Pet food and animal testing

Following a lot of interest in my article “Be your own test subject and while your at it, wear your own fur” I did that google thing and found some interesting stuff about pet foods. In an article on Animal Rights Africa they claim that some of our best known brands in SA are actually the worst in terms of their testing.

“….Slick advertising campaigns that promote a caring image obscure a reality of suffering and exploitation.” - Sounds familiar….

“ARA is determined to work with other animal protection groups to persuade the companion animal food industry to clean up its act. ARA supports and promotes the BUAV’s new No Animal Testing Pet Food Standard. For companies to qualify, they have to prove that neither they nor their suppliers are engaged in animal testing that harms animals: that means no invasive laboratory experiments or keeping animals in captive laboratory or kennel conditions for lengthy periods of time – conditions that cannot fulfil their physical and psychological needs.

Many animal food companies issue unreliable and incomplete statements regarding their testing practices and the conduct of their suppliers”

They name these as no-go brands:

• IAMS / Eukanuba owned by Procter & Gamble
• Hills Science Diet owned by Colgate Palmolive The majority of pet food brands available in the UK are produced by two animal testing companies – “Nestlé Purina/Friskies” and “Pedigree, Masterfoods (Mars Inc).”
• Nestlé Purina/Friskies: Alpo, Bonio, Felix, Go Cat, Gourmet, Omega Complete, Proplan, Spillers, Vital Balance, Winalot.
• Pedigree, Masterfoods (Mars Inc): Bounce, Cesar, Chappie, Frolic, James Wellbeloved, Katkins, Kitekat, Pal, Pedigree Chum, Royal Canin, Sheba, Techni-cal (US & Canada), Whiskas. Pedigree also manufacture Thomas rabbit food and Trill bird food.

and provide this list of suitable alternatives (note SA telephone numbers) :

And then because it’s Friday and you made it this far down the article

For the girls:

And the guys:

Tags: animal testing, PETA, Public service