Food Pets Die For: Shocking Facts About Pet Food

One of my cats died far too young of cancer. I always wanted all four of them to eat better but advertising has scared us to death of giving our pets anything good for them. Thanks to Ms. Martin's book, I now cook for my other three cats. They are thriving. (The difference in their coats, demeanor, etc. was obvious almost immediately. If you don't cook, there are natural brands, with real meat, on the market like Innova and PetGuard to name just two.) It's hard to get people to change, I suppose, but if you want additional information, please also read THE NATURE OF ANIMAL HEALING by Martin Goldstein, D.V.M. Not only does he back up Ms. Martin's findings, being a vet, he's able to explain in great detail the health implications of poor diets. Apparently, he sees it every day in his practice. There are other books here at Amazon.com on the subject which I haven't read yet.

As to raw vs. cooked, there really are two very distinct opinions on this. Animals do eat raw food in the wild. And Dr. Goldstein eventually switched to raw (organic, however). I intend to do so when I figure out how. Ms. Martin home-cooks. Meanwhile, home-cooked is certainly better than BY-PRODUCTS. By the way, BY-PRODUCTS are essentially anything people can't/won't eat such as beaks, feathers, feet, and other sickening things I won't mention, plus the already mentioned diseased animals, road kill, restaurant grease and our euthanized pets. Ms. Martin wrote this book as a result of pet food sickening her own animals (she has independent lab tests showing why). I hope you will read the book, then decide for yourself. We owe it to our wonderful pets who give so much and ask for so little in return.


A MUST READ for all veterinarians, and for all pet owners!   June 1, 2000
L. Scott Meade (Burke, VA United States)
85 out of 87 found this review helpful

I put off reading this book for a long time, fearing that it would be sensational. It IS sensational, but in the positive sense! Ms. Martin has carefully researched her subject and has presented it with diligent documentation to back up her shocking disclosures.

Cats and dogs in pet food? How can this be? Ms. Martin explains how domestic pets, zoo animals, and road kill end up in pet food, along with many other ingredients unfit for human consumption.

No wonder our pets die so young! I started feeding fresh foods nearly 8 years ago, and my dogs are living longer, healthier lives because of it. After reading Ms. Martin's book, I now know exactly why I have been feeding fresh food.

We all believe that the "government" regulates everything and ensures safety and efficacy. Not so with pet foods, where the only regulation is voluntary industry-based regulation. The definitions and permissable ingredients are clearly laid out and explained in this book. Knowing the definition of "brewers rice" or "byproducts" is important. I find myself referring back to this book over and over to look up definitions of label ingredients, as I help other pet owners sort out their companions' diets.

There are some good brands of pet food, that use healthy ingredients. This book will help you recognize those brands by reading the labels, so that even if you choose not to cook for your pet(s), you can provide a health diet.

I do wish that Ms. Martin had eschewed the recipes and instead referred readers to other books for guidance on feeding a fresh raw diet to their companion animals. But that section will not stop me from recommending this book to everyone I know.

My own veterinarian, who has been advocating fresh raw diets for more than a decade, thought he knew a lot about pet food. After he read this book, he told me he was shocked at what he learned. I wish that EVERY veterinarian in the US would read this book. Then they might have greater success in curing the ills of their patients.

This book will help pet owners provide a better diet and improved health for their animal companions. Three cheers for the courage and dedication of Ms. Martin to researching and writing this book!


If you love your animals, this is a "must read"!   April 8, 1999
Brenda McBride (mcbride@westdata.com) (Calabasas, California - USA)
41 out of 42 found this review helpful

Ms. Martin is one of those people who just won't quit. She won't be quiet, she won't be stopped. Nothing has been spared in her search for the truth in what is going into our pet's food. (And I'm sure there are those who would prefer her to be less industrious.) I could only read about 4 or 5 pages at a time, as I was so sickened to think about how many of my wonderful dogs and cats have died of cancerous growths, and how much I have trusted the pet food industry. If you are really committed to your pet's health, WAKE UP and READ THIS BOOK. Since I have been making my dog's food, as Ms. Martin recommends, the change in their coats, energy, weight, and love of mealtime, has been astounding. And it's easy to do!! Ms. Martin is an angel and is doing something magnificent for our animals.


EXCELLENT - HIGHLY SUGGESTED READ   June 25, 2001
Sarah Delaporte (IL United States)
29 out of 29 found this review helpful

Excellent is an understatement. The author Ann Martin has spent a considerable amount of time researching what is in most commercial pet food (well known commercial food companies). She has written a book complete with endnotes & a bibliography to factualize everything she has written. Any cat or dog owner who loves their animals will want to read this book. Wouldn't any loving cat or dog lover change their pets diet is they found out what they were feeding their animals was harmful to them & may even include euthanized dogs & cats? On page 27, she writes "In later investigations in both the US & Canada, I was to learn that the collars, tags, flea collars, and even plastic bags in which (euthanized) pets are wrapped, are not removed before they are shoved in the rendering pit. Deceased pets were are are being "recycled" into pet food, and pet owners have no knowledge of what is happening." This would also be a great book to buy a copy & pass on to a local veterinarian - perhaps if the word gets out this awful practice can be prevented.


Do you love your pets like they were kids? READ THIS BOOK   March 18, 2004
ega278 (NW Ohio)
28 out of 28 found this review helpful

I love my dog, he's my buddy and I love him dearly. As a loving dog owner I want my buddy to eat good food, like I do. I would love to give him the food I eat, but I've always heard that it can be bad for them so I always purchase the "Premium" dog food for him because the bag says it's healthier for him than the cheaper brands. Like I said, I want my buddy to eat good food.

I AM SO GLAD I SAW THIS BOOK.

It said, "Shocking facts about pet food" Why would there be a book about that? I now know why, and thank you Ann Martin.

All the B.S. on the "big brand" bags of pet "food" can mean pretty much anything at all.

"Yeah right! How can they put something on the bag that's not true? That's false advertising!"

Yep, that's what I thought too, and that is true for human food. If there is any indication that human food has been contaminated or poisoned somehow, there is an immediate recall for safety purposes. BUT, the pet "food" industry is pretty much UNregulated by the government. Basically, the pet "food" industry is in charge of itself! That's as bad as how the government representatives are in charge of whether or not they get a raise for the next year (HELLO! What would you vote?!). The pet "food" industry has such a high profit margin because the "food" they use to make they're products are the leftovers from the human food industry, and animals that weren't fit to be processed for human food which are called 4-D. Dead, Dying, Disabled, Diseased. The most horrendous thing that was discovered is how euthanized animals from kill shelters are disposed of to the rendering plants where they make pet "food", and do so without even removing collars, flea collars, tags, or even the plastic bag they are in before they are thrown in the grinder.

That is just the sickest thing I have ever heard, and the worse part of that, the drug that is used as poison to KILL animals is recycled back into the pet "food". I WILL NOT FEED MY DOG POISON. Also, in the book it shows the requirements for the different nutritional values for protein, fat & fiber are so UNregulated that they could be qualified as "leather, crandshaft oil & sawdust". This goes for both dry and canned "food". Ann also says that alot of the "fiber" in the "food" isn't only from sawdust, but ground peanut shells too. This is completely unacceptable.

I'm not going to feed my buddy what I wouldn't eat. I wouldn't even feed him chicken nuggets from fast food places after what I found out about how they are made, I won't touch one again. Not the ones that you can actually see the meat fibers, but the ones that are just a pressed meat product.
Ann also lists a few different companies that actually make pet FOOD starting with human grade materials, or food that is regulated and healthy for US to eat. The day after I finished the book, I went out and got some of this good FOOD and threw out the "food" I was giving my buddy for years. I'm so glad I saw this book.

So actually, I could have been feeding my buddy my food, and it would have been a whole lot better for him that that "waste" I was feeding him before. She also has many recipes for homecooking for your animals, which is good, but my wife says that some of these recipes can cause weight gain, and I agree because there are too many "bad carbs" included in them. We know this info from Dr. Atkins! I would say just stay away from giving them all that rice and pasta and stuff, and they should be fine.

Ann also brings up how pet "food" companies are owned by the most unlikely corporations. A well known candy bar maker owns 4 of them, a well known chocolate company owns at least 3, and a well known kechup company owns at least 5 others.

If you love your animals like they were your kids, then I don't know how you could feed them waste. PLEASE read this book, you will not be sorry you did. Besides, I would rather support a small operation pet food company that makes quality food, than some big corporation that's just out for your $$.