This might be shocking to some of you, as it was shocking to me.
Important fact! Remember this, no mater what people will say! Pet Food is not regulated in Canada and US, there are only some guidelines of “allowed/forbidden” content.
Important fact! Remember this, no mater what people will say! Definitions of labeled ingredients for pet food very. Ex. “meat”, “grain”, “vegetable” ….it would not necessarily be what you have in mind.
You have to do a little research on your own (use as many sources as you can). To get you started, do a search on: “pet food rendering” and read about it.
But be objective! There are “smaller” companies that produce quality pet food too.
This site caught my attention: (
Food Pets Die For; a Book Excerpt )
I got angry, and sad at the same time .. that I didn’t know about it sooner. I have learned about this, one day after we lost the battle to bone cancer (13 Dec 2008). “Zorro” was 7.5 yro.
Please research, and spread this information to as many people as you can, if “big” companies loose their revenue, government will loose their taxes, maybe they will change things around. As for now it is convenient for both (disposal/profit).
Alternative:
Ask your local Butcher Shop (not the big supermarket, as they would probably not carry it .. but you may try) .. and talk to them, that you are looking for meat for your dog/cat.
When my dog got diagnosed (3 months ago) with the disease we have “instinctively” changed the food. I was getting, from a local store (Toronto, ON) “meat cut-offs” (veal, beef), something that they use for burgers, ground meets etc. for a $1.00 a pound.
Good Luck.
P.S. I used to live in Europe some time ago where the dry food for dogs was not popular and not that readily available as today; I remember dogs living for as long as 19 years and longer and dieing actually of old age not any desease! and they ate whatever their owners ate at home - home cooked meals. It was really rare to see or hear of a dog with cancer. Do you know any dogs (healthy dogs) of that age here nowadays? I don't. To me it's pretty obvious that the dog food is to blame for our dogs' shorter longevity due to acquired illnesses. Had I had this knowledge before - my dog Zorro would have been on a home cooked diet from the very beginning.