Do you check the label of your pet's food before you buy it?

Question

After this pet food poisoning, have you heard that it was wheat gluten, the protein part of the wheat, that was contaminated? Do you think dogs and cats should ever eat it? I don't!

I didn't like hearing that chicken and pig excrement are allowed in pet food either! That should be illegal shouldn't it?

Sorry, yes, the gluten was contaminated.

Answer 1

Unfortunately lots of horrible things are "allowed" in pet foods that the general public uses.. Brands from the grocery store and large pet store chains carry foods that are full of animal by-products, wheat,corn, soy ( these are ingredients that are used as fillers and can cause allergies in many animals. Lots of animals also have allergeric reactions to the chemicals that are sprayed on to meat to keep it from spoiling until they can transport it to the pet food processing plant..there are so many things they can legally do to our pet's food and most people don't even read the labels! Chicken beaks, sawdust, animals that died before they could slaughter them...Ive even heard of road kill in some foods.They think that the food they are feeding is good because their vet sells it or recommends it...when most vets only have a few hours in nutritional training..and get $$$ back when they sell foods like Science diet in their offices.
Basically we need to learn to read the labels of our pet foods.. the first three ingredients are the most important. it shouldnt be corn or by products or rice.. it should be MEAT..
People wonder why their pets poop so much.. you would too if the main ingredient in the food you ate every day was a filler like corn.
So many things can be solved when pets are fed good wholesome food. You may have to spend a little more money initially on a bag of food that doesnt contain byproducts or any of those allergens.. but your pet will have to eat way less to get the nutrition it needs and will be leaving less waste because its body uses all the nutrients in the food.
I really feel bad for the people who have sick pets from this whole food poisoning story..but maybe more people will become educated on what goes in their pets mouths.

Answer 2

I've always been a label reader even before the pet food scare. Once I learned how to read a label and what the ingredients were, I could not in good conscience feed a low quality food. Before I had pets, I thought that feeding brands like Purina, Iams and Science Diet were great. Once I adopted my first cat, it realized that what I fed him would really have an impact on his lifespan and health. I realized that those brands of food were not the quality I was looking for. I don't like fillers and artificial preservatives for myself, much less my pets. My dog has food allergies and I am very conscientious about everything that goes in her mouth.
I feed high quality holistic foods to my cats, hedgehogs and dog. Two to three times a week they get canned food and those are also holistic brands.
When I first heard about the recall, a lot of my co-workers panicked because they fed some of those brands. It didn't really cross my mind because I knew my foods were produced by a manufacture that made one or two types of food.
Unfortunately, if the food is not intended for human consumption, there are very little guidelines about what can end up in pet foods which is why reading the label is so important if you care about what your pet eats

Answer 3

Always, I have a dog that is allergic to wheat and corn. I read the labels..I feed the same food as I have for over a year now but I still check just in case they changed the formula.

Answer 4

I don't feed my pets wet food, so it hasn't been a big deal to me. The puppy gets Purina ProPlan Lamb & Rice and the kitties have Nutro Natural Choice Complete Care Weight Management (they're a bit chubby). They haven't had any problems and I've fed them the same things for a while now. However, I do agree that those things should not be in pet food; uber gross!

Answer 5

I always check the label of my dogs food before I buy it... always have... I want my dog eating the best food I can afford.... where as.... my rabbit food I don't have to check the label anymore, I buy from the same supplier that I have never had a problem with....

oh and they found out the problem had nothing to do with the wheat... it was rat poison...

:)

Answer 6

if you buy good pet food, it won't have excrement or wheat gluten in it. Purina and all those others brands are crappy foods to begin with....

Answer 7

Yes only cause my cat is picky...He only eats special kitty chicken and fish.