”Made in China” Ping.
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Posted on 09/08/2007 10:02:07 PM PDT by Sun
Both of our dogs were very sick at once, so we suspected it could be the pet food.
So my husband called the company, and they said there were no recalls at this point in time, so my husband asked if the wheat gluten still comes from China. They told him that they make it in the U.S., but will use the "global market" (code word for China, imo) if they can't make enough in the U.S. to meet their demands.
I decided to start giving our dogs people food, and they are both feeling great; in fact, the old dog seems to have more energy, and I'm wondering if the pet food was hurting his system.
Also, one of my relatives said her dog was sick.
I don't know for sure if it was the food, but I'm not taking any chances, so will give them people food. I'm also disgusted that we can't even tell if it's from China, because it's not on the can.
No, no sick animals. But I switched my dog to 80% raw meat, 10% raw meaty bones, and 10% raw organs plus raw eggs when the pet food problems began. Boy, were my eyes opened. I realized I had been brainwashed by the pet food companies to believe I had to feed them that crap in a bag.
After doing some research I found that dogs are carnivores. They eat meat, bones and organs if they have their way. Not crap in a bag consisting mostly of fillers. No wonder there were two to three large piles of poop in my yard every day. That was all the crap their poor bodies couldn’t use.
Good on you for switching!
If you want some direction and instruction on the proper ratios to feed, here’s an excellent resource:
and here’s a Yahoo group completely devoted to raw feeding your pets:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/
It’s a wealth of information.
Feel good about your decision and do not be afraid. We have all been brainwashed by the pet food manufacturers. It will take some time to overcome that brainwashing. I still occasionally have twinges of worry. But when I see how happy my dog is now to have real food, as opposed to her attitude when I fed her crap in a bag, the worry melts away.
Thanks so much for that information.
I do feel a bit uncomfortable about giving them raw food, and they are doing VERY WELL with the cooked meat.
I made a meatloaf with some oatmeal, as one example.
I think any canned food with GRAVY is the biggest threat, but I’m still sticking to people food, just in case.
Thank you very much for posting your experience & the links. I am very interested in trying this; it’s hard to buy pet food while wondering if I’m poisoning them, even though I get Nature’s Recipe for my dog (which PetSmart doesn’t carry for cats so I have been trying to find out what I can switch my cats to).
“It will take some time to overcome that brainwashing. I still occasionally have twinges of worry. “
Think of it this way: wolves don’t eat Cheerios.
A bunch of years ago I’d visit a local wolf rescue facility from time to time. IIRC, the operator had arrangements for a lot of donated and free meat for the 20+ wolves.
Looks like he got his acreage, and he’s up to 90 wolves now:
http://www.angelfire.com/folk/lokiclan/
I think ANYTHING you feed is better than kibble.
You’re welcome, Monica. Do some research and thinking about it. I’d been considering a raw diet for about a year before the pet food fiasco. That is what put me over the line.
It wasn’t easy switching. Raw meat isn’t as aromatic and is rather bland compared to kibble and my dog took three days of no food before she finally tore into that chicken breast and crunched down on those bones. I was a little concerned but her stubbornness brought out my stubbornness so I perservered.
I am so glad I did. Now she looks forward to meals. She gets excited when I bring the meat out, jumping around with a great big smile on her face. She’s engaged in her food and depending on the meal and if bones are involved, will take up to 45 minutes to fill up, ripping and tearing the meat from the bones. It’s fantastic for their teeth. Keeps ‘em pearly white.
Thanks. That's a good way to look at it and I appreciate the encouragement. Your wolf link is fantastic. What gorgeous animals! I think I'm going to order the calendar.
The difference between what Fred had in 1995 and his operation today is astonishing. From 20+ wolves to 90, and from what basically was a big backyard for the whole gang, to 1 acre for each wolf.
I have lots of photos buried away from the old setup. They were really interesting animals (you could see their intelligence), and Fred explained the social relations among them, who was Alpha, who was on the outs, etc. I’m not sure I’d want to be responsible for a even a single wolf, but they were very approachable for the most part and seemed pretty darned friendly. The first time I left, I put my hand through the fence to pat one on the head, and immediately 4 or 5 more ran over to see what was happening, checking out my hand and then hopping up and over #1 to get a pat of their own. At the time Fred didn’t seem at all bothered to have strangers showing up to see the pack.
I’m glad you reminded me of it. I’ll have to contact Loki/Fred and send some $$$. Hadn’t really thought about it at all in a very long while.
By the way, here’s a link to the new setup:
http://www.angelfire.com/folk/lokiclan/
“I think ANYTHING you feed is better than kibble.”
My older dog’s increasd energy can atttest to the fact that my hamburg and oatmeal casserole people food are agreeing with the animal. Now that their stomacks are stronger (after both of them being ill), we are giving them inexpensive chunks of beef.
I’m also going to tell our veterinarian that we are doing people food, and ask what they can suggest to make sure our dogs are getting all of their nutrients.
Of course, they might TRY to talk us out of it, but we will tell them our minds are made up, and what do they suggest we add.
Thanks for using your ping list.
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