Pet Food

You'll be relieved to know that I got the house payment in on time... okay, maybe you weren't that worried about it, but I was. Firewood may be a bit of a problem still. I'll figure that out on Monday.

I wanted to talk about pet food for a minute. I've been thinking a lot about it since the whole melamine thing. There is something seriously wrong with the pet food industry and I don't think it's just that most of it comes from China.

First, I think most scientists agree that there is a lot in common physiologically between humans and cats and dogs. There are some major differences, but overall we have a lot in common. For instance, if you happen to take an anatomy class in a smaller college, you'll end up dissecting cats (I'm sorry, but it is true) instead of cadavers. It's easier for the instructor to point out the differences than to constantly point out the similarities to the students. All the hullabaloo about animal testing is concerning for scientists trying to come up with new drugs and cures for illness because, while animal testing is objectionable, in some cases human testing is impossible. Other mammals are the closest we can get to us without using us.

So... what does this have to do with pet food? Most people buy into the idea that you should only feed your dog or cat a standard pet food. Some people go so far as to insist on particular high-end brands, but you don't hear anybody saying that dogs or cats need a varied diet. Feed them pet food and nothing else. Maybe you could give them a commercial treat now and then but avoid table scraps at all costs. Table scraps are unhealthy.

What if your doctor decided that you needed to go on a special diet of a single kind of food all the time? You'd tell him or her to buzz off.

I've read long lists of foods that are bad for dogs and consulted a lot of sources. Chocolate, for instance is a definite no-no. High fat foods are bad for dogs too, but that's not surprising as high fat foods are bad for us too. Most books and articles say onions are bad too. I'll keep reading everything I can about this because I love my dogs... Also, I'm not advocating feeding a pet too much of anything. Being overweight is also bad for pets and people. I'm just saying that an occasional table scrap probably won't kill the pooch and for all we know might actually be good for it.

Am I wrong?