“Pet Fooled” Documentary: The Great Debate on Pet Food

Alaska’s journey to raw feeding was not an overnight process. As she was my first dog, I like any other uneducated pet parent nourished her with the typical dog food: dry bits from a large bag and wet, mushy globs from a can. What I initially thought was the best thing I could do for her, was the only thing I knew.

Fast forward a year later, Alaska was nearing her first birthday and the puppy I had was in a declining state of health. She was constantly self-mutilating her precious, snow white fur, had plaque and tartar buildup on her new sets of adult teeth, her stools were out of control, and her energy came and went in short bursts. I knew this all didn’t add up for an 11 month old puppy.

This realization started a long process of research on proper canine nutrition. And I don’t mean the kind of knowledge force-fed to conventional and traditional veterinarians pushing food on the supermarket shelves with 25+ years old guaranteed freshness. I’m talking about species-appropriate nutrition for dogs and cats.

What I would take away from months of continuous research was a mind-opening and life-changing discovery. That’s when I made the switch to raw feeding because the facts present themselves as clear as crystal once you become educated and informed of what your pets need to truly thrive and not just survive.

I watched the hour long documentary Pet Fooled (available on Netflix) recently and it not only confirmed my newfound knowledge in pet nutrition, but also opened my eyes to even deeper, even more complicated concerns. If you’d like to learn a bit more about the pet food industry and why I choose to feed raw, check out my previous posts Food for Dogs & Cats – The Natural Way, What Your Dog’s Diet May Be Missing, and Don’t Be a Blind Consumer When Buying Pet Food.

So what I came to realize after watching the show and seeking a few insights from my fellow raw feeding friends was that while it is no secret where and how big pet food conglomerates like Mars Petcare Inc. (Pedigree, Iams, Whiskas, Royal Canin) and Nestlé Purina PetCare (Fancy Feast, Purina and Purina ONE) source their animal proteins from (roadkill, euthanized animals, waste from factories, D3 and D4 animals, etc), alternative pet food companies that make raw or freeze-dried or dehydrated food also get their animals from the same source. After all, they all operate under the same industry and (loose) regulations.

While there is no doubt that alternative pet food companies are all the rage right now and indeed offer superior ingredients by far when compared to brands like Purina, Blue Buffalo, and Science Diet, the quality of the ingredients is still questionable. We cannot assume that just because the ingredients are without corn, gluten, soy, artificial flavors, colors or preservatives, doesn’t mean that the animal protein is of at least human-grade quality.

If there are alternative pet food companies that indeed source from organic, pasture-raised, grass-fed, wild, or free-range standards, then I’m sure they would proudly boast that right on their packaging or at the least, their website. Now that I am aware of this alarming realization, I will now conduct more thorough research of commercial brands and products to continue to make sure I am feeding the best food possible.

Question: If any of you have watched the documentary, what did you think? And what’s your point of view of the commercial pet food debate?