After the 2007 pet food recall, many pet parents jumped onto the natural pet food bandwagon because they realized that holistic pet food brands were the ones most notably absent from the recalled brand lists. Lots of them never went back to their old brands.

Many other pet parents, though, are still innocently trusting that conventional pet food makers have "learned a lesson" from the pet food recall. You can be sure that they have learned something, but it's not what you might think!

Conventional pet food makers (usually mega-large agri-businesses) still follow the "least cost production" methods of making pet food. So although their foods are no longer tainted, they're still made mostly from the cheapest ingredients the manufacturer can find - which means they're NOT good for your animal's long-term health. Pet food safety and nutrition go hand in hand, because the quality of the ingredients in your companion's diet is an excellent predictor of how safe it really is for your animal.

That's NOT Natural!

What some conventional pet food makers learned from the pet food recall is that by introducing new food lines labeled as "natural" they could get people buying again. A trip through the grocery store pet food aisle or the local chain pet store reveals a lot more conventional food brands with pretty green and tan bags of new "natural" lines of food.

Often when we suggest to a customer that they switch to a natural food, we hear, "But my pet's food IS natural!" Once we check the label though, we usually find that their food (with the word "natural" in the name) isn't so natural after all! A look at the ingredients might show that the conventional brand's "natural" food is still of pretty poor quality - maybe they've changed the #1 ingredient from poultry by-products to chicken, but ingredients #2 - 4 are corn gluten meal, soy meal, and wheat gluten meal - three of the most allergy-provoking, hard-to-digest ingredients in pet food. The lesson here? Always read the ingredients on foods labeled "natural!"

Prescription & Veterinary Lines

Another recent trend since the 2007 recall is the large increase in the number of veterinary food lines - even Purina has gotten into the game. Another common misconception we hear often from pet parents about these foods is that because they came from the vet's office (and are usually quite expensive), they must be high quality, healthy foods. Who do you trust with your pet's health more than your vet, right? Well...

Unfortunately, when you look at the ingredients list on the vet's office brands, you find the same things you find in the cheap grocery store brands. Most vets are not really trained in nutrition - the focus of Western medicine, after all, is on curing disease, not preventing it! Most veterinary degree programs still offer only 2-6 weeks of training on nutrition, with the instruction provided by... you guessed it - the makers of those fine veterinary prescription foods! As you've heard us say often, good nutrition is the foundation of health, and the holistic approach is all about quality diet as the basis of any animal's wellness.

Many pet parents are still unsure about what makes a food natural, healthy or holistic, and they really want to trust that the pet food industry cares for their pets as much as they do. But that's just not very realistic. Your pet's health and safety are in your hands, and it's up to you to evaluate your pet's food with care and a critical eye. We only offer natural pet foods that we can recommend with confidence, so check out our quality foods when you're ready to upgrade your companion's diet (and their health!).

We suggest this: Disregard the descriptive tags like "natural," "vet-approved,"  "chosen by top breeders," and the like. Ignore the pictures of cute animals and  wholesome-looking food ingredients on the label, and forget the claims made in the manufacturer's TV ads. Look only at the ingredients listing - it will tell you just about everything you need to know!

Quality Ingredients to Look For:

• Animal proteins - identified by name (e.g., chicken, beef, lamb) - not just any "animal." Meat meals are very good - again, when the meat is identified (e.g., chicken meal)

• Organic ingredients - meats, vegetables, grains and fruits - these are certified free of pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics. Check for the USDA Organic seal on the package as well.

• Whole unrefined grains like barley, brown rice, ground oatmeal (although skip grains for cats - most cats can't digest them).

• Human-Grade, or fit-for-human-consumption ingredients - while this is a frowned-upon practice in pet food labeling, some holistic pet food makers think it's worth the risk to let buyer's know that they use top quality ingredients. We agree - if it's human grade, that's a good thing!

• Whole vegetables and fruits - the less processed the better (whole potatoes are much better than potato starch, for example). These are important sources of natural plant-based nutrients (phyto-nutrients) and antioxidants.

For more details on what to look for in your pet's food, please check out our Holistic Healthcare Library articles on Food topics, including "What You Need to Know About Your Pet's Food."