by Crystal Foran

Created on: November 03, 2008   Last Updated: March 10, 2010

Who really knows what they put in those little kibbles of wonder? Who wouldn't want to know what we really feed our pets every day? Well, I could never tell you what brand to feed your pets but I can tell you what you don't want in those mysterious little kibbles.

Don'ts of pet Food

When you read the label on your pet food bag let's watch for certain ingredients that aren't quite wholesome enough to fertilize a flower garden with let alone feed to your best friend. Let's go through the list of major don'ts that I would like for everyone to know right now. There is so much more that could and should be listed but I have picked the most important ingredients right off so you can all start making important changes on your pets' health right away.

Animal fat and animal by-products
Ever eat in a cafeteria and wonder what is being put on your plate? I am pretty sure the term mystery meat has been used. Well animal fat and animal by-products is the mystery meat of the pet food world. What is exactly in this mysterious ingredient? Well, by standards of the Association of American Feed Control Officials, Animal by-products may include materials from animals which died by means other than slaughter. Now what animals can be used is not mentioned. Animal fat is the rendered fat that floats to the top of these huge vats of animal carcasses, also no mention of what animals can be used. This means that almost any animal can be used in this material; road kill, dead, dying and diseased cows, horses and other mammals. And where might our euthanized companion animals be used? You do the math and come up with your own conclusions.

Corn and other grains
Corn often tops the list of ingredients on a commercial brand of pet food. Cats and dogs cannot digest corn. Heck, if you want to get real about this, we can't even digest corn you know what I mean by that. So what real value is there in pet food where the main ingredient cannot be digested? Corn is one of the sneaky ingredients listed on the label. Here is a scenario for you:

So you look through the grocery store looking for a food with something other than corn listed as the first ingredient and AHA! Eureka, you've found it! You run up to the checkout clutching your new found superior bag of pet food. Chicken by-product! That's gotta be good right? WAIT stop, turn around and read the rest of the ingredients. Okay, does it look something like this?
1. Poultry by-product meal
2. Ground yellow corn
3. Corn Grits
4. Corn gluten meal
5.

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