Just a quick stroll through recent media headlines relating to pet food is a scary walk indeed: ******* Says its pet food is safe as allegations about sick animals multiply on social media — NBC News, January 18, 2024;
****** Recalled Pet Food May be Related to 130 Dog Deaths FDA Says, New York Times, August 19, 2021;
****** Pet Food Recall is Expanded After 70 Dogs Die, New York Times January 2021
I’m only mentioning three headlines because pets have to eat and I don’t want to instill any UNNECESSARY fear. Most loving pet parents would read these headlines and rush to see what brand their pets are eating. However, most of my patients do not get nervous when these headlines flash on the screen or show up in their internet scrolling. That’s because they do not feed their pets mainstream pet food.
They do not rely on mass produced, cheaply packaged food products with questionable ingredients. Instead, most feed their pets nutritional food, something that is fit for human consumption. Ingredients they can read and understand; food items that they can recognize.
Many even prepare their own dog food, using foods that they themselves consume. (Example: A simple crockpot mixture of chicken breasts, rice, spinach, tomatoes, northern beans and carrots is a tasty and healthy meal for a dog. Trust me, he’ll love you for it. And, if you want this recipe to be 100% “complete and balanced”, we can talk about that in an office or virtual appointment – it’s easier than you think!)
My point today is to reach out to anyone who is nervous about the headlines because if you feed your own food, or food with ingredients you can trust, there is no need for concern. When you’re not feeding mainstream food, you don’t have to worry about mainstream headlines.