Food Allergies on the Rise

In the 3 1/2 years Cooper’s Way has been in business, I’ve been hearing about numerous dogs with food allergies. I myself suffer from eczema that wouldn’t clear up. I had some blood work done & found that I am allergic to so many foods (some I love, some I’ve never eaten) that it’s virtually impossible to find prepared foods that are safe for me. Everything I eat now, I make myself at home. BORING! One of the things I have also learned, is how difficult it is for dog owners to find healthy, nutritious foods & treats that are safe for their dogs. Many of us are savvy enough to read the labels. The scary part is what companies DON’T have to put on their labels. For example, lets take Chicken Jerky treats. Most companies “dry” the chicken on a conveyor belt that goes through different chemical baths (40 minutes vs. our 30 hrs). Then, according to the 2 major USA made companies, they add Vegetable Glycerin. When I asked why, the standard response (actually it was verbatim from both companies…scary) was it is used to “make it more palatable for the dogs”. Now for the eye opener here….none of this needs to be on the label. So you think you are getting a plain piece of unadulterated chicken, but your not. So what are people doing to avoid their dogs food allergens? Probably what I’m doing, cooking everything from scratch, which can be very time consuming, but necessary. There are blogs out there for people to connect with others going through the same thing, and their support, information & resources are invaluable. If you know of any websites or blogs that others would be interested in, please post them on our website so they can benefit from your experiences. Just go the the bottom of our homepage and write it in comments. This is one major reason why I started Cooper’s Way. I wasn’t satisfied that the jerky didn’t contain residual chemicals. And vegetable glycerin? Not with Cooper’s sensitive stomach. I couldn’t find a plain piece of dehydrated chicken breast to save my life. We are so careful to avoid cross contamination of chicken to pork, that even the release agent on the racks is made by us. We use chicken fat for chicken & pork fat for pork. FYI – the sweet potatoes don’t need any release agent. Everything is sanitized after each use. All food safety procedures are followed. I don’t want Cooper to get sick, after all he is quality control and must taste every batch we make. And I definitely don’t want your precious pup to get ill either. I wish you all the best on the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. May everyone stay safe, happy & healthy!! Warmest wishes Vicki, Ken & Cooper