I subscribe to a Flame Point Siamese cat group on Facebook
since I own a 9 month old. Today, one poster said she was at the vet all day
and just found out that her cat Elliot’s kidneys were failing. He was only 5
years old. She came to the conclusion that her mistake was feeding him Blue Buffalo
brand food, which she found out later has been known for causing diarrhea,
vomiting, and the worst: kidney failure like what happened with Elliot.
There’s nothing more heart wrenching than indirectly being
the reason why your pet got sick. I can’t imagine how she must feel. You want
to rewind time and pick up a different bag of food, but unfortunately there’s
nothing that can be changed except how act in the future. All pet owners must research brands before they buy and try
their hardest to get the best food within their budget. It could save an animal’s life. There are some steps you can take
in order to stop unknowingly giving companies that poison pets your money and
start giving it to companies that care.
Here are three tips to ensure you are well-aware of what
you’re feeding your pet:
1.) Know what
your pet is eating. Ingredients
in pet food are listed according to the greatest amount to the least amount
– the same with how human food is labeled. Chicken, lamb, and turkey listed as
the first few ingredients is a good sign. Brown rice, grain, corn, and soy
products placed before the meat is never good.
2.) Pay attention to food recalls. Sometimes newspapers run stories on recalls but companies often have ties to other companies that run the journalism world (it’s the sad truth). Your best bet is to do a monthly Google search on the brands you buy. Simply search “Cat food recalls 2013” or “Alpo recall 2013” to come up with more than enough results to satisfy your worries.
3.)
What furry friends do you have at home? What brands do you feed them? Let me know in the comments!
~Sara
