 2009 |
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