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With all the recent and argumentative pet food recalls, it is no wonder that pet owners have preferred making homemade dog food for their furry friends in lieu of commercial and, quite possibly, bad dog food and cat food considered as contaminated. So what's all the fuss about? What horrible things can bad contaminated dog food do to your canine companion, and more importantly, what can you do to prevent it? Just what is in these supposedly nutritionally balanced meals that has got animal lovers in an uproar?

People are discouraged from consuming too much canned goods for various health reasons. The same holds true for dogs.

Moist dog food is packed in cans. You can just visualize all the unnatural ingredients injected into the whole package, mostly to intensify flavors, enhance palatability, and even improve appearance.

What's truly disconcerting is the truth that animal by-products, the main components of pet food, are already bombarded with chemicals long before they reach the processing plant. So even if the can's label provides a different information, there's really nothing like a 'No Preservatives'4 guarantee.

Dry dog food is even worse. Since canning in itself is already a preserving process, moist dog food contains less of the contaminated materials used to prolong shelf life compared with its dry counterpart.

A different predicament is the ingredients themselves, usually meat, poultry, and grains. Anything that is known to be harmful for people to eat, such as innards, blood, and bones, make up the by-products that are ground and blended into what we know as pet food. In reality, they are bad dog food.

The thing is, it is not always slaughtered animals that make their way into these meals; but oftentimes, diseased carcasses and euthanized creatures are included also. And the drugs and bacteria like Salmonella and Escherichia coli thriving in these meats do not always die during manufacturing.

Furthermore, when moldy grain is thrown in, as well as all the other artificial ingredients the numbers of which are too many to count with both hands, you then have a lethal canine cocktail. It doesn't take a nutrition expert to know that this spells disaster for the end user, i.e., innocent little Fido.

Injuirous outcome of bad dog food include vomiting, diarrhea, and loss of appetite. But that's just for starters. The more dangerous toxins, like cf1 butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and ethoxyquin, which are all given in small doses, can cause cancer, organ failure, and ultimately, death when consumed over a long period.

So what can you, the dog owner, do about all this? Voice your concerns. Call pet food manufacturers and demand for better quality products so you get what you've paid for. Better yet, try making your own homemade dog food. At least then, you can be sure about what your beloved pet is actually eating. If you have any doubts on the food you're feeding your dog, consult your veterinarian immediately.

Your loving and dedicated pet deserves more than just a mouthful presence of contaminated bad dog food. Don't you think it's time you showed him just that?