That was some fat cat!

I have been house-sitting for some dear friends.  They are due back today.  Somebody tell me how to have a chat with them that they are killing their cats!
I try not to be obnoxious with friends and their pets.  If they ASK, I’ll give them some good advice, help them get hooked up on safer pet foods.  [...]

The Holistic Carnivorous Cat’s Meow

When it comes to cats, a meat-based, high-protein diet is the key.
The following is a guest article by Dr. Donna Spector, DVM, of Halo Pets.
If you are like most Americans today, healthy eating is part of your daily focus, and if you’re a cat owner, you can adapt your cat’s diet to match yours. Many [...]

Evangers Dog Food Responds to FDA Ding

Evangers says that no food has been recalled, issues are related to record-keeping and other practices. Note that the reason the FDA dinged them was because documentation errors could result in underprocessing, thus causing botulism. Evangers is a well-reputed holistic pet food, this situation is becoming a study in FDA action and reaction.
read [...]

Evanger’s Pet Food in Trouble with FDA

A recent inspection revealed significant deviations from prescribed documentation of processes, equipment, and recordkeeping in the production of the company’s thermally processed low acid canned food (LACF) products. These problems could result in under-processed pet foods, which can allow the survival and growth of botulism.
If you are an Evanger’s fan, you’ll want to read this [...]

FDA Bars Certain Cattle Materials from pet foods

The FDA has strengthened regulations prohibiting brain and spinal cord materials from cows over 30 months of age and older from entering both the human and the animal food supply. Because of the risk of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, also known as “mad cow disease”), I have avoided using any beef pet foods for [...]

String of illnesses affects NUTRO-fed pets

ConsumerAffairs.com is reporting on vomiting symptoms in pets fed NUTRO products. NUTRO denies there is any problem but this well-documented story is eerily similar to the beginnings of the Menu Foods recall last year. Pet owners feeding NUTRO, this is a must read!
read more | digg story

Waste not, want not: A use for Downer Cattle and rendered by-products

The Middle Ages  Butchers’ fat trimmings are used in soaps and candles, the first significant use of rendered animal products.
19th Century  The industrial revolution transforms agricultureand the storage of meat. Cattle production increasesand with it comes a burgeoning disposal problem.  Rendering–converting animal byproducts into animal feed and other commodities–becomes the solution.
Early 20th Century  Fat and water [...]

Downer Cattle - Why I never feed BEEF or BEEF By-Products

The US Department of Agriculture recalled 143 million pounds of beef today, the largest meat recall in history.  It represents the entire production of Westland Meat for the last two years.  The reason?  Too many incidents where Westland and their partner, Hallmark Meat Packing, permitted downer cattle to enter the human food supply. 
See the entire [...]

Why Your Dog and Cat Want a Holistic Pet Food

Can you really see any difference in your pet’s health when you feed a holistic dog or cat food vs. a traditional commercial pet food such as an Iams or a Science Diet?
OH MY YES.

The following comments come from those made on this blog and an internal forum for a particular holistic brand in which [...]

How much meat is in dry pet foods?

This ought to feed some interesting dinner table conversations…
1.  Ingredients are listed on the label in order of WEIGHT.
2.  If the weight is the same for various ingredients, the manufacturer gets to choose the order in which they are listed.  (i.e., meat, rice, wheat, barley).
3. “Real meat” contains mostly water.  For example, three pounds of [...]