Pet Supplement Alert - What to Look for Before You Buy
MSNBC recently ran an article regarding the lack of regulation in the pet supplement industry. I hope this is the first of many news articles on this particular topic.
Seems as though the lack of regulation on pet supplements is allowing the manufacturers to get away with what could potentially be murder. The pet supplement industry needs to be regulated!!!
We know certain pet foods contain ingredients that may be harmful to your pet, but what about other ingestibles, like supplements? Are they safe? Are the labels really indicative of what is actually inside the bottle? According to the MSNBC story, the pet supplements that they tested don’t contain the ingredients they say they do. No surprises, at least to me.
I would love to hear what our readers have to say regarding this topic.
April 12th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
In the end it is all about The Science. Supplement manufacturers need to rely on pet base studies, not studies that are done on humans.
April 12th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
If you want to lobby for more regulation PETA.org is a great place to start. Take a look at their site and get INVOLVED!
April 12th, 2007 at 11:16 pm
The National Animal Supplement Council (NASC), along with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS), have resolved the issue of pet supplements, which are not approved or recognized by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA.)
In September, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship issued a letter to all pet supplement distributors stating, in part, that non-FDA approved pet supplements would no longer be allowed to be sold in Iowa, since doing so would be a clear violation of Iowa feed regulations.
The National Animal Supplement Council (NASC) met with Iowa Department of Agriculture (IDALS) officials, and together a compromise was reached allowing pet supplements to be sold in Iowa only if labeling was changed. The new labeling would not include claims such as dietary or nutritional supplement, or make nutritional guarantees. Pet supplement suppliers are given one year to complete the label changes.
Bill Bookout, President of the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC) stated, “I would like to applaud the work and leadership of Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Patty Judge and the Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Working together, we reached a compromise that benefits all of us. Iowa’s decision will help move other states to encourage the FDA as the responsible regulator and provide guidance that achieves fair and reasonable guidelines nationally.” For additional information, visit the NASC web site: www.nasc.cc