A few months ago, I was renting a house in New Orleans for a film with one of my clients. When I gave her the meal I’d prepared, she mentioned how guilty she felt eating such healthy food for herself when she didn’t pay that level of attention to her pets, who she loved. So is it possible to feed your pets as well as you feed yourself? Of course it is!
Pet Food Recalls
In 2007, the FDA discovered that certain contaminated pet foods contained melamine, which was causing renal failure in dogs and cats. This led to more than 100 pet deaths and 500 cases of kidney failure across the country, sparking a recall of Menu Foods dog and cat food. Ultimately, the problem traced back to wheat gluten from a company in China that had been contaminated with the dangerous ingredient. The recall extended to several popular brands of pet foods including some touted as the gold standard in “health” for your pets, Science Diet.
The 2007 pet food scare wasn’t the first and it won’t be the last. It was just one widely publicized incident in a string of pet food scares over the years.
What’s in Your Pet’s Food?
Take a moment and read the label on your pet food. You probably see all sorts of interesting ingredients including “meat byproducts” and ash. What are these products your pet is eating?
Meat byproducts: Sometimes called “meat meal,” meat byproducts are animal parts that you wouldn’t want to wind up on your plate – the leftovers after the meat is stripped away, which can include things like entrails, organs, intestines, heads, and feet, among many others. The label meat byproducts also doesn’t list the types of meats that create its byproducts, but could include house pets, road kill, dead or diseased livestock, and zoo animals. It’s not illegal to put cats and dogs into the foods that feed your cats and dogs, or any of the other animals that wind up as pet food (!).
To create meat byproducts, processing plants grind the different animal parts together and then cook it. Using a centrifuge, the plant separates the fat from the protein, and the fat is added back into the foods to ad flavor and scent. Protein may be dried for dry food or canned for wet food.
Chemicals: Since many of the animals that wind up in pet food are euthanized, the chemicals used in the process often wind up in the pet food. The foods also have preservatives and often, artificial flavors and colors.
Other ingredients: Other added ingredients contain bulk, but don’t add to the nutritive value of the food and many can be very harmful to dogs and cats. These ingredients include grain fillers, cellulose and other grains that can contribute to vitamin deficiencies in dogs and cats. They may also contain other ingredients that dogs and cats weren’t meant to eat that can create vitamin and mineral overload.
How to Feed Your Pet
So, if commercial pet food is so unhealthy, how can you ensure your pet is eating a healthy, organic diet?
- Prepare healthy foods for energy using human grade ingredients. Opt for organic, natural protein sources that have been pasture raised and include healthy fruits and vegetables. Beware that dogs cannot eat onions, garlic, grapes, raisins, dairy, macadamia nuts, chocolate, avocado, stone fruits, and chocolate while cats should never be given tuna, onions, garlic, chives, dairy, grapes, raisins, and chocolate.
- Purchase organic pet food. Visit your local health food store or specialty pet food retailer and find out the types of foods they offer. Before buying it, head home and do some research on the Internet to determine the quality of your pet’s food. Read the ingredients and avoid those with meat byproducts or meat meal.
- Try raw pet food. Many natural raw foods mimic the way dogs and cats would eat in the wild. Again, research is key here since many raw brands contain harmful ingredients. Good brands include BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) and Paw Naturaw Grass Fed Organic.
I’m glad this is being addressed, but I still don’t know to feed my dog exactly. Would have loved some examples of what to prepare for my pet.
Just a note that people need to make sure they know what they are doing if they prepare the food themselves to make sure the diet is balanced. Our animal companions can’t speak to tell us if they feel off.
A book like Dr. Pitcairn’s New Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs ad Cats is a great resource for making your own food.
Thank you for this post, Kimberly! My dog is such an important part of my family – so, just like everyone else, he enjoys a bit of Glowing Green Smoothie every day 🙂
That’s wonderful! I know quite a few dogs that love the GGS. 🙂
Thank you for addressing the pet food issue.
My miniature dachshund loves the “liver pate” from oat groats! It’s one of a handful of items he’ll eat raw. Otherwise, he eats homemade, organic dog stew.
There’s one thing I wanted to add and that is that garlic is somewhat controversial. Garlic is great as an anti-flea and tick preventative when sprinkled in rely small doses on top of the food, or added in small doses to the food when cooking it/preparing it. Most owners swear by it, and there are no known cases of problems. (Please point me to some if I’m wrong, however.)
Onions are not good for dogs, and should not be given to them.
Thanks for the great Article.
I am familiar with BARF and Naturaw.
they offer some great Dog Food
and I buy there regulary
Wonderful!
Thanks for writing about this. I have been wondering about this subject as well.
Always appreciate the amazing knowledge you share.
Jen
Great! I hope that is helps Jen. xx
Um i have a few questions, Fisrst why cant cats eat Tuna? Which is a fish and cats love fish, And you also said Garlic, i am wondering, because many vets give garlic tabs to cats who have fleas if the owner does not like pesticides.
Dr. Abady’s pet foods are amazing! They are raw and cured my parents’ sick German Shepard. The poor dog could hardly walk, did not have hip dysplasia, and seemed like he had allergies to something since he was miserable and has runny eyes and nose most of the time. My husband and I dogsat him for a week over Thanksgiving and I did research on dog food. I found out we had a specialty pet food store in town and asked them what they suggested and that’s how I found out about Abady Foods. I called the company and spoke with Dr. Abady himself over the phone!!! He said to start with the raw frozen dog food and cook it fully to get the dog used to it. Each day cook it a little less so that after a few days it would be completely raw. Brady gobbled it up cooked and raw and LOVED it. Literally, after 4 days he was walking almost normally and made it up 16 stairs when just 4 days earlier he couldn’t make it up one stair! And his runny nose anc eyes disappeared altogether! So Abady Foods brand is amazing – made by an actual Veterinarian who puts only natural ingredients that the animals would eat in the wild into the food. Dr. Abady also said a good replacement for his food for dogs would be to buy free range non antibiotic ground beef and suet and combine those. Dogs are meant to eat natural meat and fats, not corn or vegetables or anything else. They are carnivores, not omnivores.
Thanks for helping to spread the gospel of proper pet nutrition! I had to shop around for months to find a good quality wet food that my cat would enjoy. He loves his carbs and would eat dry kibble (total junk food) all day if he could. After much trial and error, we found a brand that he adores, is free of grains, byproducts and fish. It’s nearly all turkey with some veg. I want him to be healthy and live a long, pain-free life. Certainly a healthy diet is key.
I’ve been feeding my dogs raw for years now and would never go back to kibble (even high end grain-free kibble). It is what dogs are designed to eat and it shows in their coats, teeth, activity level, stools, etc. Preparing raw yourself is very complex but luckily there are brands such as BRAVO and Nature’s Variety who offer balanced frozen raw.
What is wrong with giving cats tuna?
I feed my dog Taste of the Wild dog food and she loves it. It also mimics the way the dog ancestors ate in the wilderness. It’s a bit more expensive but well worth it for my baby girl.
Ya feeding your dog natural food is great. just remember to plan a balanced meal for them – maybe take free nutrition courses or read a book about it. diff foods may cause diff stool coloring in your pet to. so be aware of that. however do watch carefully as sometimes stool color changes are not caused by food but is cancer.
This is a great post. We buy a locally made grain-free dog food for our pup. He loves it! A friend of mine does the raw food for her dog and she says that his health dramatically changed for the better because of it.
This is great information, a friend of mine makes her dogs food daily often some boiled chicken or ground beef and rice. I have two cats that mean the world to me and I have often spoiled them with canned cat food but after reading this I won’t be buying it anymore but I find it harder to think of alternatives for cats than dogs. Any ideas for making pets food at home?
We just starting using a brand called Honest Kitchen. The food is made from human grade food/factory. The dog food is dehydrated to keep in it’s nutrients and then when it comes to you you add warm water to let it rehydrate.
The company is great and they set high standards for their dog food. It’s definitely worth checking out.
Thanks for writing about his topic. Our pets should be healthy too!
I always understood that pork is bad for cats and should never be fed to them.
I think the Stella & Chewy brand of dehydrated raw food is very good. They like it dry or re-hydrated with warm water. And it’s easy for the cats to break up with their teeth.
HI Kim,
This is a bit off topic.I must say I love this book. I drink lemon slices with hot water every morning. It’s the best.
I have serveral questions, please can you help answer them.
How can you get rid of stretch marks? Why can you get stretch marks?
How would you get rid of dark circles under your eyes?
Is eating Del Monte Fruit Cups good for you?
Do I need to exfoliate? If so, how often and with what? Is it risky to exfoliate everyday?
What is the best way to treat acne?
Thank you!
Hi Kim,
Thanks for posting this. You book is the best, you provided so much useful information. I really love it and the first thing I do when I wake up is drink lemon slices with hot water. This is a bit of topic. I have four question, please can you answer them.
Why do stretch marks appear? What can I do to get rid of them?
What can I do to get rid of dark circles under my eyes?
How can I exfoliate, how often and with what?
My last question is about acne, what is the best and safe way to treat it?
Thank you.
Kimberly,
I know this is unrelated, sorry!
I’m 17 years old, can I follow the beauty detox diet?
Also, do you have an opinion on the Kora Organics skincare line?
And, last question, have you heard of dry body brushing? If so, what do you think of it?
I have your book, and I really like it. I’m passionate about nutrition and wellness, too, and I love what I’m learning. I think you’re a great role model.
Thank you so much,
Diana
Hi Kimberly!
As an avid raw foodie myself (following the principals outlined in your book, of course!- I’m drinking a green smoothie right now!!), I longed for my dog to enjoy the same benefits. I’ve been feeding my dog a BARF diet for over a year now; her health has thrived and she adores it. Before, her kibble would sit in the bowl for a while before she would eat, now eating is a true pleasure that she enjoys greatly. I am so grateful for my dog and me eating well- it truly enhances life.
Also, on a side note, I’ve been venturing into other colored smoothies- orange and red to be precise and it’s a nice change from the everyday-staple green; it’s fun to experiment!
I love your website and book, by the way. Thank you for the information.
Thanks again!
Meagan
I feed my cat, Karma, Blue Buffalo organic food. She loves it. I can recognize the ingregients on the bag. I can see the carrots and potato bits in the wet food too. Her coat stays shiny and soft. Her vet recommended it. She’s eating since I got her from the SPCA.
Hi Kimberly –
Thanks for posting this! We talk so much about proper nutrition for us and forget often that we are feeding our little loved ones terrible food.
I recently bought my dog Sojos grain free raw dog food. Do you know anything about this brand?
Thank you so much for responding.
Hello, Why not tuna for cats is it the mecury? and on Onions I know onions are bad for animals. But my sister read this article about how onions, if you leave them out that it stops plagues and it stops you from getting the flu and cold. Could you please address this myth in one of your blogs. I can link the story to you if you need it.
Hey there! Do you use Twitter? I’d like to follow you if that would be ok. I’m undoubtedly enjoying your blog and look forward to new posts.
In regards to the article. You should never feed your dog or cat quality vegetable ingredients. Their bodies are not capable of using the nutrition to the effects from plant based foods as ours are. Your animals need safe animal based foods, but not human grade foods. Your dog and cats are evolved to eat organs, skin, eyes and bones. It is perfectly normal for them to thrive on real animal by products. The evidence is clear with zero scientific research needed. Take a look at the wild dog species across Africa, and wolves and coyotes of the Americas. They are all fit, active and hunt and scavenge. Look at the majority of our dog and cat pets, over weight, bloated, and chronically ill. The difference is what they eat. I know this is a year or so late but I felt compelled to post. There are a few companies that make really good food for your pets, but I’m not going to say who because this isn’t an ad.
In regards to the article. You should never feed your dog or cat quality vegetable ingredients. Their bodies are not capable of using the nutrition to the effects from plant based foods as ours are. Your animals need safe animal based foods, but not human grade foods. Your dog and cats are evolved to eat organs, skin, eyes and bones. It is perfectly normal for them to thrive on real animal by products. The evidence is clear with zero scientific research needed. Take a look at the wild dog species across Africa, and wolves and coyotes of the Americas. They are all fit, active and hunt and scavenge. Look at the majority of our dog and cat pets, over weight, bloated, and chronically ill. The difference is what they eat. I know this is a year or so late but I felt compelled to post. There are a few companies that make really good food for your pets, but I’m not going to say who because this isn’t an ad.