Twatha Utonagan

In the UK pet food regulation is much better than in the United States and Canada, in that in the UK at least euthanized dogs, cats and horses are not allowed to be put in the food. Adherance to the Animal by-products code of practice is however strictly voluntary.

Meat This code of practice, (which applies to 95% of the UK pet food market) allows the following to be used in commercial pet food:- Animal carcases, parts of animal carcases which are not intended for human consumption Non-ruminant blood, hides, skins, hooves, horns, pig bristles and feathers Chicken heads and feet All waste food from restaurants, catering facilities and kitchens, including used cooking oils Shells, hatchery by-products and cracked egg by-products The above will be labelled meat and animal derivatives, or animal by-products on your pet food. The code states that these animals must have passed a post-mortem inspection and be free of disease communicable to man or animals.

Industrial Waste Basically the pet food you are buying be it wet or dry is made up of Industrial Waste, this includes:- The rancid oil from the food industry Burnt chocolate unfit for human consumption (Chocolate is poisonous to dogs) Feathers which increase the protein levels but are un-digestable anti-toxidants have to be added to the mix because of the fact that this food is rancid extra vitamins and minerals are added, but before cooking at 200 degrees C which of course breaks down most of the vitamins and minerals that were still present Large skips are filled with meat left over from the docks or our super markets, this goes into our pets food still in it's polystyrene containers, along with the fag butts and coffee cups of the people filling the containers. WOULD YOU EAT THIS?

Other ingredients There are of course other ingredients than meat and meat derivatives in commercially available pet food. These are mostly grains but also include:-

Preservatives These include but are not restricted to BHA and BHT, both suspected to be carcinogens, research shows that they also can initiate birth defects and damage to liver and kidneys. Ethoxyquin, also used as a preservative has been associated with:- immune deficiency syndrome, leukaemia, blindness, skin, stomach, spleen, and liver cancer.

Vitamin and minerals This content has been tested at up to 20 times higher than the recommended daily amount (toxic levels).

Food colouring Food colouring is added to this mix in order for it to look good to the consumer (i.e. the pet owner), these and the way that the labels show meat as the upper most ingredient on the list (but is usually only between 4% & 30% of the content), convince us that this is a healthy meal of our beloved carnivorous pet.

Canine Health Concern did a survey in which they found switching to a raw diet brought about an 85% drop in visits to the vet; so it also saves you money.

N.B. Please be aware that there is no governing body for the regulation of the contents of pet food, it is all done by the individual manufacturer. The Pet Food industry are not obliged to list all the ingredients, nor are they obliged to list the contents in any sort of order, therefore they list the tiny "meat and animal derivative" content at the top to make you think that it is the most used ingredient.

Some pet food manufacturers are now proud to state that they have not tested their food on animals. Were as experimenting to detrimental effect is something I do not agree with, how do they know if it's any good for the animal if an animal hasn't been fed it for a while? Please read the following by Tom Lonsdale on the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons website.