Pet lovers beware: Fido may be eating swill
People love their pets, but even in an era of some pet-food scares, many owners are unaware of the contents of the food they are feeding to their dogs and cats.
So concludes Wellness, a Tewksbury-based natural pet-food brand that commissioned Harris Interact to conduct a poll of 1,305 US adults who own a dog or a cat.
Nearly two-thirds of those who participated in the poll said they believe that they feed their pets as if they were members of their families, yet many pet owners purchase brands made with ingredients unsuitable for pet consumption "including crushed bird beaks and feathers," a publicist for Wellness wrote in an e-mail.
And despite their good intentions, pet owners don't always scrutinize pet food labels as rigorously as they should.
Not surprisingly perhaps, Wellness notes that all the recipes used in its food and puppy treats are made with "human-quality ingredients."
(The pictures accompanying this story were taken from photo galleries that Boston.com has previously posted online.)
The company's press release included a statement from Wellness president Michael Meyer.
“We know that with pets, as with people, you are what you eat, which is why it is so important to understand the ingredients we’re feeding our cats and dogs,” Meyer said in the statement. “We’ve made it our mission to educate dog and cat parents as to what makes a quality ingredient and to empower them to know what they are feeding their beloved animals.”
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)
