Toxic Treats For Pets

Apr 24, 2012 by Rosemary

You would never buy them if you knew they were toxic and yet the FDA has issued repeated warnings over the years, cautioning consumers about toxic chicken jerky (strips, tenders, etc) from China. But it’s not just chicken jerky you need to be concerned about. You can review the complete list of food recalls from the FDA website.
Most recently, toxic dog treats include sweet potatoes, also from China. The suspected toxin is a pesticide, phorate, that is a neurotoxin to insects but a nephrotoxin (poisons kidney tissue) to animals. Concern extends not only to the dogs who eat the treats but also to the people who handle the treats.

Follow these simple rules when selecting treats for your pet.
1. Buy USA manufactured and packaged foods.
2. Keep it simple. Fewer ingredients and less processing are generally better. For example, RealMeatTreats.com carries a line of treats that are 95% meat without antibiotics, hormones, preservatives, colors or additives.
3. Avoid smoked bones or smoked treats, plastic or nylon bones, rawhide chews and other strange looking non-natural ingredients. All contain toxins or artificial ingredients that may cause digestive issues, choking hazards, kidney failure or cancer.
4. Avoid grains, sugars, colorings and preservatives. Those bright colored biscuits or cute shapes have nothing to do with good health or clean teeth.

You can always have a little fun and make your own treats (like Gracie’s Favorite Salmon Treats) or give a raw meaty bone. Your dog will thank you and you can rest assured that the treat will be as intended . . . a good treat!

As always, take preventive measures daily to avoid and remove toxins. We use activated liquid zeolite. Learn more here http://RosemarysSolutions.com/zeolite.html
Please share your ideas and great finds below.