Pet Food S(h/c)am
I just realised something last night about pet food (and more generally, pet products). They usually (almost always) have the warning 'Not fit for human consumption'. For the last seven and a half years, I took the statement for granted without bothering to think about it.
A moment's thought in that direction prompted the question 'why?'. I mean, after all, in theory, it is just cooked meat. Why should meat cooked for animals not be fit for human consumption? I reasoned, perhaps, it has to do with the fact that they put all kinds of meat in it (intestines, brains...). But, people do eat all that. I mean, there is nothing wrong with eating it. In the end, I couldn't think of a convincing answer. I figured, the warning is because pet food manufacturers are not really quality conscious (just found out that there is no quality standard for pet food - even in the US).
It has to be that pet food is just not good enough. But the obvious trump card manufacturers hold is that pets don't usually rebel and 'voice' their opinions. And any long term effect of chemicals and crap in the food is bound to be ascribed to other (invented) factors.
A little online (re-)searching showed me that pet foods contain processessed offals of a variety of (dead) animals - including cats and dogs!! (note, euthanised animals have Sodium Pentabarbitol - u can imagine the effects of its regular ingestion) Pet-food manufacturing methods have been questioned by veterinarians for years now. In fact, home-cooked food is encouraged for pets. And if that isn't possible, at least, regular tid-bits of left-overs - just to get some balance in their (chemical) diet.
I have a dog (teddy) at home. Have had him for the last 7 1/2 years. And all this while, i have (force-)fed him pet food (pedigree, mostly). Fortunately, he gets to eat a lot of junk food too (chocolates, gulab jamuns, chips...). Just beginning to realise that maybe the junk food ain't so junky after all.
Just a final thought - cheating people is one thing (they can atleast rebel). but cheating animals because they can't fight back is just sad.
Yes, such morality has no end, and I know we indulge in a lot of things on a daily basis which aren't exactly great for the other animals on earth. But, at least we do most of it openly with an acceptance of our shortcomings - or are we just fooling ourselves into believing the unavoidability of our actions?
A moment's thought in that direction prompted the question 'why?'. I mean, after all, in theory, it is just cooked meat. Why should meat cooked for animals not be fit for human consumption? I reasoned, perhaps, it has to do with the fact that they put all kinds of meat in it (intestines, brains...). But, people do eat all that. I mean, there is nothing wrong with eating it. In the end, I couldn't think of a convincing answer. I figured, the warning is because pet food manufacturers are not really quality conscious (just found out that there is no quality standard for pet food - even in the US).
It has to be that pet food is just not good enough. But the obvious trump card manufacturers hold is that pets don't usually rebel and 'voice' their opinions. And any long term effect of chemicals and crap in the food is bound to be ascribed to other (invented) factors.
A little online (re-)searching showed me that pet foods contain processessed offals of a variety of (dead) animals - including cats and dogs!! (note, euthanised animals have Sodium Pentabarbitol - u can imagine the effects of its regular ingestion) Pet-food manufacturing methods have been questioned by veterinarians for years now. In fact, home-cooked food is encouraged for pets. And if that isn't possible, at least, regular tid-bits of left-overs - just to get some balance in their (chemical) diet.
I have a dog (teddy) at home. Have had him for the last 7 1/2 years. And all this while, i have (force-)fed him pet food (pedigree, mostly). Fortunately, he gets to eat a lot of junk food too (chocolates, gulab jamuns, chips...). Just beginning to realise that maybe the junk food ain't so junky after all.
Just a final thought - cheating people is one thing (they can atleast rebel). but cheating animals because they can't fight back is just sad.
Yes, such morality has no end, and I know we indulge in a lot of things on a daily basis which aren't exactly great for the other animals on earth. But, at least we do most of it openly with an acceptance of our shortcomings - or are we just fooling ourselves into believing the unavoidability of our actions?
posted by karthik durvasula | 12:01 AM
3 Comments:
I have had home cooked food for the most of the last 23 years. Barring the unfortunate 4 years at the V mess. :)
That explains the 23 years! You do realise it is pretty rare in your species!
Wow!
A totally different article. Where did you find all this stuff? Anyways, it's definitely a good read.
- majanx
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