From plump whole chickens to fresh grains, our cats and dogs need wholesome nutrition. Most pet food manufacturers claim to deliver “everything and more”, but do they really? Do you really know what’s in your pet’s bowl?
In the U.S alone, the pet food industry makes a whopping R143 billion per year. And they want us to believe that they’re adding rice and chicken and veggies to their brand. But then again, there’s a difference between what consumers that they’re buying and what they’re really getting.
WARNING: If you’re a sensitive person, you might not want to read this. But for all goals and purposes, it really is worth it to know the truth. That way, you’ll be able to make better choice about your pet’s food in the future.
The truth about pet food ingredients
You might not know this, but the pet food industry is just an extension of the human food and agriculture industries. It effectively provides a market for offal, grains that aren’t fit for human diets, and waste products to be turned into profit.
It wasn’t too long ago that authorities questioned Nestlé, Heinz and Hill’s Science Diet Pet Food in the U.S about what goes into their animal foods. But while a lot of the manufacturers use poor quality ingredients, not all of them are the same. There are quite a lot of honest-to-goodness companies that go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure they produce quality dog and cat food.
The price of pet food is often a great indicator if the overall quality of the product. It’s impossible for a company to sell a generic brand of food at R40 per 1.5kg to use quality proteins and grains in their food. The cost of obtaining those quality ingredients would obviously be much more than their selling price.
Main ingredients in cat and dog food
After the slaughtering process for human food production, the “waste”, or remaining carcass is what they use for the production of pet food. These ingredients are known as by-products, meal, or by-product meal.
By-products
By-products found in dog and cat food are clean, non-rendered “parts”, derived from slaughtered mammals. It includes, but isn’t limited to:
- Lungs
- Spleen
- Kidneys
- Brain
- Blood
- Bone
- Fatty tissue
- Stomachs
- Intestines freed of their contents
Meat Meal
The meat “meal” used to manufacture food for pets are meat tissues, exclusive of blood. These include, but are not limited to:
- Hair
- Hoofs
- Hide trimmings
- Manure
- Stomach and rumen content
Additives
In addition to by-products and “meal”, there are some other harmful ingredients in pet foods that you should avoid. These include:
- Corn syrup
- Propylene glycol
- MSG
- Preservatives like BHA, BHT, sodium, nitrate and nitrite
The ingredients in cat and dog food are considered “unfit for human consumption.” But if we can’t eat it, why are we feeding it to our pets? Shouldn’t we all be choosing more natural foods for our pets? As humans, we’re becoming more aware of how harmful dietary preservatives and synthetic chemicals are impacting our overall wellbeing. So why doesn’t the same hold true for our pets?
Here at Petz.co.za, we are committed to delivering the very best quality pet food. Get in touch with us today to learn more about our range of pawsome pet food and products!
