If you go on google and type “poisonous materials used in dog food” there is an actual list. The list includes; melamine, BHA, BHA, Exthoxyquin, propylene glycol, carrageenan, MSG, foody dyes. These are just to name a few. Let’s ask ourselves first, why is this such a popular topic that there is an actual list on google? The second thing you might ask yourself is what the heck these things are?
We discussed melamine in our previous post as it was involved in the biggest pet food recall in our history. The bulk of the remaining items mentioned above are used in kibble in the form of preservatives, cancer causing and organ damaging preservatives. Before we break down a few of these I want to mention there are natural preservatives available that can be used in pet foods. Natural preservatives come from our vitamins C and E and are safe for our dogs to consume. If you look at a bag of dog food or human foods that have high levels of animal fats in them you will see things like, absorbic acid and tocopherol mentioned. These types of preservatives are recognized by the FDA and are safe to consume, even for people.
So, why don’t our friends making the kibble use these safer and natural preservatives? You may have guessed it, cost. It is more costly to use these, and they aren’t as shelf stable as artificial ones. When you have a bag of kibble that is supposed to outlast us (I kid) you don’t want to use something that might not last as long and then you have spoiled meat going into your pet’s bowl.
The preservatives mentioned above however are being found to cause damage to your pets organs over time along with cancer as well. Ethoxyquin is generally found in your foods containing fish and can lead to kidney and liver damage along with leukemia. BHT has been directly linked to cancer in dogs and humans. Propylene glycol causes issues in your dog’s intestines. So you all get the pattern here now right?
Some ways this is allowed to get in your pets bowl is statements like “safe in small amounts” and the legal issue that doesn’t require pet food manufacturers to list any ingredients added before manufacturing. These preservatives are added to the meat before it is manufactured. The statement “safe in small amounts” might be true, but our dogs aren’t eating this in small amounts. They don’t vary their diets like humans do. They eat the same thing day in and day out.
So, I ask you, if you are feeding kibble or have friends that are feeding kibble, please, do more of your own research or help your friend educate themselves. If we have dogs, we love them, let us keep looking for the truth and helping our pets become healthier and live longer.
