Spilling The Green Tea

According to Forbes, as of 2024, 66% of American households (87 million homes) own a pet. Dogs are the most popular, followed by cats and then fish.

The majority of Americans consider their pets to be a part of the family. Americans spent $136 billion on their pets in 2022.

The relationship between a human and an animal is two-fold. Both benefit from each other’s company, attention, love and protection.

There is a reason that dogs are trained to become service dogs for sufferers of PTSD.

There is a reason that cats are trained to become therapy cats for people in nursing homes.

There is a reason behind the facts that animals have been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, lower BP, and boost mental health in humans.

Back in the book of Genesis, it says:

Genesis 1:24–26: “ And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

Genesis 2:19: “Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.”

At that time, as it was before the Flood, animals were not meant to be eaten so I assume that the animals’ purpose was perhaps for some companionship or for some joy? Who wouldn’t smile seeing animals play or run or sleep? They are all adorable in their own special way!

With owning a pet, comes a HUGE amount of responsibility and you do have to budget for their necessities as well, such as food, vet appointments, toys, hygiene products, insurance, grooming…etc, but I wanted to focus on their food at the moment as I, who have had quite a few pets in my lifetime, noticed something early on about the quality of pet food and what we, as pet parents, need to watch out for.

Here are some pet food industry statistics:

• there are over 600 different pet food brands
• the revenue of the pet food industry is $151 billion (so far!) in 2024
• the largest pet food manufacturer is Mars Petcare who is responsible for 50 brands including Pedigree, Whiskas, and Royal Canin

With so many different pet food brands out there, let me help you narrow your choices by revealing what types of “ingredients” are lurking in pet food. We want the very best nutrition for ourselves so why not also for our fur babies?

Here are some common ingredients found in your average pet food and their usages and effects on the health of your animal:

• Blood Meal – blood products as a by-product of slaughter, it is used in food as a “high protein food additive”; however the Pet Poison Hotline classifies blood meal as a toxin to pets, but the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations) says it is suitable for use in pet food
• BHA – known as Butylated Hydroxyanisole, it is used as an artificial preservative, but is a known carcinogen and has been shown to create tumors in lab rat studies
• BHT – know as Butylated Hydroxytoluene, it is used as an artificial preservative, and has been known to cause cancerous tumors and behavioral changes
• Corn/Wheat Gluten – used as a protein source, but may cause digestive issues in some pets as they can’t properly break down corn and wheat
• Ethoxyquin – another food preservative, it is also a known carcinogen and can cause reproductive disorders, and liver, thyroid and skin issues
• Food Dyes – just to add “color” to the food, but artificial food dyes are known to cause a host of issues including cancer
• PG – known as Propylene Glycol, it is used as a preservative but can cause heart and bp issues and cancer
• Rendered Fat – disguised as “chicken fat” or “beef fat”, it can include fat from dead, dying, diseased or disabled animals which can expose your animal to health issues

Let’s take a deep dive into “rendering”. Per PetMD.com:

“When animals are slaughtered for food production, the lean muscle is cut off for human consumption. The remaining carcass (bones, organs, blood, beaks, etc.) is what goes into pet food, commonly known as “by-products,” “meal,” “by-product meal,” or the like. Rendering is an industrial process of extraction by melting that converts waste animal tissue into usable materials.  In other words, rendering involves placing livestock carcasses and possibly “leftovers” into huge vats, grinding it up and cooking it for several hours.  Rendering separates fat, removes water, and kills bacteria, viruses, parasites and other infectious organisms. The fat that is separated becomes “animal fat” that goes into pet food (for example, chicken fat, beef fat, etc). The remaining dried protein solids become “meal” or meat “by-product meal” for addition to pet food. All rendered products are considered “unfit for human consumption.” If we shouldn’t eat it, neither should our pets!  Rendered products typically have relatively high protein levels, however, the quality of those proteins is often questionable. In fact, these inferior protein sources are often unpalatable to pets and artificial flavors or fats must be sprayed on the food in order to get pets to consume it.“

Stomach-churning, isn’t it?

But why would these pet food industry big-wigs put all this “junk” into pet food? The BBC did an investigation and found that these processed pet foods are meant to be addictive by the industry using “palatants”:

“Big Pet Food is a multi-billion-dollar industry which invests heavily in research into “palatants” – ingredients that make our pets want to eat their products. And from potently smelly chemicals usually found in rotting meat to an additive commonly added to potatoes to stop them discolouring, the quest to make the most scrumptious pet food has led to some surprising insights.”

Also it is cheap to make the pet food by using these artificial ingredients and colors.

Just as with humans, if an animal is consistently eating processed foods it is bound to have a reaction by getting sick or even dying.

TruthAboutPetFood.com reported that there were 971 pet food complaints to the FDA just in January 2024 alone. The complaints ranged from minor to major; including rectal bleeding, vomiting blood and seizures and some animals ended up dying. The owners said once the food/diet was changed, their pets recovered and were fine.

And who was the worst pet food brand that had 886 of the 971 complaints?

Purina

Because this article went public, Purina was forced to issue a statement:

“Pet parents continue to be understandably scared by an online rumor that there is an issue with Purina pet foods. This rumor is false, and we are saddened to see the confusion and fear that it has caused for pet owners. There are no health or safety issues with our products, and they can continue to be fed with confidence.”

I don’t know about you, but I trust facts and statistics over a company’s “yada yada” response to protect its reputation.

TruthAboutPetFood.com also published a report from the FDA about two recalls regarding pet food:

1. Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition Grilled Steak And Vegetable Dry Food

2) Greentripe Raw Food

Both were recalled due to “metal contamination”.

The recall for Green Tripe Raw Food was released to the public as it was classified by the FDA as a Class I Recall, meaning, “a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.“

However, the recall for Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition (which is manufactured by the Mars Petcare, Inc., the largest pet food manufacturer) was never released to the public due to the FDA classifying it as a Class II Recall, meaning, “the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote“.

Class I Recalls are the only recalls the FDA is permitted to release to the public. A Class II Recall can remain “behind closed doors” and not alerted to the public and/or news outlets.

So if BOTH pet food brands were recalled due to “metal contamination” why was Green Tripe classified as Class Recall I and released to the public and Pedigree was classified as Class Recall II and NEVER released to the public? Why the two different classifications if the recall was for the same reason? Is the FDA covering for Mars Petcare? And for what? Money? Greed? Power?

So you may be asking what pet food is healthy for your pets.

Based on from what I have read, real all-natural food is best (just like for us humans). Real foods best for dogs include:

• cooked, unseasoned chicken, turkey or beef
• cooked, unseasoned fish
• cooked, unseasoned eggs
• cooked pumpkin
• cooked green beans
• cooked carrots
• cooked spinach
• cooked sweet potatoes
• apples
• bananas
• blueberries
• cooked oatmeal

Real foods best for cats include:

• cooked, unseasoned chicken, turkey or beef
• cooked, unseasoned fish
• scrambled or hard-boiled eggs
• cucumbers
• steamed broccoli
• peas
• carrots
• spinach
• bananas
• blueberries
• watermelon
• apples
• brown rice
• oatmeal

If you are unable to provide the above foods, here’s a list of brands you can trust for their wet food/dry food varieties:

• Blue Buffalo
• Open Farm
• Badlands Ranch
• The Honest Kitchen
• Fresh Pet
• Lucy Pet
• Bench and Field
• Crave
• Natural Balance
• Whole Paws
• Earthborn
• Dr. Pol
• Dr. Marty
• Orijen

Just as we deserve the best nutrition to fuel our bodies, so do our pets. It is sad and shameful that corporations, driven on greed, produce foods for us that ultimately harm us, both us in the human world and the animal world.

Our precious pets don’t have a voice, so let’s be their voice and their champion!