Chatting to a friend the other day we got onto the topic of the all the toxins in food and we were talking about the dirty dozen list. If you’re not in the know, it’s a list of the top 12 human consumed fruits and vegetable that contain the most pesticides when grown. Obviously, that led us onto the topic and my absolute passion of talking about what his dog eats and I was shocked to hear that he’d just given his dog a rawhide bone chew, especially after all we’ve been told about their danger to our pet’s health. (I think he literally pulled the phone away from his ear at my extremely audible gasp of horror).
So, thanks to my friend who inspired this piece, we’ve put together “The Pet’s Dirty Dozen”. 12 of the worst/most toxic products or ingredients you could give your dog or cat, ranked from worst to least bad.
You’ll probably familiar with the toxic lists of chocolate, avocado pip, macadamia nuts, grapes, tomatoes, onions etc. so with this piece we’d like to delve deeper and look at ingredients in pet food or treats that people regularly give their cat or dog blind to the really detrimental impact they have on your pet’s health.
The Pet’s Dirty Dozen
1. Rawhide Chews. This mainly applies to dog owners but it’s a good lesson to all pet owners of the “buyer beware” principle when it comes to pet treats. Rawhide treats are basically made from the inner layer of the cow or horse’s hide. But, and it’s a massive huge BUT, to get them into a pretty looking product for sale to consumers they go through some hideous processes where a heap of toxic chemicals are added; Hydrogen peroxide, bleach, artificial colours and sodium benzonate are just some of the offenders. Other chemicals that have been found in raw hide products are Lead, Arsenic, Mercury, Chromium salts and Formaldehyde (which is used in embalming!) Yuk! Holy Moly! – This concoction of toxicity is considered a treat for a dog! (1) It’s really easy to avoid all these nasties, just give your dog good fresh bones as a treat to chew instead. For info on how to feed your pet raw bones click here.
2. Xylitol. Is a sugar alcohol. The general lack of awareness of xylitol and the danger it poses, coupled with the high toxic potency of using xylitol as a sweetener in pet food, presents a huge problem that’s getting bigger every year. Xylitol is gaining in popularity and being added to not only pet food but human food too. In fact, the odds are you probably already have something containing xylitol in your home, whether it’s in your medicine cabinet, your pantry, or even your PURSE right now…without even being aware of it. The problem with Xylitol is that it’s even more toxic to dogs than chocolate. Like chocolate, it’s not at all poisonous to humans, but causes major problems in dogs.
3. Artificial Preservatives. Preservatives such as Ethoxyquin and Propylene Glycol are added in some cases to pet food to (“supposedly”) help reduce the water content, prevent bad bacteria growth and extend the shelf life of the food. However, Ethoxyquin is ALSO used as an herbicide and Propylene Glycol is used as antifreeze for car engines in cold climates. How these have ended up being legal to use in pet food is anyone’s guess as they’ve been directly linked to kidney and liver damage, cancer (liver, spleen, stomach, skin), immune deficiency syndrome, blindness, and leukaemia. Try to avoid these products by reading the labels of the foods or treats you give your pet and simply don’t buy if you don’t recognise the ingredients.
4. BHA. Butylated-hydroxyanisole (BHA) or butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are preservatives found in pet treats such as “milk bones”, cat treats or canned pet food. Banned from use in human food in many parts of the world, they’re still allowed to be used in the pet food industry in some quarters. These preservatives have been known to change pet’s hormonal balance after a small amount of exposure and have been directly linked to kidney damage and cancer in dogs and cats.
5. Artificial Dyes/Colouring
. Most commonly found in treats to give the treat “buyer appeal”, these colouring agents such as yellow #5 and Red Dye #40 are toxic to your pet and have been associated to allergic reactions, hyperactivity and cancer. So much so that a lot of European countries have now banned their use. The easy way to spot these colouring agents is if the food appears unnaturally bright or vivid in colour. Most meats are naturally brown, that’s just the way it is!
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6. Chicken/Beef Jerky.
If they contain anything other than the meat itself don’t buy it. There is a particular brand of jerky on the market that appears and is marketed as a healthy treat for your pet. It seems harmless enough with only a handful of ingredients but there have been multiple reports of kidney failure and death in pets from kidney failure due to the hidden ingredients.
7. Glycerine. This is used as a sweetener or binder in pet food and treats. It’s normally a by-product of soap making, has no nutritional value and it can be harmless if derived from animal or plant sources. Sadly, some pet food manufacturers use a version of Glycerine that is made from Bio-fuel. WHAT? Yes, you’ve absolutely read that right! …diesel fuel is used and mainly added into pet treats to make them chewy. Know it’s common names, glycerol, vegetable glycerin or glycerine and avoid it. Look out for it when you’re scouring the food labels.
8. Carrageenan. Is an additive that is used in food for thickening, gelling etc. basically it’s supposed to improve the texture of the food. It has no nutritional value and has been directly linked to inflammation and gut irritation.
9. Grains. Corns, wheats, rice and glutens are commonly added to pet food to bulk the food out and people are under the misconception that these products are healthy for their pet. There are two main issues with these products in your pet’s diet. Firstly, they are not natural for your dog or cat to eat and secondly, they have been directly connected to causing cancers (in humans) and producing obesity and diabetes in animals. It has become such a major issue that the pet food industry is now trying to produce products that are “grain free”.
The reason they have such a big effect on your pet’s health is that these carbohydrates get converted over sugars which do your pet NO good at all. Some of the top commercial kibble brands sold through Vet clinics have between 30-56% carbohydrate content disguised as “Nitrogen-free Extract” (3) All kibbles are high in starch and or sugar. Avoid feeding kibbles. Even canned/sachet food often contains a lot of wheat, maize or sweet potato. Buyer Beware!
10. MSG. Monosodium glutamate is a flavour enhancer. It tricks the chemicals in the brain into thinking that food tastes good so your pet just keeps on eating and eating. It’s known to suppress the chemical that tells the body it’s full which may be one of the reasons why your dog or cat seems to be forever hungry. The laws governing the pet food industry are a lot less strict than the human food industry so MSG often gets added into the manufacture of pet food under the names of hydrolyzed protein, glutamate acid, protein isolate, soy extracts, yeast extracts or a form of disodium (4) MSG and its various forms, is known to be toxic to the liver, brain, thymus and kidneys. (Yikes!).
11. High Glycemic Foods. These foods are being substituted for grains in a lot of commercially produced pet food to produce “grain-free” kibble. High glycemic foods are things such as potato, pea flour, beet pulp and potato starch. The reason these foods are an issue for your pet is that they raise their blood glucose levels, which increases the risk of allergies, diabetes, hypothyroidism, cancer and epilepsy.
12. Legumes. Legumes such as lentils and chickpeas are becoming fashionable carb substitutes in an attempt to move away from using grains in pet food. Apart from the fact they are not appropriate to your pet’s diet they contain “Lectins” which create gut inflammation and irritation if they’re not cooked properly. Veg is the best addition to meats, but if you’re selecting products with legumes in, make sure they are well-cooked.
Dogs and cats are carnivores. Their entire digestive system is designed to eat a high protein low carb diet so you want to stay away from foods that cause inflammation (such as toxins, starchy carbs, pasta and rice) as much as possible as inflammation is the foundation of disease.
We understand everyone’s budget is different but become a label reader, a packaging pedant, an ingredient inquisitor for the safety of your pets.
By making a few small changes, it can have a huge positive impact on your pet’s health. Mixing a bit of raw food into your dog or cat’s diet daily can extend his life. If that’s too much then take a leaf out of Granny’s book and give your pet table scraps to supplement his dry food diet, (NO cooked bones). And remember, a little bit of healthy food daily is better than no healthy food at all.
Print this off and use this Dirty Dozen List as a reminder to keep your beloved pet away from dangerous foods and make sure you’re reading and understanding the ingredient labels on your pet food.
NOW, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Which one of these naughty’s are you going to eliminate from your pet’s diet? LEAVE A COMMENT and feel free to share this with people you think will love it.
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