On a more serious note

In light of the continuing avalanche of announcements withdrawing pet products from the market because of contaminated ingredients (now some dog biscuits have been added to the growing list), it is important to remind pet owners that there are many quality pet foods and treats made with human quality ingredients.
I was recently at a "girls night out" dinner, and we started discussing life expectencies of animals. It has become apparent to me that many of our beloved pets in fact have a shorter life span now than they did many years ago. This, despite the huge advances in veterinary care over the years.
Yes, dogs and cats can undergo treatments for cancer and other diseases. But why is this becoming such a common practice? Why are so many pets falling victim to so-called human diseases? One can think of the common ills of our society...pollution, chemicals, pesticides, immunizations. Commercial pet foods also comes to mind.
Commercial pet foods came to being about 80 years ago. The pet food industry in North America is self-regulated. In Canada, the only regulation is the Labelling Act, which states that the label must contain the name and contact information of the company, whether the product is made for a dog or a cat, and the weight of the product. There are no other standards.
It becomes apparent, then, that the quality of pet food is dependant on the integrity of the companies producing the food. The words "whole chicken" on an ingredient list bring to mind human quality chicken pieces, when in fact it may just mean ground up chicken feathers, beaks, and claws. (after all, they are part of the "whole chicken") What our minds lead us to believe when viewing the television commercials of dogs running through a sun drenched field toward a meaty bowl of food, and the reality of what is actually in that bowl of food, are often different things.
There are many options available to the consumer.
One option is to make our own dog or cat food with natural ingredients. There are many books available on this subject. This is the option that we have chosen with our own dogs, and surprisingly, it takes little time and the costs are quite comparable to purchasing commercial dog foods. One of our dogs is a Giant Schnauzer, who came to us as a puppy with an endless variety of health problems. There was no recourse with the breeder, who declared bankruptcy and moved to another province.
We switched to a preparing our own natural food when she was 2 years old, and she became a different dog. Over the years, we took the results for granted and forgot what an effect the natural diet had on her health. A few years ago, our family took a two week vacation, and switched to commercial dog food to make it easier for our 16 year old son to look after the dogs. When we arrived back home after 2 weeks away, our lovely girl could no longer run and was in pain at the end of every day. Within one week of switching back to her natural diet, she was again running and playing like a puppy. Never again will we underestimate the power of natural foods.
There are many foods (both fresh and frozen) produced locally that will allow the consumer to feed their dogs natural diets without having to forsake the time to prepare it themselves.
Small, local companies using high-end ingredients in small batches produce many of these treats and foods. The ongoing recalls of pet foods and treats is a good reminder of both the value of purchasing locally and the importance of quality. The old maxims are still valid; "you get what you pay for" and "you are what you eat".