The truth about pet food.

The truth about pet food is startling. The ingredients in a majority of pet foods are not good for your pets. The ingredients in our pet foods are not only healthy for your pet, but just as affordable as commercial pet food.The pet food industry was created in the 1930s, just before WWII. The country had leftover grains that were rejected from the human market. Companies began to make pet foods from these leftover grains to minimize product waste. But consumers began to realize that pets could not live off leftover grains. The grains did not provide adequate nutrition for the pets. The companies then introduced meat into the food. But the meat was not USDA approved—it was (like the grains) leftover and not human grade quality. This meat can be categorized by the “five D’s”:
• DEAD • DISEASED • DYING • DISABLED • DRUGGED
       Sadly, many companies are still making food for our pets the same way! Many “grocery store” and commercial foods contain corn, wheat, and soy—along with by-products and harmful preservatives.
       Corn, wheat, and soy can all be grouped into the same category because they are your basic cereal grains—and can be used to increase the protein percentage on the guaranteed analysis. But they are highly indigestible and cause strain on the kidneys and other organs.
       Corn, wheat, and soy are known common allergens. Corn is thought to be the third most common allergen in dogs and cats. Often when a problem arises with a pet, the veterinarian will recommend a prescription diet that will help the problem at hand but will not cure the underlying issue. But the best, and most simple, solution is to feed your pets healthy and nutritious food.
       Corn, wheat, and soy are usually listed in the ingredients as:
• Ground yellow corn • Corn gluten meal • Whole grain corn • Ground whole wheat • Ground whole grain sorghum • Whole wheat flour
       The #1 ingredient in your pet's diet should be meat—they are carnivores. But animal by-products are commonly used instead. They are also indigestible and used to raise the percentage of protein in the guaranteed analysis.
When a pet food lists by-product in the ingredients, the following items are usually what are being fed to your pets:
• Intestines • Chicken heads • Fish heads • Animal heads • Duck bills • Chicken and turkey feet • Hides • Feathers • Bones
       By-products do not have to contain meat, but can contain diseased and contaminated slaughterhouse meat and hair. If the ingredients states “meat and bone meal,” this means that it can legally contain dead pets and animals from road kill OR veterinary offices! The animals may have been euthanized OR treated with antibiotics or steroids. They could have died from all types of diseases, trauma, or natural causes.
       The harmful preservatives in commercial pet foods are equally as scary. BHA, BHT (both can cause serious liver and kidney diseases), and Ethoxyquin (which is a rubber stabilizer) are used to increase shelf life for the product. They are known carcinogens and are dangerous. These preservatives can increase the shelf life of a food or treat for two years. The food may sit in a semi-truck (or warehouse) for up to 18 months before being sold.
       Commercial pet foods are often full of artificial colors and flavors, sugar or corn syrup, animal fat, or animal digest. Do you really want any of these in your pet’s food?
       Our goal at Mantis Pet Supply is to give your pet(s) the best nutrition possible. The words in the ingredient lists of the foods we carry include:
• Chicken, Lamb, Beef.... Meal • Deboned... chicken, Lamb, Beef, etc. • Brown Rice • Potato and Sweet potato • Oatmeal • Antioxidants • Pre- and Probiotics • Enzymes
       The pet foods that Mantis Pet Supply carries are all free of corn, wheat, soy, by-products, artificial preservatives, and other harmful ingredients. Your pet’s health and nutrition is our number one goal.