In this episode, I sit down with Susan Thixton, the powerhouse behind The Truth About Pet Food, to pull back the curtain on what’s really in your pet’s food—brace yourself, it might shock you. Susan opens up about her deeply personal journey into pet food advocacy after losing her beloved dog to cancer, heartbreakingly linked to toxic preservatives in commercial pet food. For nearly two decades, she’s been on a mission to empower pet parents with knowledge about food sourcing, labeling, and transparency. We dive into the critical differences between human-grade and feed-grade pet foods (trust me, you’ll want to know this), the hidden dangers lurking behind those confusing labels, and why human food can actually be the best thing for your pet. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering, “Am I really feeding my pet the best food?” then this episode is an absolute must-listen.

KEY INSIGHTS:

• Susan’s heartbreaking story of losing her dog to bone cancer caused by a chemical preservative still used in pet food today.

• The difference between human grade and feed grade pet food—and why it matters a lot.

• How the term pet grade is often used to disguise feed grade ingredients and why you want to avoid any pet food that is “feed grade”.

• The importance of diversifying your pet’s diet for better gut health and how mixing up their food also helps prevent them getting “stuck” on only wanting to eat one thing.  

• How meal ingredients like chicken meal often come from rendered animal parts unfit for human consumption.

• The hidden dangers of flavoring on pet food labels—and how companies refuse to disclose what’s in it.

• How marketing campaigns convinced pet parents that table scraps are harmful—when fresh food is actually the best choice.

• And how Susan’s list makes it easy to choose high-quality pet food. 

  
  

  RESOURCES:

  Susan Thixton spends months thoroughly researching pet food brands. The List is her carefully curated selection of the highest quality pet foods for cats and dogs in 2025.

  
  

  https://www.truthaboutpetfoodstore.com/the-2025-list/

  
  

  Share it with a friend too if you want to support her research 💜🐶🐱

  
  

  The Truth About Pet Food: https://truthaboutpetfood.com/

  
  FOLLOW:

  
  Integrative Pet Wellness Center on Instagram: @integrativepet

  Dr. Lily Chen on Instagram: @dr.lilychen and @the.unicorn.vet

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