It is extremely important to watch what type of food you feed your pets. There are occasionally instances where certain types of food become contaminated or are just plain not healthy for your pets to be eating. You can easily find information concerning these products online and in consumer reports. In this article we’re going to discuss the Diamond Pet Food recall and the danger it poses to your pets.
Pet Food Recall
Diamond pet food was recently recalled due to its pet food products being contaminated with a chemical called Aflatoxin. Aflatoxin is actually a byproduct of fungus growth from the fungi known as Aspergillus Flavus. This toxin is usually produced on crops during extremely high temperatures and drought.
There are a lot of serious health problems that arise when a pet ingests Aflatoxin. Some dogs may suffer from liver ailments, failure, and possibly even death from this toxic chemical. Most of the animals that have been diagnosed with having Aflatoxin in their bodies have died.
Common Pet Illnesses
There are some common illnesses that some dogs may display after eating contaminated Diamond pet food. Some dogs will experience a loss of appetite, severe bloody diarrhea, vomiting, and yellow eyes. Some dogs are known to run high fevers as well and have an usual color to their urine.
While the problem posed by this contamination of Diamond pet food has caused a lot of damage it is a pretty rare occurrence. The Diamond name brand has been making pet food for almost 35 years and this is the first instance of contamination that has popped up in the whole time the company has been running. This is why it is so crucial to make sure that you check into the pet food company you are using to feed your pets with and make sure there haven’t been any recalls or other health related news.
Just about all pet food labels mention that this particular product contains at least one whole grain or processed grain in the food. Some brands of pet food have more than one type of grain that is used in its formula. It’s important to do some research and make sure that the company you by pet food from is getting their grains from a major supplier who tests their grains to make sure they are of the highest quality and that they are safe for your pet’s consumption. This will help reduce the risk of your dog or cat getting poisoned by Aflatoxin.
Some pet food companies like Diamond pet food use corn in their dog food, which is of some concern. These companies tend to put corn in their cat food as well, but cats have a much easier time digesting the corn than dogs do. Some dogs are even allergic to corn. Although corn is a grain it poses little to no nutritional benefit for a dog, as the corn passes right through. Most companies simply use corn as a means to save money and as a filler in the dog food itself.
It’s also important to make sure that you always check the date on the bag of your pet’s food as well. Unless there is a controlled environment for your pet food to be stored in, you can guarantee it will go bad eventually. Make sure you keep a close eye on the expiration date and don’t feed your dog food that is outdated. Doing the right type of research and spending a little extra time shopping for the highest quality pet food you can find will help lengthen your pet’s life instead of shortening it.