You will never look at pet food the same way again. I gave this book five stars.
Many, many thanks to Phyllis Entis, scientist, animal lover and mystery writer, for taking time out from writing her excellent novels to write TOXIC (From Factory to Food Bowl, Pet Food is a Risky Business).
You may be shocked, as I was, to learn pet food can cause illness, coma, and death in your dog or cat. I’m talking about reputable pet foods, whether cheap or expensive.
Almost every brand name has had products recalled after inspection and testing by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US, and its equivalent organization in Canada.
Even more alarming: children (and adults) can become ill from handling contaminated pet food (or an infected pet). For example, you can get salmonella infection from handling those pig ears, bull pizzles, or chicken jerky often displayed in open bins in the pet store.
This book taught me things I never even considered. For example, pet foods are required to contain vitamin D, because dogs cannot synthesize their own. However, if too little or too much vitamin D is added in the manufacturing process, dogs can experience serious vitamin deficiencies or dangerous vitamin-D toxicity.
Vitamin D toxicity tends to develop gradually over time. Symptoms of Vitamin D toxicity in dogs include:
- Vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Drink and urinate more
- Excessive drooling
- Weight loss
- Joint issues
- Diarrhea
- Weakness
- Depression
FDA inspections have found infestations of “rodents, birds, and cats” in manufacturing plants. A lapse in manufacturing protocols can occur in any number of large and small ways, resulting in recall of contaminated batches.
Manufacturers’ claims of “human-quality” ingredients are often false. Some foods are made with powdery meal imported from China and other countries, where ingredient standards are less stringent.
Undisclosed, illegal horse meat occurs in pet food products. Horses (and cattle) are frequently euthanized with pentobarbital, a barbiturate that saturates the entire body of the horse or cow. Thus, the deadly barbiturate continues in the meat, through processing into pet food, and right on into your pet’s food bowl.
After eating just a small amount of food containing pentobarbital, your dog may stagger, appear drunk, collapse into a coma, and even die.
Many pet owners prefer “grain-free” diets, considered healthier than foods. However, some meats used in pet food are imported from other countries, where no agency inspects or monitors what kind of “meat” (non-meat) is used.
DCM had been thought a genetic, inherited condition, but recent research has disclosed DCM in animals not born with the gene that would predispose them to the illness. Further research will determine whether pet foods can actually cause DCM.
TOXIC is well-researched and documented. The author specifies names, dates and places where pets have sickened or died, and what actions regulators and manufacturers took in response to pet owners’ complaints.
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Good news, animal lovers and pet owners: websites, blogs and newsletters exist to keep everyone informed when recalls or alerts occur in the pet food industry. The book, TOXIC, From Factory to Food Bowl, Pet Food is a Risky Business, is a perfect supplement to those materials.
The audiobook version of TOXIC is excellent. The author’s reading is clear and well-modulated; performed with the skill of the scientist and the passion of the writer and animal-lover.
You’ll want to get a hard copy of TOXIC, From Factory to Food Bowl, Pet Food is a Risky Business, so that you can refer to some sections again and again when concerns about your pet’s health arise in the future.
In TOXIC, From Factory to Food Bowl, Pet Food is a Risky Business, you will find a bibliography of reference books recommended for pet owners. There is also a section explaining home-made pet food, both raw and cooked. The author shares proven recipes for preparing a healthy, safe diet for your dog.
Author_Iris_Chacon 