You might think that the title of this blog sounds dramatic but unfortunately, if you have a pet and you are feeding it dry kibble, you are putting him or her on a high risk of a big array of illnesses from allergies, gastrointestinal upset and infections to inflammatory diseases and in the worse case scenario, cancer.
While doing my food safety masters dissertation, which I did on a a bibliographic review of all pet food brands, their ingredients, preservatives and the health safety and implications, I discovered what I already knew as a vet but discovered a ton more about what’s in it and why it is literally the worst thing you can feed your little pooch and cat.
It is just common sense, if we humans are very aware that eating fast food every day is not just bad for you but will eventually kill you, why would it be any different for our pets? EXACTLY my point.
During my over 16 years experience as a vet, I have seen so many pets getting sick from the food they were given, I can’t even tell you….most pet owners come into the practice complaining about their little furry friend being itchy or sick with vomiting and/or diahrrea….and those are the “light” symptoms.
We are seeing a massive increase in cancer patients, from every 4 pets, 1 will have cancer, and it starts each time at a younger age…this is NOT normal. The same goes for arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, obesity….just the same as in humans….
Pet foods have existed for over 100 years now and have been very convenient, that is clear, and no one really thought that it would be detrimental to their health as big manufacturers pay big marketing firms to provide the best marketing tools possible with names is “organic”, human grade”, “grain free” “healthy pets” “naturally balanced” that will fool any pet owner into thinking that what they re buying is truly the best quality food for their loved pets. Unfortunately, food safety measures and controls are still not as important as it is in human foods as still loads of waste products from the meat, dairy and fish industry are used in the kibble you give your pet…then, to make it long lasting they add to it even more unhealthy preservatives and to make it more “attractive” to the eye of the buyer, the owner that is, they add some carcinogenic artificial colours to make it look like there are more vegetables in there using greens, reds and yellow dies to fake the presence of peas and other green vegetables, tomatoes and bell peppers and yellow veggies….
And why not mention, pathogenic bacteria?? Salmonella has been found to be a common pathogen in the pet food industry other toxins created by these bacteria like the one causing botulism ….shall I go on?
Ok, just one more, just in case you are not convinced yet, the same as in humans, antimicrobial resistance is becoming extremely common in our pets, as resistant pathogens have been found in animal foods worldwide. Not only are we finding this in humans, where meat loaded with resistant bacteria are being consumed but these are also now found in our pet foods….bacterial resistance to the most common antibiotics used every day are being found. This means that if our pet gets a mild infection that can be cured easily with a generic antimicrobial, this now means, that the infection will not be cured and that it can turn fatal.
But, after giving you all this bad news….let me give you the GOOD NEWS, we can turn things around, we can make a change and have control of what we feed not only ourselves but also our beloved pets!
It is my passion and my aim to provide you with all the advice and help you need to guide you on what’s safe to eat and what’s safe to feed your pet. I have been for years now a massive foodie and a massive geek when it comes to eating healthy and safe and to provide the same for my own animals and my animal patients.
So let’s take control of our health for us all, shall we? I’m waiting for you!
Love, xx
Eleonore