Green Food for Green Pets

It’s a gross but common fact that many conventional pet food products are made from the inedible waste from beef and poultry farms. These foods contain meat that is labeled “4-D” (in other words, the animals that are “Dead, Dying, Diseased, or Down (unable to stand)” when they are lined up for slaughter. Keep that in mind the next day your little one pops a doggie food nugget in his mouth!

Eco-friendly pet foods that use natural and organic ingredients are better for your pet, as they contain healthier ingredients and better for the planet as they minimize the use of things like drugs, hormones, pesticides, synthetics preservatives, and genetically modified organisms.

Here’s what to look for when choosing a green pet food to feed your green pet:

Organic: Organic pet food is the gold standard when it comes to feeding your pet. Certified-organic pet foods must adhere to strict USDA standards that ban pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, irradiation, and artificial or genetically engineered ingredients.

Karma Organic and Newman’s Own Organics are a few good qualitys to try.

All-Natural: whether you can’t afford the hefty price tag that comes along with organic pet food, you can still keep it green by looking for a grade that uses all-natural ingredients. The term “all-natural” is not legally defined and can therefore mean different things (or nothing at all) in terms of pet food. But a quick check of the label can tell you whether a product is as healthy as it claims to be. All-natural pet foods should primarily contain real protein sources (such as meat and poultry) instead of animal by-products or wheat gluten. They should plus include whole grains (like barely and brown rice) and vegetables rather than processed or dehydrated grains and veggies. They additionally should NOT contain harmful chemicals like BHA, propylene glycol, or synthetic colors or lubricants. Try Castor & Pollux, Dr. Harvey’s, or Sojo’s.

[Source] Jenn