“Food Pets Die For: Shocking Facts About Pet Food” by Ann N. Martin

Review by Holly Rybinski

Reading this book is a little like eating brussels sprouts – good for our well being, but maybe not the funnest thing in the world. This book left me with mixed feelings of regret for not thinking of these things sooner, and excitement for a healthier future. The subtitle “Shocking Facts” is no exaggeration and this author gets props for her brave and persistent research. Not unlike our own food, we should really understand whatʼs in our dogsʼ food.

I think the number one most shocking thing I learned was that it’s common practice for some food makers to use euthanized pets as “protein” (probably called something interesting like “meat byproduct” on the bag). In other words, pets that have been put down because they are too sick too live are incorporated into living pets’ food. Yikes. Which leads me to my next shocking point – aside from showing the interestingly named ingredients on the label, there are little to no standards for pet food. What a profitable business it must be – collecting free trash, making little nuggets, covering them in preservatives, and shamelessly marketing to the human psyche.

The author recommends making food in your own kitchen for your dog, and she provides many recipes. I totally agree with this, have practiced faithfully since reading the book, and am very pleased I’ve done so. For those who just can’t find the time, she does provide specific names of reputable and non-reputable commercial pet food companies. Luckily, there are some good people out there who have created commercial pet food lines with trustworthy ingredients.