Are Euthanized Pets in these Foods?
We wanted to make you aware of a
study conducted by the Food and Drug Administration on the presence of
pentobarbital in dog and cat foods.
For those who aren't aware, pentobarbital is the chemical of choice that
vets and animal shelters use to put animals to sleep.
The study by the FDA concluded that pentobarbital is indeed capable of
surviving the rendering process and thus ending up in foods that contain
euthanized pets.
There is a good bit of controversy over whether euthanized pets do end up
in our pet foods. We understand this is not a pleasant subject, and it is not
one that every person really wants to know the answers to.
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It is the desire of the staff of Happy And Healthy Pets to educate and inform
the consumer and pet owner. It is not our desire to slander or condemn any pet
food company.
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As a pet owner, if you do ever need to have your pet euthanized, you have a
right to know how the vet will dispose of the remains. You also have the right
to take the pet home and give it a proper burial.
Some states will not allow you to bury your pet on your own property....pet
cemeteries are very nice and most provide your pet with a lasting and peaceful
resting place.
Actually the vast majority of small practice vets Do Not sell the
remains of euthanized pets. Mostly the dead animals that end up in
pet foods come from large animal shelters.
This should be reassuring to the thousands of pet owners we have that have
needed to have a loved one put to sleep in the past.
We also would urge you that if you have a no-kill shelter nearby, please do
everything you can to help them stay in business. Obviously it costs a lot of
money for these shelters to keep animals and provide them with adequate care.
We wholeheartedly endorse these no-kill shelters. Please join us in our
efforts at keeping precious small animals alive for as long as possible.
They are all capable of giving anyone un-conditional love.
They don't deserve the fate they often get with the shelters that seem to
feel the need to do away with them.
Tippy, Alfred, and Dr. Dave
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Are Euthanized Pets in these Dog Foods?
Many, many readers have written in asking if their brand of pet food has
pentobarbital residue in it.
What that means is, do these pet food manufacturers really use euthanized
pets and animals in their foods?
Well not all answers are clear cut, and some brands have used them, but not
necessarily in every product they carry.
According to a study conducted in March 1998 and December 2000, by the Food
And Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine,
Here are the brands that tested positive for pentobarbital residue:
(please note not all brands of pet foods were tested)
Nutro
Ol'Roy
Trailblazer
Dad's
Weis Value
Super G
Richfood
Pet Essentials
America's Choice
Ken-L-Ration
Heinz
Kibble Select
Champ Chunx
ProPlan
Reward
PetGold
Again, not all brands of foods were tested, and not all products in the
lines of each manufacturer contained residue. The study also went on to say
that pentobarbital residue is capable of surviving the rendering process.
They determined that dogs and cats
are not in dog food, but sodium pentobarbital the drug used to euthanize them
is......
Their study says that the most likely way that pentobarbital can get in dog
food is via rendered animals that were euthanized.
So how did the drug get there if
euthanized dogs and cats aren't being used in pet food?
They suggest that the drug came via euthanized cows and horses and zoo animals.
Farmers don't euthanize sick cows. It costs about $75 to $100 for a vet to come out
and euthanize a cow. A bullet costs 25 cents. Horse are euthanized on
occasion, but this is mainly reserved for horse that are pets or race horses,
and then they are in most instances given proper burial. Zoo animals are
euthanized, but the incidences of this are very small.
Our suggestion to you is that you do some serious research on your own and
then follow your own conclusions.
Read the results of the FDA study
http://www.fda.gov
Read a copy of "Food Pets Die For: Shocking Facts About Pet Food"
by Ann Martin. You can get a copy at Amazon.com
Read a story written by the wife of a trucker that actually hauled
euthanized pets to rendering plants go here:
http://petcaretips.net/euthanized_pets_in_food.html
Mad Cow Disease and Rendering Plants (NY Times Article)
http://www.mad-cow.org/~tom/render_ed.html
Recycling of Dead Animals & Slaughter House Wastes
http://www.jivdaya.org/rendering_plants.htm
Happy And Healthy Pets salutes the folks who have chosen to feed their pets
high quality foods. Dogs and cats can live up to 25 to 30 years, but sadly
many pets live to be only 13 to 15.
Nutrition Plays A Very Important Role!
No one can reasonably expect their precious pet to live a long life if they
are fed a constant diet of chemical preservatives, by products, and fillers,
(and euthanized pets/animals)
There are NO long term studies on
the effects of feeding foods to dogs or cats that contain pentobarbital
Pets Need high quality proteins and nutrients to form and develop healthy
cells and tissue.
If you would like to learn more about a very high quality food that Does
NOT contain any harmful chemical preservatives and a food that will help to
enhance your dog or cat's life....
Check these Premium Dog & Cat Foods out Here
See also:
More Pet Care Tips
