Dogington Post Releases Kosher for Passover Dog Food List

Via PRWeb - Monday evening begins the observation of Passover, an 8-day celebration of the freedom of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt.

From the evening of March 25 through the evening of April 2, in recognition of the unleavened bread that the Israelites ate when they left Egypt, Jews do not eat – or keep in their possession – any chametz, or grains that can become chametz.

Chabad.org describes chametz as defined by the Torah as any flour of the five species of grain, which is mixed with water and allowed to ferment before being baked. The five species of grain are wheat, spelt, oats, barley and rye.

Chametz may not be consumed on Passover, either by eating it, or dissolving it in water and drinking it, and no benefit may be derived from it. It must be either burned or destroyed of in some manner. Even a minute particle of chametz is forbidden on Passover.

Even if the amount of chametz in a mixture is only 1/1000th of the total, the entire mixture is forbidden as chametz.

“Because dogs are family members, sharing our homes and mealtimes, joining us in celebrations, and because Jews cannot be in possession of these grains during Passover,” said Brandy Arnold, content editor for Dogington Post, “we’ve compiled a list of Passover-approved dog foods that are highly recommended for quality, healthfulness and taste.”

Experts from MyJewishLearning.com explain, “There is at least one halakhic ruling by Rabbi Avraham Danzig, an 18th century rabbinic authority from Vilna, that permits buying regular dog food that doesn’t contain chametz. However, be careful to read the labels and check that what you buy doesn’t contain any wheat, barley or other grains.”

The popular dog news site, which reaches 2.6 million dog families each week, published their Definitive List to reach Jewish readers in time to prepare for Passover.

It is permitted to feed pets kitniyot ― rice, corn, soy beans, etc. ― which some Jews do not eat on Passover. However, Dogington Post does not recommend food for dogs that contains corn, so the site did not include any food with corn on their list of Passover-friendly dog foods.

“There are many dog foods that do not contain grains in them that didn’t make our list,” explained Arnold. “This is the only HEALTHY Kosher for Passover list. We have eliminated companies with a history of recalls or products that include corn – which although permitted in dog food on Passover – is actually bad for your dogs.”

The Dogington Post’s Definitive 2013 Kosher for Passover Dog Food List has been made available to anyone who visits the website.