Awareness is a result of questioning. Those of you who've read the new edition of my book and other posts on this blog know I encourage intense label reading (in every store- of every product) and consumer research.
Personally, I'm an advocate of home-made pet food. I like the feeling of buying individual ingredients and doing preparation in my own kitchen as a way to have a little more quality control. Buying my own organic turkey, organic beans, whole grains & locally grown veggies, preparing them in my own stainless steel and iron pots and pans, adding my own informed choice of superfoods and nutrients gives me a more satisfying sense of responsibility, influence and peace of mind regarding a pet's well-being.
But for those of you who buy kibble- please keep in mind not only the ingredients and processing of the product you're buying, BUT ALSO THE PACKAGING!
Many pet food companies keep their profits up and costs down by using lower quality, unlined paper bags that allow air-flow. This can translate into oils and animal meals in the kibble becoming rancid. By the time the food travels from manufacturing plant, to distributor, to store shelves, and finally your kitchen, its contents- however high quality it started out- may have already lost any semblance of nutritional value, AND may already be turning rancid.
Call the company that makes the kibble you buy. Ask if the packaging they use is plain paper (if so, what's the cc air flow) or a barrier packaging. If lined- what is it lined with- something you want your pets' food to be absorbing?
Also keep in mind how you store it in your home. Is it continuing to spoil due to exposure to air flow through the bag or is it now sitting in a plastic bin leaching petroleum based chemicals? Why not consider a stainless steel bin to hold your pet's food?
As a pet parent who went through the horror of my dog's cancer diagnosis and also the miracle of aiding her holistically so her body could heal itself, I'll say it over and over: we are what we eat and so are our pets. Their life spans are short enough as it is- let's not make them shorter by overburdening their immune systems with low-quality food and chemicals. There's so much we can do that's simple, inexpensive, and highly effective in preventing disease. Why fight cancer? There's so much we can do to avoid it altogether.
As a pet parent who went through the horror of my dog's cancer diagnosis and also the miracle of aiding her holistically so her body could heal itself, I'll say it over and over: we are what we eat and so are our pets. Their life spans are short enough as it is- let's not make them shorter by overburdening their immune systems with low-quality food and chemicals. There's so much we can do that's simple, inexpensive, and highly effective in preventing disease. Why fight cancer? There's so much we can do to avoid it altogether.
