Pet food recalls

I’m sure if you are concerned about what you are eating, then likely you are concerned about what you are feeding your pets! There have been so many pet food recalls these last few weeks that you do wonder what is safe and what am I feeding my beloved four-legged family member?

AAFCO (or the Association of American Feed Control Officials) is typically the group companies turn to for guidance on pet food but note they are not a regulatory body but manufacturers do turn to them when deciding about ingredient usage (https://www.aafco.org/). Knowing that such a body exists, it would be beneficial to ask them questions when you are unsure about a product you are feeding your pet especially if you are not satisfied with the manufacturer’s answer.

Being a dog owner myself, I am super careful about what I eat and definitely am the same way regarding what I feed my pet so when I hear news stories about pet food recalls due to excess Vitamin D, that is alarming to me. Even though I work with food ingredients, the science of pet food can still be puzzling as pets react differently than humans plus they can’t speak when they are sick. So what can you do? How do you trust the food that you are giving is actually good for your pet?

My way of staying aware of what is going on in the industry is signing up for alerts on various pet food sites that will notify you when there is a pet food recall. Ask your vet if you are concerned with an ingredient and if they aren’t aware or sure, do the research yourself—Google has tons of useful info that you can utilize. Also, remember that the same vitamins that are good for you are good for your pets but the amounts pets need is different so be careful and double check what you are giving. As far as buying food is concerned, I typically stick with the same brand of food especially if my dog is doing well on it. I learn more about that manufacturer including how many recalls they have had and then decide if I should stick with that brand or not. If you aren’t convinced manufactured pet food is good for your pet, then perhaps you can cook for your pet or follow the raw food diet plan but I’d check with your vet before proceeding as you don’t want to think you are doing something good for your pet when in actuality you might be making them sick.

There is no way to avoid recalls but with some scrutiny you can help your pet lead his/her best life!