Pet Food Danger Gauge 66% - Dangerous and Toxic To Pets

Potassium Chloride - used as the third of a three drug combination in judicial execution through lethal injection and used for making fertilizer.

Caramel coloring - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - is caramel used as a food coloring; it is made by controlled heating of sugar, generally in the presence of acids or alkalis and possibly other compounds, a process called caramelization. Caramel coloring is the most widely-used food coloring, and is found in almost every kind of industrially produced food, including: beer, brown bread, buns, chocolate, cookies, brandy, chocolate flavoured flour-based confectionery, coatings, decorations, fillings and toppings, chips, dessert mixes, doughnuts, fish and shellfish spreads, frozen desserts, glucose tablets, cough drops, gravy browning, ice cream, jams, milk desserts, pancakes, pickles, sauces and dressings, soft drinks (especially colas), stouts, sweets, vinegar, whisky, and wines. Caramel coloring can be produced from any sugar, but most commonly it is made from a high-dextrose starch hydrolysate or corn syrup. Used to encourage pets to eat products they normally would not eat. Sugar should not be added to a pet's diet.

"Meat" is often rendered dogs and cats as well as other animals such as road-kill. When the source of the meat is known it will be listed as beef, poultry, chicken, turkey, etc. If the source of the meat is not known it is simply called "meat".

Meat by-products. Meat can be any recycled animal, including cat or dog, but not one in particular. By-products are floor sweepings collected from a rendering plant. Anything that hits the floor and is not fit for human consumption is by-product. By-products can't have "added" feathers or hair but the ones included in the mess are just fine.

Use of by-products. By-products are ingredients used which are not fit for human consumption. By-products are often floor sweepings from a rendering plant. "Animal by-product" is rendered product from animal tissues, exclusive of any added blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably in good processing practices." Pet food labels contain the words "meal" or "byproduct" on the ingredient label. Inedible byproducts such as bone, fat, heads, hair, feet and condemned offal are used in commercial pet food. These materials are sent to a rendering plant for processing into pet food products.

Class Action - Some people found out what a poor pet food this company produces a little too late. Their pets became ill and many have died due to eating Pet Food. Those people and others who are upset over the pet food company making such a poor quality pet food has filed a Class Action against them. Anytime I see a Class Action filed against a company and the products the company produces I would not advise feeding their products to your pets. The pet owners have filed a Class Action against the company for killing their pets.

Natural Flavor. I always like the way pet food companies hide the use of manure in the ingredients. Natural flavor is made from the manure of the animal the pet food company wants the pet food to taste like. If natural flavor were an actual part of the ingredients then natural flavor would not have to be listed as a separate ingredient. From FDA reports.

Calcium sulfate - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. A common laboratory and industrial chemical. Called hemihydrate or calcined gypsum (commonly known as plaster of Paris).

Garlic - is known to be toxic to cats and dogs. We do not know the amount of garlic used in this product nor do we know at what level garlic becomes toxic to small animals. Is using garlic in pet food worth the risk of making a pet sick? No.

Calcium Chloride - Mineral salt.

Onions are toxic to pets.

Zinc sulfate - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - It is used to supply zinc in animal feeds, fertilizers, and agricultural sprays. Zinc sulfate also has reported uses of deceiving medical drug examinations.

Copper Sulfate - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Used as an herbicide, fungicide, pesticide.

Potassium iodide - salt. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Potassium iodide is used in photography, in the preparation of silver(I) iodide for high speed photographic film. Potassium iodide is also added to table salt in small quantities to make it "iodized". Chronic overexposure can have adverse effects on the thyroid.

Guar gum - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - is a water-soluble fiber that acts as a bulk forming laxative, and as such, it is claimed to be effective in promoting regular bowel movements and relieve constipation and chronic related functional bowel ailments; such as diverticulosis, Crohn's disease, colitis and irritable bowel syndrome, among others.

Sodium Tripolyphosphate - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - a solid inorganic compound used in a large variety of household cleaning products, mainly as a builder, but also in human foodstuffs, animal feeds, industrial cleaning processes and ceramics manufacture. STPP is widely used in regular and compact laundry detergents and automatic dishwashing detergents (in powder, liquid, gel and/or tablet form), toilet cleaners, surface cleaners, and coffee urn cleaners. It also provides a number of chemical functions including: sequestration of "water hardness", enabling surfactants to function effectively; pH buffering; dirt emulsification and prevention of deposition; hydrolysis of grease; and dissolving-dispersing dirt particles.

Carrageenana - Algae, used as a preservative.

Xanthan gum - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - is produced by a bacterium that is fed corn to grow. Some people are allergic to xanthan gum, with symptoms of intestinal gripes, diarrhea, temporary high blood pressure, and migraine headaches. Workers exposed to xanthan gum dust exhibit nose and throat irritation as well as work-related illness, with symptoms becoming more prevalent with increasing exposure.Allergies to corn are noted as well. (If this effects people so badly what about our pets?)

Sodium Nitrate - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Food Additive. Various dangers of using this as a food additive have been suggested and researched by scientists. A principal concern is the formation of carcinogenic N-nitrosamines by the reaction of sodium nitrite with amino acids in the presence of heat in an acidic environment. Sodium nitrite has also been linked to triggering migraines. Recent studies have found a link between high processed meat consumption and colon cancer, possibly due to preservatives such as sodium nitrite. Recent studies have also found a link between frequent ingestion of meats cured with nitrites and the COPD form of lung disease.

Natural Flavors as defined by the FDA With respect to flavors, pet foods often contain "digests," which are materials treated with heat, enzymes and/or acids to form concentrated natural flavors. Only a small amount of a "chicken digest" is needed to produce a "Chicken Flavored Cat Food," even though no actual chicken is added to the food. Stocks or broths are also occasionally added. Whey is often used to add a milk flavor. Often labels will bear a claim of "no artificial flavors." Actually, artificial flavors are rarely used in pet foods. The major exception to that would be artificial smoke or bacon flavors, which are added to some treats. http://www.fda.gov/cvm/petlabel.htm

Animal digest. AAFCO doesn't care that manure is included in the pet food as long as the temperature at the time of cooking is brought to a certain degree.

Now there are those people out there who simply refuse to believe a pet food company would use manure in their pet's foods. Let me ask you to think on this issue for just a minute and then see what you decide. Let's take a person, for instance, When a person begins the "digestion" process food is placed in the mouth for chewing. Digestion continues as the food passes to the stomach and is broken down to pass into the intestines for further digestion. Digestion is complete once the person has had a bowl movement and fully evacuated the food from the human body. Why would obtaining animal digest be any different from human digest?