Politically Correct Pet Food

TV commercials both amuse me and get under my skin. Just today on RFD TV I saw an ad for something you can give your horse if they are suffering from memory loss. I am not the horse person in our family and I never claim to be an expert, however, nearly every horse I have ever been around has suffered from memory loss at different times. I am also certain that no drug will help with the memory loss I have seen in horses. That ad amused me, although it does concern me because it is further proof that we are projecting human problems and intelligence onto animals. That is another topic for another day.

Soon after that on one of the major networks I saw a pet food ad that really got under my skin. It proclaimed that their pet food was completely GMO free. It is not the first time I have seen dog food make the claim of being GMO free and it is not the first time this claim has made my blood pressure go up, this marketing campaign is wrong on so many levels and screams of “first world” problems.

Don’t misunderstand me, if you want to buy expensive food for your “fur baby” go right ahead. I am a dog person too and I have a deep attachment to all four of my dogs and I want to give them the best care I can, but I also have a deeper understanding that they are animals and not to project too many human qualities on them.

The idea that they are strictly carnivores is funny. Follow my dogs around for a day and you quickly discover they are closer to omnivores. Yesterday I caught Killer, the cow dog, eating out of the show lambs feed trough. I find that kind of funny, here is this big tough cow dog eating out of the sheep bunk while the lambs watch from the shade. That alone dispels the notion that Killer is a pent up, top of the food chain predator. Closer inspection of evidence left lying around the farmstead (and too often on the bottom of my boots) reveals that all four dogs have some preference for corn in their diet.

If you want to feed your dog an all meat diet, then that is between you and your dog. However, my guess is that if he was a smart as you think he is and could talk to you, he would request some plant based sustenance in his diet too. It is a free world and you can spend as much as you want too on your pets.

What really got my goat (kind of a funny and ironic way to talk about dog food) was the claim that it is GMO free. This claim really gets me going when we are talking about human food. I think this is exclusively a first world problem, even in human food but especially in pet food. In fact, this takes first world problem to a whole new level. We wonder why the rest of the world looks at us with disdain and then we do things like advertise GMO free pet food.

It really upsets me that food processors would profit off people’s fears about GMOs and in many ways, perpetuate those fears to sell more product or sell products at a higher price point. Make no mistake, that is what they are doing when they advertise GMO free products. Sure, there is a segment of the market and consumer that have asked for it but many would not care one way or the other if left on their own. When they do see the GMO free they automatically associate it with being healthier and buy it regardless of price. They do so without having done any research or understanding the facts. Now this slimy marketing has oozed down to our dog food aisles.

Yes, I understand it is a free world and a freer market, people can believe anything they choose and they are also free to project those beliefs onto their pets. I do find it as further proof that we are slowly losing a battle in which we are right but have the uphill fight against false information, marketing and misconceptions. GMO crops are safe for people and pets, period, I dare you to present me with credible proof otherwise.

While the claim of being GMO free is amusing when talking about dog food, it is systemic of a deeper problem our society has. We are prone to knee jerk, emotional beliefs that are not at all based in sound science. That is why those of us who know the facts and make a living growing GMOs must continue to educate the average consumer about the safety of GMO crops, even (and maybe especially) when it comes to Rover’s food dish.