Organic Dog Food

Plenty Magazine, Sarah Schmidt
Published September 10, 2008

Q. Is organic pet food regulated the same way as organic people food? Should I bother to get it for my dog? -William H., Chesterfield, MO A. The answer to your first question is yes. The USDA’s National Organic Program handles people food and pet food with the exact same set of regulations. Buying organic for your dog will, of course, reduce the amount of pesticide he ingests. But it will also go a long way to help support organic farming, which in turn will help keep pesticides out of lakes, rivers, oceans, and soil. Yay! But if you’re concerned about the chemicals your dog might be taking in, you’d do well to look at more than just his diet. Take a look at your dog’s everyday behavior and you’ll likely see him chewing, licking, and trying to eat all manner of things he comes in contact with. This is almost certainly how Fido ingests most of his daily diet of contaminants, according to a recent report from the Environmental Working Group. ...