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more than 35% of the feed. While this may not be scary enough, one must consider that meat byproducts may also contain road kill, traces of pentobarbital used for euthanizing pets, euthanized cats and dogs (sometimes with collars included!) and diseased animals.

-Corn meal

Corn,soy beans, grains, are fillers. Fillers are simply products used to save money. The main purpose of fillers is to allow cat food and dog food producers to use less meat because fillers will ultimately make up most of the part of the kibble. Truth is, fillers are unnecessary pets and especially to cats which are carnivores, simply think that cats have lived without corn throughout their history, so there is really no explainable reason as to why cats would need corn now.

The carbohydrate levels derived from these corn and grain fillers have been associated with the onset of feline diabetes, not to mention food allergies derived from such fillers.

-Chemicals

Various harmful chemicals are added to pet food. Ethoxyquin, BHA and BHT are all chemicals used to preserve foods that can be potentially harmful to pets. While these allow to preserve pet foods from spoiling, they are potentially harmful to pets. Not to mention the food colorings still used today and totally unnecessary other than to appear eye appealing to owners.

As seen when offering breakfast and dinner to our pets we are doing something very far from catering to them. We may be actually poisoning them! As a general rule of thumb, you must look for food with no by products and with the meat source clearly stated such as: fish, chicken or beef. There should be no fillers and only natural preservatives. Such foods may seem to be more costly, but you really get what you pay for and you may end up spending more in vet bills if you decide to feed that cheap food you find at your local supermarket.

More and more pets are developing diseases never heard of before. It just takes a peek into a veterinarian's office to see clinics full of sick pets. Knowledge is power, and now that you have learned all about pet food labels, you have the option of choosing wisely if feeding your pet will be an act of love or an act of ingenuity.

Learn more about this author, Janet Farricelli.
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