The Truth About Pet Food

When I gained custody of my frail childhood pet, a cat named Chaussettes, my mother went over his eating habits with me.

He eats Purina, she said, the hair ball prevention formula, so that he can remain healthy. Up until the last few weeks of his life, I fed him the name brad Purina chow, which cost $9 for an eight pound bag. The problem was that the bags would soon be empty. Chaussettes, along with our one-year-old cat Garfield, would eat almost a bag a week. He had trouble using the litter box, and the senior cat failed to gain a pound.

I was so concerned about his health that I questioned the pet store clerk, who told me, to my surprise, that the $9 I spent on designer Purina brand chow each week was essentially getting me waste that was not healthy for my cat. Much like humans can eat food that will fill them up, but is devoid of nutrients, the ingredients in these high end, commercial brand cat foods are designed to satisfy the pet's hunger, but not his bodily needs. I was shocked even further when the salesperson said that store would not even cary Purina, because it was not healthy for the animals, as are several other cheap cat food brands. She steered me instead to Eagle Pack foods, and showed me how to read the ingredients label, looking for the all important first ingredient, which should be a meat of some sort.

Though my cat did pass away a few weeks later, I noticed an immediate change after I purchased the food for him. I believe it made his last few weeks more comfortable. Now that we have four cats, all I feed them is Eagle Pack. Not only am I sure that my pets are now much more healthy, but I am saving a great deal of money, since one bag lasts for about a month for four cats!

T.J. Dunn, the veterinarian founder of thepetcenter.com collaborates these results in dogs. The dogs that are fed the cheaper brand names, which Dunn says are sometimes the most popular brand names, are not as healthy, have a great deal more waste, and cost their owners more money in food expenses. Though many veterinarians recommend a homemade diet, for owners that cannot make their own meals, let alone their pet's, natural dry foods like Eagle Pack are certainly the way to go.