Here A Duck, There A Duck-Don't Let Your Dog's Food Quack

Walk down any cereal aisle and you will see the cure for our taste bud boredom.  Cinnamon cereal, cereal with dried berries, cereal in vivid Technicolor, sugary or branned it's all there folks.   Many dog food companies are trying to brainwash you into thinking that our four legged friends need this same variety in their dishes, also.  Nutrition is a subject near and dear to my heart.  I don't want the broad blanket term "good quality" ingredients that are often more marketing gimmick than substance.  Nutrition is a very personal decision.  You must decide what fits for your family.  As long as you have made an informed decision, then it is the right one for your pet.

Walking down a local pet super store's aisles the other day I looked through the dog foods for sale.  I guess overall I must applaud them.  They have made true quality, natural, holistic, healthy food much more readily available than ever before.  Food lines that are free of destructive chemicals and have good nutrition sources such as Wellness, California Natural, Fromm, or Merrick are right there on the shelves.

One massive disservice that pet stores and pet food companies are doing you and your pets is making every protein source under the sun available.  Sometimes 3 or 4 in one bag!  It's not your fault- you are just trying to provide some variety to your pet.  Beef, chicken, certain fish types, even lamb are perfectly acceptable for over the counter feeding.  However, just for the fun of it some manufacturers are offering duck, buffalo, rabbit, venison, and other novel proteins for the taking.  Some under the misguided heading of being an "allergy" formula.  This practice is DANGEROUS for your pet!

I equate duck, or rabbit with medicine.  If your pet develops a food allergy or intolerance the only way to combat this is by giving it ingredients it has not had before and therefore NOT allergic to.  If your pet has been exposed to these proteins during a badly performed food trial, that food source is now useless to treat your pet.  Often these over the counter products are a mix of hypoallergenic proteins with known allergens such as corn, soy, or wheat.  Perhaps the company just got done manufacturing a beef formula then switches over to running a line of duck formula without proper sanitation.  If your pet is allergic to beef now some of that beef has just gotten into your pet's duck bag.  BOOM, problem!

These pet food manufacturers mean well.  It is a great idea to make allergy control more accessible.  However, allergy control must be handled in a responsible manner.  If your pet has eating/appetite issues, itching/allergies, or digestive issues please work with your vet before introducing these novel proteins.  You wouldn't hop behind the Walgreens pharmacy counter and pick out medications that sounded like they might help.  Doesn't your pet deserve the same protection?



Chris