Atlanta-Your pet may be taking poison. Channel 11’s sister station WSB-TV found many unusual ingredients in common dog food and cat food sold in grocery stores.

Despite FDA regulations to protect pets, molds, chicken feathers and even euthanasia drugs have been found in some dry and wet cat and dog foods.

"He did a good job. Huh? You did a good job," Niki Mel said of her dog Tito. In 2016, Mael gave them a can of dog food and rushed to the veterinarian. He was one of them. Within 15 minutes, they could barely breathe.

"When we went to the vet, they were drowsy. It must be food, because I didn't give them anything other than food," Mael said.

One of her dog Tallulah is dead.

Later tests in the FDA laboratory showed that canned dog food contains pentobarbital. "The euthanasia solution pentobarbital, which has been found in many pet foods," said Dr. Judy Morgan, a veterinarian and nationally renowned animal advocate.

Morgan said that many pet food companies use contaminated and diseased animals to make meat. "These sick animals may have been euthanized with euthanasia solutions and will not decompose during rendering and cooking," Morgan said.

"We don't know what we are buying. To me, this is unforgivable," said Susan Thixton, a pet food consumer advocate. After her veterinarian told her about her own dog Samantha, she spent ten years researching and advocating for better pet food. "He told me that cancer may be caused by chemical preservatives added to pet food to extend the shelf life," Tixton said.

In addition to preservatives, many pet foods also contain toxins such as mold. Don't be fooled by the packaging: when it says it's real chicken inside, it may just be chicken feathers. "It is a hydrolyzed poultry protein product, so pet owners cannot tell if chicken feathers are in the food," Morgan said.

The FDA regulates pet food, but it does not always take action against violators, nor does it always alert consumers to possible problems. The FDA rejected our request for a camera interview.

"We are not asking them to take a rabbit out of their hat and do something that will cost a lot of money. We are just asking for law enforcement," Tixton said.

The Pet Food Institute, which represents pet food manufacturers, said the industry follows strict safety and health guidelines. They issued this statement:

"Pet owners have multiple choices when choosing food for their dogs and cats. Pet food manufacturers work in-house and with their raw material suppliers to ensure safety. As the sole source of nutrition for many American dogs and cats, pet food The members of the Institute (PFI) are seriously responsible for providing safe and nutritionally balanced pet food. This includes working closely with their supply chain, regularly auditing suppliers, and setting strict raw material specifications.

In addition to these steps, pet food is also one of the most strictly regulated foods in the United States, including at the federal and state levels. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is a national food safety law that ensures a proactive food safety approach and requires all US pet food manufacturers to implement good manufacturing practices, take necessary safety precautions, and maintain written food safety plans. Pet food ingredients are also defined and regulated at the federal or state level.

When creating a complete and balanced formula that provides comprehensive nutrition, pet food manufacturers consider various factors when choosing ingredients. Some considerations include the nutritional content, the taste of the pet, and the preference of the pet owner. The final information on food nutrition and composition can be found on the strictly regulated pet food label, which includes a complete list of ingredients in descending order of weight and a nutritional adequacy statement. "

Every animal advocate who has spoken to our sister station WSB-TV said that you'd better shop in local boutique pet stores that offer raw food and human-grade food. Victoria Park started her own boutique business in East Atlanta Village after changing the diet of her dog Harley to fight skin diseases. "I didn't notice an improvement until a few weeks later," Parker said.

She said that turning your pet into human food may require multiple attempts, especially since many regular pet foods contain addictive ingredients. "They added a lot of artificial salt and sugar to make animals addicted to this food," Parker said.

Animal advocates say that all these additives combined with chemicals and toxins can cause serious health problems. "All these toxins we see in pet food can cause more cancer. Molds and toxins can cause liver failure in our pets," Morgan said.

Exposure to euthanasia drugs in pet food not only makes them sick, it also kills them. Nikki Mael's case prompted her to recall the brand she used. But she and others say that euthanized animals are still being slaughtered to feed pets. "It makes people aware of what is happening in dog food, but I think as far as the FDA is concerned, no action has been taken," Mael said.

At the same time, Mael no longer buys canned dog food. "Honestly, I would say take the time to do it yourself. You just don't know what's out there," Mael said.

A woman recorded a mobile phone video showing piles of animal carcasses waiting to be rendered in the middle of the night to obtain pet food.

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