In Part 1, we talked about how dog food grains can cause chronic dog food allergies and attract some pretty nasty contaminants.
Like insects, mites and molds.
We also talked about how these unwelcome infestations can be especially abundant in cheap, low quality feed grains.
But grain mites and insects can together create a much bigger problem. They can easily pick up (and spread) the spores of highly dangerous molds.
I deliberately chose the word “dangerous” here because these molds are capable of producing some of the world’s deadliest natural toxins.
Now, before we discuss these life-threatening poisons… and how they can end up getting into your dog’s food… let’s take a quick look at the molds themselves.
Low Quality Grains Attract Hazardous Molds
First, like their cousins (mushrooms and yeasts) molds are members of a family of organisms known as fungi.
But unlike mushrooms, molds are completely invisible to the naked eye. What’s more, they reproduce by creating even smaller seed-like particles called spores.
Now, because molds and spores are so incredibly tiny they can easily spread by way of the wind… or by hitching a ride on the bodies of mites and weevils. So, it doesn’t take long for an entire storage bin of cereal grain to become quickly contaminated.
And sadly… because it’s so cheap… it is this low-quality, contaminated grain that’s so frequently used to make dog food.
Grain Molds and Their Deadly ‘Venoms’
OK… as you can imagine, many dogs are allergic to the molds and spores that have now found their way into their daily rations.
But the greatest danger to any pet lies in the possibility of ingesting the poisonous toxins produced by the molds themselves.
As I mentioned earlier, molds are capable of producing an exceptionally dangerous type of poison known as a mycotoxin.
Today, there are hundreds of known mycotoxins. And more are being discovered all the time. Here are some of the more common ones known to affect dogs…
- Aflatoxin
- Vomitoxin
- Zearalenone
- Ochratoxin
- Fumonisin
Mycotoxin Poisoning… A Tragic and Painful Death
How a mycotoxin affects a dog is directly dependent upon the amount of the toxin the dog actually ingests.
This important relationship is known as the dose-response effect. In other words… the higher the dose, the greater the risk of disease.
For example, if a dog were to eat a commercial pet food contaminated with a high level of aflatoxin… the result would be catastrophic.
Symptoms of acute aflatoxin poisoning include…
- Fever
- Jaundice (yellow eyes and skin)
- Dark urine
- Persistent and violent vomiting
- Bloody diarrhea
- Death
A rare disease? Not quite.
These are the very same symptoms that affected… and killed… so many innocent dogs worldwide in 2005… and prompted an emergency recall.
That was the year Diamond Pet Foods of Gaston, South Carolina made and distributed a large batch of aflatoxin-contaminated dog food.
Think this was an isolated event?
Diamond Pet Foods shipped the tainted products throughout the United States… and to 29 other countries around the world1.
A tragic and deadly incident… for sure.
But another… even greater… danger awaits the trusting consumer.
No Antidote… No Cure
An unexpected hazard of aflatoxin results when a dog ingests only a small amount of the poison… an amount not large enough to cause the more obvious, acute symptoms of the disease.
You see, even in tiny, trace amounts, aflatoxin can silently accumulate within a dog’s liver… attaching itself to the animal’s own DNA… where the poison eventually causes a fatal cancer.
Once the toxin enters a dog’s body… it stays there… forever. There’s no antidote… and no known cure.
That’s why so many experts agree… the maximum amount of aflatoxin that should ever be allowed in any dog food should be… zero!
And that’s the real danger you face any time you choose to feed your pet a commercial dog food made with cheap, low quality cereal grain ingredients.
Hiding there… right inside the package… may be one of the deadliest, cancer-causing substances found in commercial dog food… mycotoxin.
And Now… More Bad News
Although cooking can kill the mites and molds… it has no effect on the poison itself. So, the mycotoxins maintain their dangerous potency even after they get “baked” into the finished dog food.
And if that’s not enough… your own open package of pet food is capable of developing an ugly infestation… all by itself.
That’s because dog food can easily become contaminated with insects, mites and mold… right there in your own home. All it takes is for one stray insect to deposit a single mold spore into an open bag of kibble.
And suddenly… your dog’s at risk.
What You Can Do to Protect Your Dog
OK… here are five simple suggestions to help you protect your dog…
1. Never buy cheaply-made dog food
2. Only choose fresh, “in-date” products
3. Avoid any dog food containing grain by-products or mill waste
4. Favor low-grain or no-grain dog foods. Otherwise, only consider products made with high quality, whole grain ingredients
5. Tightly re-seal every bag of open dog food. Squeeze out all the excess air. And always store the product in a moisture-free area
Spread the Word… Save a Life
Dog food grain ingredients might just be one of the most frequently overlooked causes for serious disease in otherwise healthy dogs.
So, go ahead. Spread the word about grains in dog food. And be sure to tell everyone you know who has a dog they care about.
Because you might just save an innocent life.
By the way… if you missed Part 1 of this article click here to read it now.
- “Toxic pet food may have killed dozens of dogs”, MSNBC.com News Services, Article ID 10771943, May 10, 2006 ↩
The Dog Food Advisor publishes independent reviews to help pet owners make better choices when shopping for dog food.