The amount of recalls about pet foods absolutely blows my mind.  This one in particular is rather troubling:  http://www.dogingtonpost.com/purinas-beneful-dog-food-kills-pets-according-to-class-action-lawsuit/

Purina is a huge pet food brand.  One that has attempted to get on board with more real food product in their brand as Beneful Dog Food.  But, it still comes up short.  How I see this type of food is very similar to our processed food in the grocery store.

The other day, I was checking out with my groceries.  I saw the woman in front of me who had her cart packed to the brim with things considered food, but may not constitute actual food items.  She had toaster pastries, pizza puffs, soda, an assortment of frozen dinners and not much in the way of fresh fruits and vegetables.  I understand the constraints in meal preparation.  We are trying to find balance in a busy schedule with work and school and for my household, like so many, the military.  As a culture, we’ve grown accustomed to fast food either from a drive thru or a frozen dinner.  We’ve seen meals as get it over and done with and move on to the next thing.  We are so used to saying, “I’m so busy” or “nobody’s got time for that”, but meals and food is a non negotiable.  Its a need.  We need food for survival.  We need food in order to continue our life processes and fuel our daily activity.  If we continue eating food which looks like food, but its content is so far away from what food really is, what do you thing happens to us?  I’m here to say, diseases like cancer, cardiovascular and diabetes happens.  There are studies which make similar conclusions.  If this happens with people, what do you think happens with our pets?

The Purina Class Action Lawsuit is showing us the same.  When pets eat a product which is passed off as food, but holds no nutritional value and actually works against their bodies, they too end up with shortened life spans and degenerative diseases.  There are many other types of dog food which are affordable and offer way more nutritional value.  There is also the option of adding real food into a pet’s diet which can provide antioxidants and protective factors which can improve immune systems.  Some foods which are affordable and nutritious are Honest Kitchen, Pet’s Barn Activa Brand (they offer a grain and corn free formula), Kirklands dog food brand and Blue Buffalo in naming a few.  There are other options like supplementing a kibble diet and raw feeding.

We take the time and open our hearts to our pets.  Many of us rescued them from shelters and we want them to have a better life than where they came from and this starts with their diet.  Maybe the next time you pick up your pet food, read the label.  If you can’t pronounce or can’t recognize some or any of the ingredients, maybe its time to put your hard earned money into something beneficial to your Fido!