Protect Your Pet: More Shocking Facts to Consider

by Ann N. Martin

Book Overview

Ann Martin continues her thorough investigation of pet-related issues, revealing more shocking facts. Carefully and methodically, Martin explains the ongoing problems with most commercial pet foods. She also builds a strong case against the popular raw meat diets, and questions yearly vaccinations, making a convincing link between increased cancer in pets and overvaccination. Protect Your Pet includes healthy recipes, alternative choices, and solid...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0939165422
• ISBN13: 9780939165421
• Release Date: May 2001
• Publisher: NewSage Press
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.8" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Eye-opening book!

I purchased this book before I got my 2nd Australian Shepherd puppy. I wanted to do "everything" right for her. This book has really made me think about the food my pets eat and also about their vaccinations. I suggest that every person who owns and cares about their pets to read this book. Either you agree with what she says or you dont, but Ann (the author) does have a lot of people backing her opinions up. She has ALL of their names/contact info in the back of her book for references. You just cant doubt what she says by the way she documents herself. I even purchased this book for Christmas gifts this year for 2 of my family members. BUY IT!

A MUST READ!!!

This is by far one of the best books I have ever read on the subject of pet food. Anybody who has a companion animal in their life should read this book. Ann Martin starts off the book explaining what has led her to doing this investigation and the many years of research that led up to writing this book--and also her first book, "Food Pets Die For". From page one, Ms. Martin makes a credible argument about why people should know more about this topic. Throughout this book, Ms. Martin writes about the past 12 years of research that included interviewing different organizations and people about the topic of pet food. She goes into great detail about her different request to both the US and Canadian governments and pet food industry groups to get more information. Most of these requests end up as dead ends. From here, Ms. Martin does her own research by starting with veterinarian clinics, hospitals and kill shelters asking the simple question of "where do these euthanized animals go from here...?" When she gets that answer, she goes to that source and asks the same questions. In all cases, the trail goes to pet food and livestock food manufacturers. I already knew the main ingredients of kibble when I borrowed this book from my library. I was more interested in learning more about the BARF (bones and raw food) diet. From the other reviews on this book, I thought that Ann Martin would provide a non-biased viewpoint on this topic--as it seems that most people are very divided on the subject of BARF diets. Even though my interest was primarily on BARF diets and even though I already knew what pet food is made from, it was good to read about one person's investigative experience that spanned over 12 years. I also read "Food Pets Die For". Between these two books, I preferred this book because of the new information on the BARF diet, vaccinations, puppy mills and the animal fur business. I had also already done a considerable amount of research on these topics as well and I found Ms. Martin's information to be in line with everything I already knew about these industries. Our beloved 13 year old Chihuahua, Yoda passed away about two weeks ago at UC Davis Veterinary Hospital. When deciding what to do with his remains, we discussed the options with the Hospital staff. We were given the option of letting the hospital "handle his remains". I then ask how they "handle" the remains. I was told that "Yoda would be sent to a rendering plant, where he undergoes a 'chemical process' and then sent to a landfill for burial". The hospital staff worker went on to explain that we could be assured that "...Yoda certainly would not end up as pet food, as this is an urban legend." The next day, I did a quick google search on "rendered dog landfill California". The first link that popped up was a report in PDF format from Los Angeles County. Here is the first paragraph from this report: What happens to the bodies of animals that are euthanized a

Things the pet food industry doesn't want people to know

Protect Your Pet: More Shocking Facts by pet care consultant Ann N. Martin is a sobering compendium of things the pet food industry doesn't want people to know. From the tenuous state of pet food regulations to the latest on mad cow disease and pet food, Protect Your Pet offers a severe criticism of what goes into your beloved animal companion's bowl, and what you can do about it. Other chapters address hazards such as over-vaccination, cancer in animals, human cruelty against animals, and other concerns in this first-rate, highly recommended information resource for true pet lovers.

Essential reading

If you share your life with animals you owe it to them to buy and read this book. Ann Martin did all of us an enormous service when she exposed the sordid truth about the commercial pet food industry in 'Food Pets Die For'. Now she has written the logical sequel to that book. 'Protect Your Pet' is thoroughly researched, well written and logically constructed, and no one who reads it will ever again be able to feed their animals on commercial pet food - even the so-called 'premium' brands' - with equanimity.There is a growing movement towards feeding companion animals 'naturally'as an essential component of the promotion of overall health. For many, this has meant adoption of raw meat or 'BARF' diets (diets composed wholly or in large part of raw, meaty bones). In a particularly well-argued chapter, Ann Martin questions the wisdom of these diets, allowing both veterinary professionals and pet owners who have been raw feeders but have abandoned the practice, to explain in their own words why they feel that raw feeding is both undesirable and, ultimately, dangerous. For many who are inclined to a holistic view of animal care, raw feeding has been almost an article of faith. Ann Martin has courageously and convincingly tackled this assumption, and for this alone she deserves a resounding thank you. But the book goes beyond the immediate question of day-to-day feeding and examines other ways in which our pets' health may be compromised from within, for example by the excessive use of vaccines. It is becoming recognized within the veterinary profession that the practice of administering annual re-vaccinations or 'boosters' is neither desirable nor harmless. (Kirk's Current Veterinary Therapy states "A practice that was started many years ago and that lacks scientific validity or verification is annual revaccinations. Almost without exception there is no immunologic requirement for annual revaccination. Immunity to viruses persists for years or for the life of the animal." ) Ann Martin has pulled together a great deal of evidence to demonstrate powerfully that over-vaccination is directly damaging to the health of animals. This is a wonderful book, a real tour de force. Buy it. Your pets will thank you.

Should be required reading for every pet owner!

In Food Pets Die For, Ann Martin gave pet owners the shocking facts about the quality (rather, the lack of quality) of the ingredients in commercial pet food. One thing is clear from her new book: the situation has not improved. Pet food manufacturers continue to use highly questionable raw materials in their products that include drugs, hormones, diseased livestock, and the carcasses of euthanized pets collected from shelters and animal clinics. That's right. Euthanized dogs and cats are part of the mix in the meat meal used in kibble. Her investigatory revelations of pet food and regulatory deficiencies give us a clear picture as to why chronic disease among our companion animals is so widespread. If you think you are getting sirloin steak in those bags or cans of dog and cat food, think again. What you are getting is something unfit for human consumption that has been doctored by food magicians so your pet will eat it. Read Ann Martin. You'll never believe another pet food commercial again. And you'll learn how to feed your pet healthy.