In a recent article published on PetMD.com, Dr. Patrick Mahaney commemorates National Animal Poison Prevention Week with the question “Are you poisoning your companion animal with pet grade food?”
Dr. Mahaney gives mention of TruthaboutPetFood.com and my book Buyer Beware in his article (Thank you Dr. Mahaney!) – but I felt the following was the most significant piece of information from his recent article on PetMD.com…
“The standards for nutritional content as dictated by Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) create a challenge for pet owners who are interested in feeding home prepared foods, as society has been misled to believe that our pets will suffer detrimental health effects if protein, fat, carbohydrate, fiber, vitamin, and mineral ratios are not specifically commensurate with industry standards. In extreme cases, or with pets already dealing with illness, this has some validity. Otherwise, feeding a home prepared diet has many nutritional advantages over commercially available pet grade sources even if the home prepared version is not 100 percent “complete and balanced.”
I would rather feed my dog a combination of moist, human grade, muscle meat protein, whole grains, and fresh vegetable and fruit options having a somewhat varying or unknown cumulative nutrient content rather than any commercially available dry or canned option made with pet grade ingredients. This perspective is controversial in the veterinary profession, but my beliefs are based on clinical experience and common sense.”
I couldn’t agree more! An AAFCO 100% Complete and Balanced pet food ONLY has some validity in some situations. The rest of the time a varied diet of meats (including organ meats), whole grains, fresh vegetables and fruits are the way to go!
Thank you again Dr. Mahaney for for encouraging pet owners to provide their pets food – real food!
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author, Buyer Beware
Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
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