Ok, we all know from the 2007 pet food recalls just how scary they can be. We all went through that time wondering just what was left to feed our pets? And if we fed it to them, were we still unintentionally poisoning them? Many of us watched the news very closely, we found online forums and blogs to stay updated on, we taught ourselves which foods were produced by Menu Foods and tried to avoid them like the plague. Some of us made food for our companions from fresh ingredients for people. Some of us went back to feeding the way nature might have intended them to be and fed raw, in fact alot of cat owners did go to feeding raw. At one point some of us who were/are members on the Feline Diabetes forum who feed raw, including Dr. Lisa Pierson DVM were interviewed for an article in one of the big papers, I forget now which one, about raw feeding. However, when the article came out we were dismayed and angry that he completely misrepresented us and our reasons for feeding raw.
That aside, the point to this is we are still very, very gun shy about our pet foods and the word "RECALL" still strikes terror in our hearts. I personally do my best to watch for new recalls of not only foods, but any pet associated product. I do my best to avoid buying any products from the company, because if they had one type of food with problems, the likelihood of one of the others having problems is too great for me.
The FDA tries to regulate the pet food industry, however, we all know they are way understaffed and unable to keep an eye on everything. But they are a good source to get recall info on from 2006 to present. And you can subscribe to alerts that come to your email box. The Animal and Veterinary page is where to start, there is a link to subscribe to email alerts, and you can select what alerts you want to receive. They also have links to file a complaint about a food that you or your veterinarian feel might have a problem that is making your pet sick. While they might not have all the truth there, they are about the most consistent, and one can confirm or deny rumors on the site.
While it might seem to be a hassle to some of you to check on all this information before you buy food for your companion. Wouldn't it be worth it in the long run? I mean what if you didn't check and your pet became suddenly, fatally ill, and it might have been prevented if you'd fed the better food? And remember, just because it costs more doesn't mean it's any safer. You do the best for yourself, why wouldn't you for your pet?
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