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Writer's pictureSarah Sherer

Dog Food Recalls Out of Control

It seems like daily, or every other day, a new dog food is recalled. I find it very interesting that the majority of the food that has been recalled, in the end of 2018 and beginning of 2019, are dog foods that veterinarian's recommend. Now, I don't believe in reinventing the wheel or in this case rewriting the wheel. Below are some useful links.


This site tells you how important vitamin D is. Dogs convert vitamin D in their fur, instead of skin like humans. The defining factor of a vitamin is that our bodies do not make it; however, in the case of vitamin D there is a conversion that goes on in most animals involving UVB light from the sun. Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin, which means it's absorbed by fat cells. This also means that at a point the vitamin becomes no longer helpful and starts becoming harmful/toxic. That is the problem with our most recent dog food recalls. The foods are poisoning dogs from too much vitamin D. Some trainers don't recommend training with dog treats because they are less likely to be recalled. Why is this? Well, dogs around the country get sick and unfortunately pass away all the time. It is unlikely that out of the hundreds of brands, hundreds of dogs would be linked to eating the same thing. This is unfortunate because dogs' welfare are at stake. The pet food industry is HIGHLY unregulated, and to make matters worse lots of humans don't care for their pets the way I do and hopefully you too. They don't bring their pets into the vets yearly. Clinics that provide walk up vaccines don't do blood tests beyond heartworm. Millions of people us clinics like Vetco as their only source of a vet. If you read the fine print most will say you should have a regular routine vet.

http://smilinsuepubs.com/pets-need-vitamin-d/


How to tell if your dog is showing signs of vitamin D toxcitity.

https://m.petmd.com/dog/conditions/toxicity/c_dg_vitamin_d_toxicity


Why are blood tests so important? Blood tests tell the vet if there is something wrong/going wrong with a pet when the pets are happy go lucky on the outside. Some people will never test their dog's blood until the dog is ill. No dog is 100% safe from things that can harm them. Some behavioral problems can be linked to an underlying health problem. Livers absorb toxins like a sponge, and like a sponge the toxins stay in for quite a while if not cleansed. If you're wondering, yes you can cleanse your liver and your dog's but not with the same things. My point here is that blood tests can save an animal's life, so try to get one done on your pet at least once a year. I used to believe they were too expensive because that's what I was always told. I don't put a price tag on my dogs' lives; however most vets do them for less than $100.


Here's the best site I've seen for clear and concise pet food recalls.

https://www.avma.org/News/Issues/recalls-alerts/Pages/pet-food-safety-recalls-alerts-fullyear.aspx


As always, your routine vet is the first person to talk to about the health and safety of your dog.

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