What Does Your Pet’s Food Have in Common with Rat Poison?

No loving pet owner would knowingly feed poison to their pet. But what dog and cat owners don’t know is that their pet food and rat poison have a common ingredient: Vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is one of many synthetic vitamins routinely added to pet foods, even those marketed as “natural.¹”

Synthetic Vitamin D3, also known as cholecalciferol, is one of the main active ingredients used in many rodenticides, like Quintox® and Rampage®. It kills rats dead. So it’s no coincidence that the most serious recalls of pet food involving synthetic vitamins were due to excessive synthetic Vitamin D3.

Cholecalciferol

Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3) is a single-dose or multiple-dose rodenticide that causes mobilization of calcium from the bone matrix to plasma and death from hypercalcemia.

Pet Food Makers Mum on Ingredient Sources

Ever tried to contact the company that makes your pet’s food? Did they answer the question you had completely and honestly? Susan Thixon, the force behind TruthAboutPetFood.com, set out to test how pet food companies respond to consumer inquiries. She contacted more than 50 companies with one simple question and reported the results in a recent blog post.

Truth About Pet Food’s “Test”

Susan admits that the question she asked, “What is the country of origin of ingredients in your pet foods? All ingredients,” was a bit of a trick question. Truth About Pet Food wanted to know if the companies would include the country of origin of the added vitamin and mineral supplements in their foods. “Many pet food vitamins and minerals are sourced from Europe and Asia (including China),” writes Susan. “We have to assume that ‘China’ is the word many pet food companies want to avoid telling consumers.”

Of the over 50 companies contacted, 23 completely ignored the request. Of those that did respond, only eight included the country of origin of their added vitamins and

The Wellness Petfood Recall: Too Little, Too Much, or Just Right?

Yet another pet food recall has many people concerned about the quality and safety of the foods they feed their companion animals. The February 28, 2011 Wellness voluntary recall of certain lots of its canned cat foods was due to inadequate levels of thiamine, or Vitamin B1. The company states that cats fed only product with inadequate levels of thiamine for several weeks may be at risk for developing a thiamine deficiency.¹

The Wellness cat food recall shows us just one of the problems associated with the practice of adding man-made vitamins and minerals to pet food. In the Wellness case, it was too little Vitamin B1. In the Blue Buffalo dog food recall of October 2010, too much Vitamin D was present, creating the potential for toxicity. With the exception of Nature’s Logic, all commercial pet food manufacturers producing dry kibble or canned food add chemically-synthesized vitamins and minerals to their foods.

Pets Should Eat Their Fruits and Veggies, Too!

Your mother always told you to eat your fruits and vegetables. That same advice is good for our pets, too. Dogs and cats enjoy the same health benefits as humans do from the essential nutrients naturally supplied by fruits and vegetables.

“Whole vegetables, like pumpkin, broccoli, spinach and carrots are going to provide quality nutrition that the dog’s body can actually utilize for optimal health and strength,” says Tracie Hotchner, author of The Dog Bible.¹ Some dogs may eat raw vegetables, such as carrots, as a treat. But not all pets are so cooperative. Ever see a cat eat broccoli? For this reason, the easiest way to provide your pet with healthy