Pet Food Kills Wildlife

Back in 2002, the FDA released a report of their 2-year study/testing finding pentobarbital (the drug used to euthanize animals) in pet food. Their findings were that many brands of pet foods –- purchased right off of store shelves -- contained the euthanizing drug pentobarbital.

With that finding, the FDA began an 8-week test to see if levels of pentobarbital in pet food could be harmful to pets. The FDA testing showed that the amounts of pentobarbital in pet food would not harm pets (even though their study only tested dogs). You should know that the FDA ran their testing on 42 twelve week-old Beagles –- and again the testing was only for 8 weeks.

Pentobarbital was found in many pet foods yet was determined by the FDA not to be harmful to pets.

A recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife report stated pentobarbital is considered an environmental hazard "responsible for the deaths of over 140 Bald and Golden Eagles in recent years -- as well as numerous other wildlife and dogs." Other wildlife named in the report were California Condors, Vultures, Hawks, Wood Storks, Gulls, Crows, Ravens, Bears, Lynxes, Foxes, Bobcats, and Cougars.

This report stated the reason the wildlife was exposed to pentobarbital is from access to euthanized carcasses of farm animals and small animals in land fills. "Poisonings due to accidental feeding of tainted meat to captive animals have also been reported."

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