Editor’s note: Borderstan welcomes Tori Tyree back with her weekly column on you and your pets. She is the owner of Walk of the Town, a dog walking and pet sitting company. Tyree has been working with animals most of her life — caring for them in animal hospitals, training dogs, volunteering at zoos and the Washington Humane Society, and counseling customers about pet nutrition. You can leave a comment or send Tyree an email: tori(at)borderstan.com.
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From Tori Tyree
Do you know what’s going into the food you feed your pets? I have asked this question to just about every animal person I’ve met and have been surprised by the answer. Some people tell me, “It’s whatever the vet told me to give her” or “Yeah… it’s the purple bag with all the vegetables on it.”
If you can’t recall the ingredients in your pet’s food, you are not paying enough attention.
Did you know that dogs and cats have the biological potential to live into their 20’s? I usually tell people that feeding an inferior food to your pets is like eating every meal at McDonald’s Sure, you can live on it — but for how long, and how healthy will you be for doing it?
I want you to go take a look at the ingredients on your pet’s food right now. If you see these ingredients, just know that the pet food manufacturer tried to cut corners. A named animal protein (i.e., chicken, beef, lamb) should always be the first listed ingredient.
