The nationwide recall, not so long ago, of dog food, manufactured by Menu Foods is not a first. The Menu dog food recall followed reports of kidney failure in dogs due to wheat gluten being tainted by aminopterin, a rodent poison. The FDA has been conducting and investigation.
In fact, The FDA reported that at least seventy-six dogs, nationally, died after eating contaminated dog food manufactured by another company, Diamond Foods, in 2006.
As a result, a dog food recall of Diamond’s products ensued of nineteen types of dog and cat food which were found to have high levels of a toxic chemical called aflatoxin. This toxic chemical can cause debilitating liver damage to dogs and is found in fungus in certain grains. Grains are a popular filler in commercial dog food.
The FDA and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture launched investigations. The tainted dog food was believed to have been exported to Europe as well.
Another similarity to the Menu Foods case was the promise of both manufacturers to pay for illness related veterinary bills for dogs that had eaten the contaminated dog food. Of course, that is little consolation to a dog “family” that loses its friend to an awful death after ingesting tainted commercial dog food.
As in the case of the Menu Foods dog food recall, consumers were warned to cease feeding their dogs the contaminated dog food and return unused dog food to the dog food retailer.
If these cases don’t shock dog guardians into action then we don’t know what will.
Commercial dog food is one of the most suspect products sold worldwide to unsuspecting dog owners. Full of fillers, preservatives, and products unfit for human consumption; much of the packaged commercial dog food is simply junk.
If you have any doubt about this, here are a few of the “ingredients” found in some commercial dog foods: downed and euthanized animals, toxic chemicals such as the euthanizing agent injected at dog shelters, blood, feathers, undeveloped eggs and diseased carcasses.
We implore every dog owner to read the label of the commercial dog food they buy. Research the meaning of terms such as by-products and meal bone.
Make a mental note of the fact that the first listed items on a label are the dominant ingredients, the product that you are feeding your dog to keep him healthy, or will it make him sick and shorten his life?
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