We are passing the buck. We were posting pet food recall information on this website for a period of time. Our daycare, boarding and retail business has grown to the point where we don’t have the time to keep up with all the pet food recalls anymore. Wow, it hurts to even type that last sentence. The pet food and treat industry has become so untrustworthy that we can know longer keep up informing the public of the current dangers.
Pet Food and Treat Recall Information
Fortunately, there are two websites we feel strongly enough about to recommend them to our readers. Both of these websites currently do a much better job than we can of keeping you furparents up to date on pet food and treat recalls. Both websites have a wealth of information concerning pet nutrition as well.
I find Truth About Pet Food by Susan Thixton a little less commercial. I trust her information. Susan refrains from recommending commercial pet foods, though, which is what many consumers are seeking. If you take the time to read her website, especially this post, along with Freckled Paws post on pet food labeling, you’ll understand why she doesn’t wish to place her stamp of approval on any commercial pet food.
If you like Susan’s website and want her to be able to continue her important work on behalf of pets and pet parents, she does have a list of quality foods available for an affordable donation. Here is a link to the 2013 list and you determine the donation amount. Freckled Paws does not receive any money/commission if you choose to purchase the list from Susan.
Dog Food Advisor has a lot of good nutritional information. They also rate a very large number of foods based on a 5 star rating system. Unfortunately, some of the 5 Star rated foods do not meet the standards we would require at Freckled Paws for such a lofty rating. We recommend taking the Dog Food Advisor ratings with a grain of salt and do some additional background on the foods you are considering. The Dog Food Advisor ratings are a good place to start to narrow your list of possible candidates.
Finding a Quality Pet Food is Work
The pet food industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. And as consumers trend toward trying to make healthier choices for their furkids, many unscrupulous companies tell you what you want to hear on their labeling but are not delivering the product they claim to be delivering. The government does not enforce accurate pet food labeling, though. Also, a high quality, popular, small, mom & pop brand can be bought out by a large company overnight and the manufacturing moved to a facility where recalls are a common occurrence.
As a concerned furparent, trying to do the best for your furkid, you must be diligent. Unfortunately, the ONLY way to be 100% sure your furkid is eating a top quality diet is to cook for them yourself, in the opinion of the staff at Freckled Paws. You can be reasonably assured you are feeding them a quality diet if you do some detective work and then don’t take for granted the quality food you choose for them now will still be high quality in the future.
