Is Homemade Pet Food Safer Than Commercial Pet Food?
Many pet owners are considering the option of feeding their pet a homemade diet. This can be for many reasons, whether they feel guility about feeding their pet out of a bag or are concerned about the quality or safety of commerical pet food. Domesticated pets can become ill from ingesting contaminated food. The source of the food can be from either commerical or home prepared diets. Foodborne illnesses in dogs and cats can be caused by bacterial infection, bacterial toxins, mycotoxins, chemicals, metals and other contaminants. A mycotoxin is a toxin produced by a fungus and estimates suggest that one-quarter of the worlds annual food crop is affected by these tiny molds. In fact, mycotoxin litigation alone has cost the pet food industry an estimated $7 million since 1990. It is important to distinguish the difference between food infections and food poisonings. They are not the same thing despite the fact that some people used the two terms interchangeably. Food infections result from
