Help keep your cats and dogs safe by reading the following information below!
PASS ON THE WORD TO OTHERS AND PREVENT PET OWNERS FROM ESSENTIALLY POISONING THEIR ANIMALS!

Recently, there was a national story (covered on many news stations and in the several papers) about the sad, heart-wrenching ending of a poor cat's life. She died a slow, painful death because of poorly made wet food from Menu Foods.

Animals foods manufactured by MENU FOODS are being recalled.  DO NOT FEED THEM TO YOUR PETS.  RETURN THEM IMMEDIATELY.

Now because of this national scare, several of us did some research into the popular grocery store pet foods millions of Americans buy. 

THE VERY BAD NEWS!  Here is the frightening truth of what really goes into most pet food.

Many people believe that it was the wheat glutens in Menu Foods' products that caused the recall in the first place.  But just because a popular pet food brand wasn't listed in the recall doesn't mean that it doesn't use similar ingredients!  Most grocery bought pet food brands use wheat gluten and by products because most grocery bought pet food brands are OWNED BY HUGE CORPORATIONS who do not care about their ingredients.

• Eukanuba / Iams: Proctor and Gamble
• Science Diet / Hills: Palmolive
• Purina / Friskies: Nestle
• Pedigree / Royal Canin / Cesar / Whiskas / Sheba: Mars
• Meow Mix: Heinz

Other brands??  Nature's Recipe, Bil-Jac, Pro Plan, and basically any others you can buy at Wal-Mart and Target.  Seriously.

The point??  Most of those brands buy their meat and animal fat from rendering plants.  Meat from rendering plants comes from...

1. Dead and decaying animals.

2. Euthanized cats and dogs.

3. Road kill!

Whenever a pet food ingredient is listed as ANIMAL FAT, MEAT MEAL, or ANIMAL DIGEST, it came from a rendering plant.

This is obvious because the companies do not even know what kind of animal fat is in their product!  That is why they cannot specify it as pork, poultry, or beef.  They simply state ANIMAL or MEAT generically because THOUSANDS of things can fit into those categories!  Furthermore, "animal digest" is defined as: whatever was in the animal's stomach the day it died.  How disgusting!!

These pet food brands also pick up the old, used oil from fast food restaurant chains and include it in their product.

Here are the top three things that pets are allergic to (including your precious dogs and cats!):

• Wheat.

• Corn.

• Soy.

So why then are these three things in almost every single pet food you see in the grocery stores?!!!  ((They are in ALL of the pet food brands listed above.))
These three big NO NOs are the main ingredients in every single pet food brand listed above because they make cheap fillers. 
Those corporations do not care that you are essentially poisoning your pet! 

They do not care that you have to pump your cat and dog full of allergy shots and stuff their throats with pills just to control their allergies.  They want to make as much money as they can.  And if that means sacrificing the well-being of your beloved pet, so be it they say.

Why do you think that veterinary bills have been through the roof in the past few decades?  There was a time when a family pet actually died from old age...not from poor nutrition and a diet that had them suffering for many years!  Millions of household pets have cancer, diabetes, thyroid issues, allergies, ear infections, and urinary problems ... many of these factors are related to their poor diet!

The "NO NO ingredients" list (every item below happens to be in ALL of the pet food brands listed above):

• gluten
• wheat gluten
• by-products
• animal fat
• animal digest (whatever was in the animal's stomach at the time it died)
• corn
• brewers rice
• soybean oil
• soybean meal
• BHT (a chemical preservative that is also a carcinogen)
• BHA (another chemical preservative that is known to cause cancer)
• ETHOXYQUIN (yet another cancer inducing agent)

To find out more information about the true ingredients of most popular pet foods, go to APi 4 ANiMALS.ORG and search for PET FOOD.

THE VERY GOOD NEWS. What you can do with this newfound information:

Contrary to popular belief, there are good brands of pet foods out there that are affordable and easy to obtain!  NEVER EVER USE THE EXCUSE THAT GETTING HEALTHIER FOOD FOR YOUR PET IS INCONVENIENT! 

When you feed a higher quality pet food to your pet, you do not have to feed them as much because the food has more nutrients and essentials for your pet to absorb.
Basically, quality foods lasts longer!! 

Because your pets will be absorbing more of this healthy food, they will have less waste.
Basically, less poop for you to clean up! 

Every pet owner should love those benefits!

Obviously, the best foods to buy are those with high protein content.
But you need the RIGHT KIND of protein.  It should come from meat!
NOT from grains, glutens, or by-products!!

Best brands at Petsmart:

• Blue Buffalo
• By Nature (canned is better than dry)

Best brands at Petco:

• Natural Balance
• Solid Gold
• Castor and Pollux

Costco offers spectacular pet food!

• The Kirkland brand is veryvery great quality for the super affordable price!
• Some Costco chains even offer an organic version for dogs.
• Right now, they don't offer an organic version for cats.  maybe they will soon!

High quality brands that are only offered at specialty stores:

• Natura Pet (Innova and California Natural) -- Innova is higher quality while California Natural is the "better value."
• Nature's Variety Prairie -- This is a pricey line. BUT YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.  Extra nutrious ingredients are added to this product.  So this food is one of the most complete diets available on the market.
• Merrick -- Gourmet canned foods that feature fresh ingredients. These look so delicious, you might be tempted to try some!
• Wellness -- Spectacular brand for cats (lots of variety to choose from if you have a picky eater).  Also good quality for dogs (canned food).  Their dry food made especially for older dogs is great too!
• Canidae / Felidae -- Higher quality at a much lower cost than expected. This is great for large cat and dog families!
• Chicken Soup for the Soul -- Good quality.
• Newman's Own -- Good quality.

Now even though all of the above options are great replacements for disgusting, unhealthy, commercial-grade canned foods, a loving pet owner must never forget that ...

The best diet is the fresh diet.
You can learn more about that by visiting the following websites:

• BRAVO RAW DIET . COM

• PRIMAL PET FOODS . COM

Please pass this information on to the people you know and care about!  Enough animals have suffered because their owners were not educated enough to understand what they were feeding their pets.  You can make a difference in the life of your cherished animal friend by feeding them healthy, nutritious meals!

This guide is not meant to diagnose or cure any illness, disease, or medical issue.  We are not experts or professionals -- just women who love animals and want them to live happy, fulfilling lives.  You should consult a professional if you are planning on making drastic changes to a pet's diet or lifestyle.  And remember to always do your research first!  Knowledge is a powerful thing.  We hope this was helpful to someone and thanks for reading!