HIGH PRIORITY GUEST POST!!
Originally posted by Susan Thixton on TruthAboutPetFood, January 4, 2015, and re-posted here with permission.

The Pet Food Test Results

Association for Truth in Pet Food announces the publication of The Pet Food Test Results. This history making project is all thanks to some very determined pet food consumers. What we found is truly shocking and sad.

There is nothing much to say – the results speak for themselves. But – and this is significant – the test results are ONLY the first step. The next very significant step is to write your state and federal representatives and ask them to investigate the condition of pet food. No petitions (please) – representatives in government need to receive hundreds of thousands of personal messages directly from pet food consumers demanding change. Information is provided below the results on how to contact your Representatives in Washington, D.C. Your state government website will provide information on how to contact your particular State Representatives. After you read the results – please take the time to email all of your federal and state government representatives.

The Pet Food Test results are provided 3 ways…

– An infographic easy to share in social media overview of the results;
– A two page easy to print overview of the results;
– The full Pet Food Test Results.

Below is the image infographic overview of the results…

Please share this image with other pet food consumers on social media and email to your government representatives. (To download or view the above image in a separate window, just click on it.)

(Here) is the two page easy to print overview of our test results… PetFoodTestPrintable Please share this document with other pet food consumers and email to your government representatives.

And finally, (here) is the full Pet Food Test Report… PetFoodTest. Please share this document with other pet food consumers and email to your government representatives.

To contact your Representatives in Washington, D.C. – Click Here. Visit your State’s website to contact your State Representatives.

Example letter to be sent:

Consumers recently raised the funds to test 12 of the most widely-purchased brands of pet foods sold in the U.S. and Canada. What was found in this consumer funded testing were violations of pet food regulations (nutrient imbalances), dangerously high levels of mold (mycotoxins), and very concerning bacterial contamination (bacteria determined by the FDA and CDC to be antibiotic-resistant).

Consumers pay an estimated $1 billion dollars a year to states in sales tax revenue (for pet food purchases alone). Please explain to me what consumers are getting in return for that revenue?

Pet food consumers have been complaining about the condition of pet food since the 2007 pet food recall, complaints have fallen on deaf ears. For more than seven years consumers have waited on FDA to find the lethal contaminant of Chinese jerky treats – FDA has provided us nothing. In 2007 Congress told FDA to establish pet food ingredient standards and definitions, processing standards of pet food and provide updated standards for the labeling of pet food. This work was required – by Congress – to be completed by September 2009. More than five years after the deadline – consumers still wait for the FDA. I ask you, how much longer should consumers wait for safe pet food?

Testing of pet food that should have been performed by tax dollar supported regulatory authorities was done by consumers. Now, consumers – myself – are asking you Why? How? could pet food pose such a serious risk to the pets that consume it and the humans that handle it?

Please read every page of our Pet Food Test Report – you can do that here: http://associationfortruthinpetfood.com/the-pet-food-test-results/.

I await your response on this very concerning issue.

Sincerely,

[your name]

Association for Truth in Pet Food wishes to thank everyone for their donation of money or time to this history making project. Let us all hope it is future changing as well.

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
Association for Truth in Pet Food

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My friends, if you own pets, you owe it to yourself to tell your government representatives how disappointed you are in the current deplorable condition of the pet food industry. Safety standards are nearly nonexistent – in 2013 alone, there was a pet food or treat recall EVERY 11 DAYS!

That’s pathetic.

And the food products themselves go beyond unhealthy to downright dangerous. Feline life expectancy has been shrinking for over a decade. Obesity is now at epidemic levels for both cats and dogs, and many other preventable diseases are on path to follow. The Banfield Pet Health Report five-year statistics show dramatic increases in the following diseases:

– Obesity jumped 90%.
– Arthritis diagnoses swelled 67%.
– Incidents of hyperthyroidism rose 19%.
– Diabetes mellitus grew 16%.
– Kidney disease multiplied 15%.

Why are these diseases – every one of which has been linked to diet – on the rise?

Now is the time to demand answers and improvement. Please take a few minutes and contact your representatives! And please share with your friends, family and colleagues. We have a opportunity for change here, let’s seize it!

 

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