Natural Pet Food – Home Delivered!

I’m totally into the concept of home delivery services, although I tend to be skeptical of each particular one at first. I always ask myself, how much is it really going to cost? How do I know exactly what I’m getting? Is the service reliable and in good standing with the Better Business Bureau? But in spite of my ingrained wariness, the idea of home delivery (if it’s affordable) remains appealing.

I have a full-time job, two kids, and a commitment to race on a local cycling team, which requires ten to fifteen hours of training each week. I have two acres of constantly encroaching blackberries and rhododendrons—compliments of the rich soil and relatively temperate summers of the Pacific Northwest. I also have two cats and a dog—which all stay mostly indoors. (Of course, this means that their fur, dander, and kibble crumbs also live indoors. I’m into dry Swiffers and lint rollers, too.) That’s a lot of work! You bet home delivery sounds good!

Several years ago, I was contacted by a company that offered home delivery of pet food and other pet products—such as treats, flea medication, catnip toys, and kitty litter. “Do you own pets?” the representative asked me. “Nope,” I said defiantly. Oddly enough, the kindly woman on the other end of the line said, “Are you sure?” Were they casing the neighborhood? Smart, but annoying, I thought. “Yes, I’m sure,” I said. I wasn’t interested in letting the sales pitch continue.

I am particular about what my pets eat. At the time, I purchased my pet food from a local health-food store. I believed in the high quality of the pet food they sold. I know there are a lot of pet foods on the market that contain undesirable rendered by-products, preservatives, additives, non-nutritional fillers, and sodium.

Lisa Wogan, in her article, “You Don’t Live On Junk Food, Why Should Your Pet?” (from the February 2002 Sound Consumer newsletter published by the Puget Consumers Co-op, the largest consumer-owned natural food co-operative in the United States) says, “The FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine and the Association of American Feed Control Officials regulate labels. Under their guidelines, there is no official definition for “natural,” but it is generally construed to mean unprocessed ingredients containing no synthetic or artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. Among natural food producers, the term equals human-grade ingredients (at a minimum) that are easily digested and unlikely to cause allergic reactions. Enzymes, essential fatty acids, live beneficial bacteria and vitamins are often added. It’s important to note that “natural” does not mean organic, although several natural foods use some organic ingredients.”

Having said all this, however, I think it’s possible for pet owners to go overboard as well.