I, Rex, THE original Hipster Hound, love to EAT! It’s basically my favorite thing. But when it comes to our food, us dogs don’t have any say over what we eat. So it’s our human’s responsibility to choose a food that will provide us with a proper diet and nutrition. Our parents also need to ensure that they’re selecting safe products that are sourced with good quality ingredients.
With that being said, many pet parents have had growing concerns about dog food made in China, due to inspection reports coming to light and mass recalls over the past several years. With everything we know today about the Chinese pet food market, many dog parents have been hyper-aware of pet foods made or sourced in China.
Facts about Dog Food Made in China
- China has no comprehensive laws or regulations regulating pet food manufacturing.
- China has no punishment for wrongdoers when it comes to pet food safety.
- China’s pet food has been under scrutiny for other things, too.
- China is the third-largest pet food importer in the U.S.
- The FDA doesn't inspect China's pet food imports.
- “Made in the USA” doesn't mean that all the ingredients were from the U.S. because ingredients can still be sourced from China to be considered “Made in the USA.”
- Pet food companies aren't obligated to tell you where they source their ingredients from.
Illness and Death
For almost two decades, dog food made in China has been linked to a series of yet unexplained sicknesses and deaths among dogs in the U.S. Pet illnesses directly tied to the consumption of chicken, duck, and vegetable jerky treats made in China have been found to be contaminated with a highly toxic pesticide known as phorate.
Phorate is an extremely toxic organophosphorus compound and is among the most poisonous chemicals commonly used for pest control. It is used in agriculture as a pesticide, and phorate is actually identified by the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) and Californians for Pesticide Reform (CPR) as one of the “most toxic” set of pesticides known in the world. Phorate’s presence in any food item is a disturbing indication that food of any kind imported from China could pose a risk to the health and safety of dogs AND to the humans handling them.
What Can You Do?
The best thing dog parents can do is educate themselves. Go online, research dog brands, find out where their ingredients are really from, and ask the manufacturer for a list of ingredients. Buying dog food from brands that are known for their quality control, integrity, and lack of recalls is the best way to take control of what you’re truly feeding your furry friend.
Final Thoughts
At The Hipster Hound, we pride ourselves on only carrying natural foods manufactured by independent pet food companies from the U.S. and New Zealand with responsibly sourced ingredients. All the foods we carry are wheat, corn, and soy-free. We carry both grain-free and grain inclusive foods, as well as single-source protein formulas.
The name of the game is transparency at The Hipster Hound. We would never sell our customers anything that we wouldn’t feed to our own dogs. Shop online or stop by our retail shop on Diamond Causeway to see all that we offer and WOOF with our trained staff about any food questions you may have!
Woof,
Rex, The Original Hipster Hound
Leave a comment