If you feed your dog commercial dog food there is a good chance that he is malnourished and possibly even being slowly poisoned. “How can that be?” you say. “I love my dog. He’s not just a pet, he’s a member of the family!” I’m not suggesting that you are deliberately withholding food or slipping him a tiny dose of cyanide every now and then. I am suggesting that the food you are feeding your dog contains crap. Nutritionally empty crap and potentially carcinogenic crap. If you are on a tight budget and are saving a few pennies by buying cheaper dog foods, than you are feeding your dog a greater amount of crap.
Don’t like what I’m writing? Read the ingredients on that can of food you’re about to put down for Fluffy and then see if you still take issue. Let’s look at some common ingredients in dog foods that you should avoid and why you should avoid them.
Corn ( including corn meal and corn gluten)
Dogs don’t have digestive systems suitable to process large amounts of vegetable material. They especially do not produce enough enzymes to completely break down corn. It’s tough for them to digest. Corn has very little nutritional value and is used mainly as a filler.
Cellulose
Purified, mechanically disintegrated cellulose prepared by processing alpha cellulose obtained as a pulp from fibrous plant materials.
The most common source for cellulose is dried wood. It is processed into a fine powder and used to add bulk and consistency to pet foods. Negligible nutritional value.
BHA and BHT
Phenolic antioxidants, used to preserve fats and oils. Many countries have banned these from human use, but they are still permitted in the U.S. They are possible human carcinogens and have been demonstrated carcinogenic in animal experiments.
Ethoxyquin
An antioxidant. Developed by Monsanto as a stabilizer for rubber, it has also been used as a pesticide for fruit and a color preservative for spices, and later for animal feed. It has been linked to thyroid, kidney, reproductive and immune related illnesses as well as cancer.
Fish Meal
The clean, rendered, dried ground tissue of undecomposed whole fish or fish cuttings, either or both, with or without the extraction of part of the oil.
The type or source isn’t specified, nor is the quality of the fish used. According to US Coast Guard regulations, all fish meal not destined for human consumption must be conserved with Ethoxyquin. If the dog food you are feeding your dog contains fish meal, you can bet it also contains Ethoxyquin. A double whammy of bad news for your dog.
The list goes on. If you are going to feed your dog commercial food, carefully read the ingredients. If you don’t know what an ingredient is, look it up. Don’t assume that the manufacturer wouldn’t put something in the food that has no nutritional value or would otherwise harm your pet. Unfortunately, most commercial pet food manufacturers are more concerned with their bottom line than they are with the health and well-being of your dog. You are your dog’s caregiver and caretaker. He gives you unconditional love. In return, give him the healthiest, most nutritionally balanced food you can.
