Pets are extremely important to us as a society and as individuals. They are our friends, our comfort, and in some cases they are our children. If only society could place that value on all animals and not just the cuddly cute ones we would never wear fur or inject livestock with growth hormones. As a society we are appalled that there are areas in the world that eat some of the animals that we consider pets. This is not an acceptable practice in our culture, but there is not much else that isn’t. We are a society that will eat pretty much anything if it is marketed well, and unfortunately the standards applied to the food we give our pets are even less adequate. The pet food industry has gone to the dogs.

In 2007 almost 50 000 pet dogs and cats fell extremely ill due to contaminated food. Many of these animals died and those who survived are still suffering from complications. The pet food manufacturers issued a recall blaming wheat gluten imported from china, but are pet food industry standards really to blame?

Over the years pet food manufacturers have faced several lawsuits and allegations from pet owners claiming pet food made their animals sick. The truth is that pet food is not very well monitored. In fact in a recent documentary on the subject, Dr. Meg Smart made a mixture of boot leather, wood chips, and motor oil to prove her point that pet food industry standards are way too low. There is enough nitrogen in boot leather, enough fiber and carbohydrates in wood chips, and enough fat in motor oil to pass the Canadian standard for pet food. Is that something that you would want your pet eating?

The Canadian veterinary association does actually monitor pet food, but only the stuff manufactured in Canada, and with very low requirements. About 85 % of the pet food that Canadians buy is not actually manufactured in Canada and is therefore not monitored in any way. Pet owners might as well let their dogs chew up old shoes for nutrition.

The pet food industry is a 16 billion dollar industry and most of its marketing is targeted at the deep affection pet owners have for their pets. Pet food companies use this bond to make us spend more so that we feel like our pets are getting the very best, when in fact we barely know what they’re getting. These manufacturers are cutting corners all the time and seriously endangering the health of these animals. Our pets are getting low quality ingredients and inadequate testing. If major pet food companies really cared about our pets this would not be the case. They would be using the best ingredients and being upfront with the public about what really goes into those kibbles and bits. Its time our pets got the quality they deserve and require in order to live long and healthy lives.