How Safe is Pet Food?

Recently a customer stated that their pet food must be safe or they wouldn’t be able to buy it. Last week the news was flooded with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s updated report about dogs getting sick and dying of heart disease from consuming grain free foods. The article named 16 brands responsible, but so were 50 others. The investigation has been on going for a year with no conclusive results.

In March 2007 several major companies were involved in a massive recall of more than 5300 pet food products affected by melamine contaminated wheat gluten from China. As many as 3,600 dogs and cats may have died of kidney failure as a result. Following the recall, US Congress developed laws that required the FDA to improve the safety of pet food by establishing improved reporting of adverse events, improved ingredient definitions and standards, and improved pet food labeling. To date, only the reporting of adverse events has been completed.

Since 2017, the euthanasia drug pentobarbital, has been the source of several recalls in both canned and dry foods. In March 2019, a prescription pet food was recalled due to toxic levels of Vitamin D. Deaths were involved in all of these recalls.

If pet food regulators aren’t being required to enforce and abide by laws, then it is up to pet parents to seek better alternatives for feeding their pets.