I found this information whilst browsing on the net and thought that you might find it interesting and highly emotive!. PETFOOD:
So what are you feeding your pets?
'The pet food industry, a billion-dollar, unregulated operation, feeds on the garbage that otherwise would wind up in landfills or be transformed into fertiliser. The hidden ingredients in a can of commercial pet food may include road kill and the rendered remains of cats and dogs. The pet food industry claims that its products constitute a "complete and balanced diet" but, in reality, commercial pet food is unfit for human or animal consumption.' (The pet food industry is worth $11 billion per year.)
This is the first paragraph of an article which first appeared in Earth Island Journal. It was reprinted (with permission) in Nexus Magazine, so click the site if you want to know more.
Another site which gives the low-down on pet food is on the Animal Protection Institute website. Here are some excerpts from the article:
" . . . Three of the five major pet food companies in the United States are subsidiaries of major multinational food and agriculture industries. Nestle . . .Heinz . . . Colgate-Palmolive. . . . Other leading companies are Procter & Gamble . . . Mars . . . and Nutro . . . "
" . . . Some veterinarians claim that feeding slaughterhouse wastes to animals increases their risk of getting cancer and other degenerative diseases. The cooking methods used by pet food manufacturers - such as rendering and extruding (a heat-and-pressure system used to 'puff' dry foods into nuggets or kibbles) - do not necessarily destroy the hormones used to fatten livestock or increase milk production, or drugs such as antibiotics or the barbiturates used to euthanize animals . . ."
" . . .You may have noticed a unique, pungent odour when you open a new bag of pet food - what is the source of that delightful smell? It is most often rendered animal fat, restaurant grease, or other oils too rancid or deemed inedible for humans. Restaurant grease has become a major component of feed grade animal fat . . . This grease, often held in 50 gln drums, is usually kept outside for weeks, exposed to extreme temperatures with no regard for its future use . . ."
" . . . Potentially cancer-causing agents such as BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin are permitted at relatively low levels . . ." (May 2001)
It is far better to make your own pet food if you can. There are many homemade pet food recipe websites.
We know that Nestles pet food companies have animal-experimented their products; products such as Alpo Pet Foods, Felix, Friskies, Arthur's, Bonio, Winalot.
And have you bought Iams pet food yet, after their hard sell advertising? 'Iams' and 'Eukanuba' pet food testing, carried out for TEN YEARS in the USA where they can do what they like to animals especially if it's for profit, has been horrific. It was exposed in the Sunday Express. The brilliant Uncaged Campaigns uncovered 24 scientific papers that describe how Iams funded lab experiments on 460 healthy animals that caused kidney failure, obesity, malnutrition, liver damage, severe allergic reactions, stomach inflammation, diarrhoea, severe skin disorders, lesions, skin wounds and other painful illnesses. Many animals died as a result of the traumatic procedures. Many animals (cats, dogs, pigs . . .) were killed at the end of the experiment so that they could be dismembered and their tissues analysed. For example, 18 young Great Danes were fed on differing diets and at 18 months of age the bones from their front and back right legs were cut out and then stressed until they broke . . .
Iams and Eukanuba are owned by that notorious animal testing company, Procter & Gamble, a company ever proud of their history of in-yer-face incessant animal torturing, whether it be for Daz, Max Factor, Wash 'n' Go, Tampax, Pringles . . . Why should they worry? People continue to buy their stuff.
Pet foods which are involved (either directly or through their parent company) in animal testing:
IAMS Bounce, Bonus, Alpo; Eukanuba Cesar, Chunky, Gourme; Arthur's Chappie, Choice, Ralston, Purina; Katkins Pal, Go-Dog, Go-Cat; Spillers Brekkies, Mighty Dog, Felix; Omega Complete Hills Science Diet Friskies/ Winalot Bakers Complete Whiskers, Kitekat, Choosy, Bonio; Pedigree Sheba.
Highly recommended: for as well as not being involved in animal experiment, these companies supply veggie food for dogs and organic (ie no intensive farming, therefore overall less animal cruelty) foods for both dogs and cats. Some of these brands are available in supermarkets.
For cats:
Vegecat (essential additive for home-made food) tel: 01424 427393; Yarrah Organic tel: 07785 286744; Pascoe's - Organic tel: 01278 444555; Dene's - natural and high organic contents tel: 01273 325364.
For dogs:
Wackidog (veggie) - tel: 01422 345513; Pascoe's Organic; Wafcol - (veggie and non-veggie versions) tel: 0161 4802781; Happidog - (veggie) tel: 01325 311444 Denes; Yarrah (veggie and non-veggie versions available).
Non-animal testing companies - (these are meat based foods):
For cats:
Alpha - tel: 01427 880914 (good for old/inactive etc); Berties - tel: 01202 672300; Hi-Life.
For dogs:
Alpha; Berties; Hi-Life; Butchers; Nutro - tel: 01494 775222; Wagg - tel: 0800 174277; Webbox.
Own brand pet foods from supermarkets may also be non-animal tested for example: Marks & Spencer. Ask your local supermarket what its policies are regarding the testing of its own brands. Even better, get it in writing.
Other non-animal testing pet food companies include:
Burns Pet Nutrition - tel: 01554 890482; Dodson & Horrell Ltd - Chudleys - tel: 01933 624221; NatureDiet Pet Foods Ltd. - tel: 01428 685050; Oscar Pet Foods - tel: 0500 855267; Royal Canin/James Wellbeloved - tel: 01935 410600; Vitamin - tel: 01765 605156; Techni-cal - tel:01454 322905.
As you can see, there are plenty of cruelty-free pet food manufacturers, so ask your local pet supplies shop not to stock IAMS/Eukanuba and encourage them to stock some of the above brands instead.
IAMS is sponsoring a new award for Achievements in animal biology named after University of Illinois vivisector James E Corbin, known as the father of the modern pet food industry, who has spent 50 years conducting horrific lethal experiments on animals to develop commercial pet foods. This wretched man has poisoned mice, rabbits, hamsters, dogs and pigs, to ascertain how quickly they would die; he has subjected kittens to ammonia intoxication; he has overfed dogs and starved them to assess body fat. All the side effects (prior to involuntary death or death by gassing, shooting, blows to the head, etc) were extreme, including in some of the experiments bloody diarrhoea, severe vomiting, kidney and liver damage, eye damage, skin lesion and much much more. This is what you support when you buy IAMS' products for your pets. October 2002
In 1999, Animal Alliance of Canada's online factsheet about pet foods gave the following information:
Manufacturers of pet foods have been known to use slaughterhouse products condemned for human consumption such as cancerous or worm-infested meats as well as those meats which are merely unpalatable to humans (skin, tendon, gullet, etc). Such meat is subject to far less stringent standards. Poor quality foods can lead to skin problems, renal disorders and minor ailments including runny, red eyes, according to Dr Al Plechner, a practicing vet for over 30 years. Another vet, Dr Wendell belfield, worked as a meat inspector in the USDA. He claimed that meat used for pet food is often treated with gasoline or motor oil to prevent its use as human food. He also believes that the preservatives used can cause liver damage. Industry critics refer to the use of "4-D" animals (deadstock, dying, disabled and diseased animals). Legally, in Canada, flesh from 4-D animals can be used in pet food.
Heavy metals and drugs which are now banned or restricted for use in meat intended for human consumption may still be used in pet foods. Suspected carcinogens, such as mercury and penicillin, have been found in commercial pet food in Canada at levels which have been demonstrated to cause ill effects.
The notion that dead cats and dogs surrendered by pounds, humane societies and veterinarians, are being used to make pet food, is not a new one. Pets are routinely rendered and used as meat. Rumours have been publicly confirmed, yet many in the pet food industry continue to deny allegations. Government officials in Quebec openly acknowledge the use of pets in pet food. If barbiturates or other toxic drugs have been used to euthanise these animals, the pets ingesting them can be victims of further health problems. Pet foods are not currently monitored for the presence of euthanising drugs.
Governments and ministries seem to be unconcerned, they only insist that the packaging identifies the product, quantity and place of origin. Manufacturers list ingredients at their own discretion.
"I figure it costs about 21 cents to produce a can of plain water. If a can of pet food costs only a few cents more, then what the heck is in it?" (Dr Al Plechner)
So what are you feeding your pets?
'The pet food industry, a billion-dollar, unregulated operation, feeds on the garbage that otherwise would wind up in landfills or be transformed into fertiliser. The hidden ingredients in a can of commercial pet food may include road kill and the rendered remains of cats and dogs. The pet food industry claims that its products constitute a "complete and balanced diet" but, in reality, commercial pet food is unfit for human or animal consumption.' (The pet food industry is worth $11 billion per year.)
This is the first paragraph of an article which first appeared in Earth Island Journal. It was reprinted (with permission) in Nexus Magazine, so click the site if you want to know more.
Another site which gives the low-down on pet food is on the Animal Protection Institute website. Here are some excerpts from the article:
" . . . Three of the five major pet food companies in the United States are subsidiaries of major multinational food and agriculture industries. Nestle . . .Heinz . . . Colgate-Palmolive. . . . Other leading companies are Procter & Gamble . . . Mars . . . and Nutro . . . "
" . . . Some veterinarians claim that feeding slaughterhouse wastes to animals increases their risk of getting cancer and other degenerative diseases. The cooking methods used by pet food manufacturers - such as rendering and extruding (a heat-and-pressure system used to 'puff' dry foods into nuggets or kibbles) - do not necessarily destroy the hormones used to fatten livestock or increase milk production, or drugs such as antibiotics or the barbiturates used to euthanize animals . . ."
" . . .You may have noticed a unique, pungent odour when you open a new bag of pet food - what is the source of that delightful smell? It is most often rendered animal fat, restaurant grease, or other oils too rancid or deemed inedible for humans. Restaurant grease has become a major component of feed grade animal fat . . . This grease, often held in 50 gln drums, is usually kept outside for weeks, exposed to extreme temperatures with no regard for its future use . . ."
" . . . Potentially cancer-causing agents such as BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin are permitted at relatively low levels . . ." (May 2001)
It is far better to make your own pet food if you can. There are many homemade pet food recipe websites.
We know that Nestles pet food companies have animal-experimented their products; products such as Alpo Pet Foods, Felix, Friskies, Arthur's, Bonio, Winalot.
And have you bought Iams pet food yet, after their hard sell advertising? 'Iams' and 'Eukanuba' pet food testing, carried out for TEN YEARS in the USA where they can do what they like to animals especially if it's for profit, has been horrific. It was exposed in the Sunday Express. The brilliant Uncaged Campaigns uncovered 24 scientific papers that describe how Iams funded lab experiments on 460 healthy animals that caused kidney failure, obesity, malnutrition, liver damage, severe allergic reactions, stomach inflammation, diarrhoea, severe skin disorders, lesions, skin wounds and other painful illnesses. Many animals died as a result of the traumatic procedures. Many animals (cats, dogs, pigs . . .) were killed at the end of the experiment so that they could be dismembered and their tissues analysed. For example, 18 young Great Danes were fed on differing diets and at 18 months of age the bones from their front and back right legs were cut out and then stressed until they broke . . .
Iams and Eukanuba are owned by that notorious animal testing company, Procter & Gamble, a company ever proud of their history of in-yer-face incessant animal torturing, whether it be for Daz, Max Factor, Wash 'n' Go, Tampax, Pringles . . . Why should they worry? People continue to buy their stuff.
Pet foods which are involved (either directly or through their parent company) in animal testing:
IAMS Bounce, Bonus, Alpo; Eukanuba Cesar, Chunky, Gourme; Arthur's Chappie, Choice, Ralston, Purina; Katkins Pal, Go-Dog, Go-Cat; Spillers Brekkies, Mighty Dog, Felix; Omega Complete Hills Science Diet Friskies/ Winalot Bakers Complete Whiskers, Kitekat, Choosy, Bonio; Pedigree Sheba.
Highly recommended: for as well as not being involved in animal experiment, these companies supply veggie food for dogs and organic (ie no intensive farming, therefore overall less animal cruelty) foods for both dogs and cats. Some of these brands are available in supermarkets.
For cats:
Vegecat (essential additive for home-made food) tel: 01424 427393; Yarrah Organic tel: 07785 286744; Pascoe's - Organic tel: 01278 444555; Dene's - natural and high organic contents tel: 01273 325364.
For dogs:
Wackidog (veggie) - tel: 01422 345513; Pascoe's Organic; Wafcol - (veggie and non-veggie versions) tel: 0161 4802781; Happidog - (veggie) tel: 01325 311444 Denes; Yarrah (veggie and non-veggie versions available).
Non-animal testing companies - (these are meat based foods):
For cats:
Alpha - tel: 01427 880914 (good for old/inactive etc); Berties - tel: 01202 672300; Hi-Life.
For dogs:
Alpha; Berties; Hi-Life; Butchers; Nutro - tel: 01494 775222; Wagg - tel: 0800 174277; Webbox.
Own brand pet foods from supermarkets may also be non-animal tested for example: Marks & Spencer. Ask your local supermarket what its policies are regarding the testing of its own brands. Even better, get it in writing.
Other non-animal testing pet food companies include:
Burns Pet Nutrition - tel: 01554 890482; Dodson & Horrell Ltd - Chudleys - tel: 01933 624221; NatureDiet Pet Foods Ltd. - tel: 01428 685050; Oscar Pet Foods - tel: 0500 855267; Royal Canin/James Wellbeloved - tel: 01935 410600; Vitamin - tel: 01765 605156; Techni-cal - tel:01454 322905.
As you can see, there are plenty of cruelty-free pet food manufacturers, so ask your local pet supplies shop not to stock IAMS/Eukanuba and encourage them to stock some of the above brands instead.
IAMS is sponsoring a new award for Achievements in animal biology named after University of Illinois vivisector James E Corbin, known as the father of the modern pet food industry, who has spent 50 years conducting horrific lethal experiments on animals to develop commercial pet foods. This wretched man has poisoned mice, rabbits, hamsters, dogs and pigs, to ascertain how quickly they would die; he has subjected kittens to ammonia intoxication; he has overfed dogs and starved them to assess body fat. All the side effects (prior to involuntary death or death by gassing, shooting, blows to the head, etc) were extreme, including in some of the experiments bloody diarrhoea, severe vomiting, kidney and liver damage, eye damage, skin lesion and much much more. This is what you support when you buy IAMS' products for your pets. October 2002
In 1999, Animal Alliance of Canada's online factsheet about pet foods gave the following information:
Manufacturers of pet foods have been known to use slaughterhouse products condemned for human consumption such as cancerous or worm-infested meats as well as those meats which are merely unpalatable to humans (skin, tendon, gullet, etc). Such meat is subject to far less stringent standards. Poor quality foods can lead to skin problems, renal disorders and minor ailments including runny, red eyes, according to Dr Al Plechner, a practicing vet for over 30 years. Another vet, Dr Wendell belfield, worked as a meat inspector in the USDA. He claimed that meat used for pet food is often treated with gasoline or motor oil to prevent its use as human food. He also believes that the preservatives used can cause liver damage. Industry critics refer to the use of "4-D" animals (deadstock, dying, disabled and diseased animals). Legally, in Canada, flesh from 4-D animals can be used in pet food.
Heavy metals and drugs which are now banned or restricted for use in meat intended for human consumption may still be used in pet foods. Suspected carcinogens, such as mercury and penicillin, have been found in commercial pet food in Canada at levels which have been demonstrated to cause ill effects.
The notion that dead cats and dogs surrendered by pounds, humane societies and veterinarians, are being used to make pet food, is not a new one. Pets are routinely rendered and used as meat. Rumours have been publicly confirmed, yet many in the pet food industry continue to deny allegations. Government officials in Quebec openly acknowledge the use of pets in pet food. If barbiturates or other toxic drugs have been used to euthanise these animals, the pets ingesting them can be victims of further health problems. Pet foods are not currently monitored for the presence of euthanising drugs.
Governments and ministries seem to be unconcerned, they only insist that the packaging identifies the product, quantity and place of origin. Manufacturers list ingredients at their own discretion.
"I figure it costs about 21 cents to produce a can of plain water. If a can of pet food costs only a few cents more, then what the heck is in it?" (Dr Al Plechner)
