"Television commercials and magazine advertisements fro pet food would have us believe that the meats, grains, and fats used could grace our own dining tables. Choice chicken, beef, lamb, whole grains, and quality fats are supposedly the composition of commercially produced dog and cat food. In recent years some small pet food companies have begun to use human grade ingredients in their products to provide healthy and nutritious food. However, the standard fare from most commercial pet food companies is far from nutritious. In fact many of the ingredients are potentially harmful and composed of the dregs from slaughterhouses and the rendering business. Even some of the "premium foods" promoted by pet food companies are really not any different than their standard line - other than being more expensive.
So, how do you determine if a particular pet food is nutritious or not? Ultimately, the best defense is to feed your animal companions human grade food, either homecooked, or made by pet food companies that use human grade foods. If you decide to feed your animal companions commercial pet foods that do not use human grade ingredients, then read the labels. And even then, buyer beware."
Above is an excerpt from the book Foods Pets Die For by Ann N. Martin. This is a great book on the realities of the ingredients in foods that pet food companies want you to believe are healthy and "nutritionally balanced". At Lucia's, all of our pet foods are comprised of all human grade ingredients and do not contain any meat by-products or other unhealthy ingredients such as corn, wheat, or soy. Check out Foods Pets Die For to learn more about how to read pet food labels and what really goes into commercial foods.
Nellie
