• Chewing gum
• Breath mints
• Mouthwash
• Candies
• Toothpaste
• Tooth whiteners
• Chewable vitamins

According to a bulletin issued by the Food and Drug Administration on February 18, 2011, the accidental consumption of xylitol by a dog can cause a sudden and life-threatening drop in blood sugar (hypoglycemia), seizures and liver failure.

Here are a few of the more popular brands that contain xylitol…

• IceBreakers
• Orbit
• Trident
• Xylimax
• Tic-Tacs
• Xylishield
• Nicorette Gum
• Crest Whitestrips
• Jell-O Sugar Free Pudding

This list is not complete. Consumers are cautioned to read the labels of all products before bringing them into any environment shared with dogs.

Actually, they are. On pet food labels it’s not unusual to find items like…

• Animal plasma
• Blood meal
• Dried blood

In dog food, blood products can be controversial.

Although some argue blood is a natural part of a dog’s ancestral diet, many are disturbed to find these items listed on a label.

By-Product of the Meat Packing Industry

Although some companies insist blood meal is a high quality source of animal protein… this pet food ingredient is actually a by-product of slaughterhouse waste.

Because blood products can carry BSE (mad cow disease), the FDA has banned their use in making feed for livestock.

However, so long as these products come from pork (or horses), blood can still be used to make cattle feed… and dog food.¹

Thankfully, no cases of BSE have ever been reported in dogs.

However, cats are susceptible to their own version of the disease… a deadly disease known as FSE.²

And that’s what worries opponents. If blood can spread mad cow disease, could it possibly carry other diseases?

Blood Meal
Feeding Dogs… or Plants?

The truth is, blood meal is more commonly used as a fertilizer to feed crops. Not dogs.

Just the same, some dog food companies insist animal plasma and blood meal add legitimate nutrition to a properly designed dog food.

In any case, even though they’re most likely safe…

Blood products are certainly controversial enough to qualify them for inclusion on the Dog Food Advisor’s list of Red Flag Ingredients.

That’s because of the chemical’s unusual ability to mimic the negative effects of the female hormone… estrogen.

Although research has found the additive to be safe… recent studies have linked propyl gallate with a special group of hormone-like compounds known as xenoestrogens (zee-no-es’-tro-jenz).

Xenoestrogens have the potential to adversely affect reproductive health.  In humans, they have the ability to turn a normal breast cell into a cancer cell.

Propyl gallate can also affect a developing fetus… as well as decrease the sperm count in males.

Any way you look at it… feeding a dog the same chemical additive… not just occasionally… but with every meal… certainly favors the creation of problems associated with long term exposure to any toxic substance.

My recommendation?  Whenever you spot propyl gallate on a dog food label… step aside.  Look for a safer naturally-preserved product.

You may already recognize this chemical by its more “infamous” use… as a key ingredient in some newer automotive antifreezes.

No kidding… antifreeze.

Now, to be fair, propylene glycol is considerably safer (less toxic) than its far more dangerous cousin, ethylene glycol.

But here’s the problem… because of its proven ability to cause a serious type of blood disease… Heinz body anemia… propylene glycol has been banned by the FDA for use in cat food.

Now, get this… believe it or not, it can still be used to make dog food.

No matter how safe this stuff may seem, it’s the continuous, day-after-day feeding of this controversial chemical that worries me.

And if you love your dog as much as I love Bailey… that long term use should worry you, too.

So… buyer beware.  Avoid choosing any dog food that contains propylene glycol.  After all, why take the risk?

According to the National Institute of Health, BHA in the diet has been found to consistently produce certain types of tumors in laboratory animals².

Yet FDA regulations still permit its use as a fat preservative in food under the assumption it is “generally recognized as safe” in low doses³.

Here’s what concerns me. Dogs are a captive audience. They have no choice but to eat what we put in front of them.

The same commercial food. Every day. Sometimes twice a day. Year after year.

It’s that cumulative exposure that worries me. The additive effect of using any artificial preservative relentlessly — especially when it’s suspected of causing cancer.

Even though they may not remain as effective for as long, natural preservatives are considered to be safer.

That’s why today, the majority of dog food companies avoid the use of these synthetic “shelf-life extenders” altogether — and why you should, too.

When you read on a pet food label a particular fat ingredient has been “preserved with BHA”, you may want to stand aside. 

There’s probably a safer alternative food within easy reach.