It does not seem there is a great choice when it comes to feeding our pets these days. While it is always best to stay with premium products, even brands such as Iams and Science Diet have been found to contain toxic combinations that lead to renal failure. The findings are in both wet and dry foods.
A good and general rule of thumb is that the more fresh, local and natural a food is, the better chance that it is not going to cause harm to your pets.
The best thing you can do for your pet is to be informed. At Westside, that is what we have built our practice on. So, read on and please call immediately if you have any questions or concerns!
Do you love to cook? Does it make sense to personally prepare your pet’s food? This is a possible alternative but requires strict adherence to portions and recipes to be sure that your beloved pet is receiving a healthy and balanced diet in light of their age, activity and medical status. Please check with your veterinarian here at Westside before becoming your pet’s personal chef! If you would like a few ideas for recipes, check out http://www.simplypets.com/pet-recipes/Dog/Meal
It is also a good idea to check in on the FDA page often to see if there have been any recalls that you need to be aware of. The URL for that site is http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm#Link_to_Animal_Health From this site, you can sign up to receive email or text alerts of any product recalls, withdrawals and safety alerts as they occur.
As always, we continue to preach the importance of awareness of changes in your pet’s symptoms or behavior that might indicate that something is wrong. They cannot tell us when they something is up so we need to keep watch.
Keep an eye out for and call Westside immediately if you see signs including loss of appetite, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, changes in water consumption or changes in urination. And if you have any reason to believe that you may have been feeding your pet a recalled or withdrawn pet food, call us at once.
