I would like to take this opportunity to talk about pet food. These are my ideas and thoughts; nothing that I say here is either approved or disapproved by any veterinarians.
I have seen through the years an increase in cancer in companion animals. I pondered why, where is this coming from, and what is different now than 20 years ago. Yes, there is an increase in pollution, but I live in a rural area where the air and water are relatively clean compared to a city with heavy industry and traffic. The thing that keeps popping up in my mind is the "food."
Most feed their companion animals food found in the local supermarkets and I was one of those people. Why not? I bought my own food from the local supermarket. I came upon a word that gave me pause to think. That word is "Agribusiness." When I meditated on this word, I was amazed at how myopic my ideas about food were.
When I went to the grocery store, I never consciously thought about how many food products were produced and how there were manufactured. Sure, I knew that there was more than one case of Green Giant green been out there, more than were at my local store. The sheer numbers blew me away when I really thought about it. Not only was there Green Giant green beans on every supermarket shelf in PA but also they were on every supermarket shelf in the entire US. Let's see, there's 50 states, how many towns and cities in each state, how many supermarkets in each city and in each town, not to mention little markets and convenience stores? There must be billions of cans of Green Giant green beans in this country alone.
How is this done? Surely not by a farmer loving had picking each bean and checking for perfection. It's done with big machines and huge manufacturing plants. I'm not sure if one human ever touches one of those beans. How sad it that? (We won't even talk about the amount of pesticides and chemicals used to keep the vast number of beans unspoiled.)
OK, it's a green bean, maybe not so important in the grand scheme of things. But wait, what about the meat used in "pet food." There are probably as many bags of Purina, Iams, Pedigree etc. as cases of green beans. How do they manufacture that? Do they get their chicken from the local farmer who has a dozen or so chickens pecking around his fields? No, that could not be possible in the amounts needed for billions of bags and cans of pet food. They get their meat from giant factory farms.
What are factory farms? To me they are the darkest side of Agribusiness. They are places where animals are housed in huge buildings, crammed together without room to turn around or move about, de beaked, deprived of sunlight their whole short life, feed a diet which includes antibiotics, pesticides, their own excrement and other dead of their kind, (remember that little thing about mad cow disease?) I could go on for pages about the horrors of factory farms but I won't. Just go to a search engine on the Internet and type in factory farms and see for yourself. These animals are treated worse than green beans, all for the sake of profit. (At least green beans are grown in sunlight.)
It is common knowledge that stress affects the body? What is the stress of living like this doing to the flesh of these animals that are consumed by us and our companion animals? Think about it. Oh, and by the way, that package of pork chops you pick up at the local Piggly Wiggly is the so-called good stuff. Generally, the meat used in pet food is slaughterhouse waste.
I have a book called "Heal Your Body" written by Louise L. Hay. I looked up what mental thought patterns produced cancer. I found, "Deep hurt, Longstanding resentment. Deep secret or grief eating away at self. Carrying hatreds." I believe an animal that lived in a factory farm would have these emotions plus a big helping of fear and anxiety. These emotions don't just float away when the animal is slaughtered; they stay in the flesh along with the chemicals produced by the emotions for example, adrenaline.
So what is in the mass-produced pet food so far. Animals so stressed and miserable they are embodying cancer cells, with the building blocks of their bodies ranging from antibiotics to excrement. Sounds good so far doesn't it? What about the other stuff pet food is made of? Did you ever hear of GMO's (genetically mutated organisms)? By law they can't sell humans corn treated with it because the wildlife that ate that corn died, but they can put it in pet food. Now we are on a roll. Some pet foods are sprayed with fat to make them tastier. Oh Goody! I can't forget the preservatives and the dyes sprayed on those "natural" bits and pieces to make them look like peas and carrots. I love this one… I was told by a Hills Science Diet representative that by law they can change the ingredients in the pet food and take up to 6 months to print that change on the label on the bag. So why is Fluffy turning up her nose at food she has been eating for years? Maybe it's new and improved and they don't have to tell you for 6 months. By the way, Science Diet's All Natural diet uses chicken from Tyson. Smells like factory farm to me! I believe crude oil is "all natural" but I would not feed it to my pets. So watch what is being advertised as "All Natural." I am amazed old Fluffy did not keel over after the second bowl of mass-produced dog food.
Ok, so where do we go from here? In a perfect world, we all would be financially able and have more than enough time to purchase and prepare fresh, organic free range meats, grains and vegetables for our companion animals and our families. For me right now and I suppose for many others, this ain't happening. (It may tomorrow, but not today) What I do now is go to the pet stores and read labels. I ask for organic pet food. I disregard advertising. I do some research, I read and I think. Most of all, I listen to that small voice inside and it has never steered me wrong. Organic pet food is out there and yes, it is a little pricier. I just cut back on other things that are less important than the care of my best friends. When I sit down at the table, I have a choice. I can go for the Doritos with Cheese Whiz or I can go for the Garden Burger. My companion animals have to eat what is provided, they have no choice. I feel, now that I have the knowledge, it is my responsibility to do the right thing. Please think before you buy.
