Artificial preservatives represent some of the most dangerous ingredients in dog food.
Here’s why…
Since animal fats are a crucial part of every dog food, they’re also subject to going bad… to becoming rancid shortly after manufacture.
To extend the shelf life of any dog food, manufacturers nearly always add some sort of preservative to each product.
But here’s the problem…
Preservatives can be either natural… or artificial.
Natural preservatives are almost always made from certain variations of vitamins C or E. You’ll see them printed on a dog food’s ingredients list usually using some form of the word “tocopherol”… or “ascorbate”. Look for something like this…
“…chicken fat preserved with alpha-tocopherol”
What you mainly need to know here is that natural additives are usually considered very safe.
Forbidden in Cat Food… OK for Dogs?
But artificial additives, on the other hand, are another story. They’ve earned a well-deserved reputation for adding a significant degree of risk and toxicity to any dog food.
Take, for example, the food moisture preservative, propylene glycol. You may already recognize it for its more famous use… as the main ingredient in automotive anti-freeze.
No kidding… anti-freeze.
Now, get this… Because of its proven blood toxicity in cats, propylene glycol has been banned by the FDA for use in cat food. Yet as hard as it is to believe, it’s still used as an artificial preservative in dog food.
Wow!
Dog Food Preservative… or Dangerous Pesticide?
Now, here’s another artificial preservative you should be on a constant vigilance for… the chemical additive… ethoxyquin.
Ethoxyquin is not only used as a dog food preservative but… are you ready for this… it’s also used as a pesticide… and as a hardening agent in the manufacture of synthetic rubber.
Ethoxyquin has been under investigation by the FDA for causing canine liver and kidney cancer. And it’s no longer legal for use in human food. Yet to this very day, it’s still commonly found in many popular dog food brands.
Pretty scary… don’t you think?
OK, here are two more chemical “bad guys” to watch out for…
- Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)
- Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)
The World Health Organization openly names both BHT and BHA as suspicious cancer-causing compounds. Plus the State of California now identifies BHA as a probable “carcinogen”, too.
With their troubling reputations for causing such serious disease you’d think these two nasty preservatives would be intentionally shunned by the pet food industry.
But, guess what?
Sadly enough… to this very day, both BHA and BHT can be regularly found in many common retail dog foods.
Incredible!
What’s the Point?
All of this seems to boil down to one overriding fact. It’s probably not a good idea to place much confidence in the word “natural” when used by itself… at least not as a “one-step” method for choosing dog food.
My strongest advice… and a better idea. Simply avoid any dog food that contains artificial preservatives… no matter what.
OK, here’s a list of some of the more common chemical additives…
- Propylene glycol
- Ethoxyquin
- BHA
- BHT
- TBHQ (tertiary butylhydroquinone)
- Propyl gallate
Simply avoiding these dangerous and unnecessary dog food preservatives may add years of good health to your pet’s life.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
wow i kinda had an idea of this… but this is too much ! my cat never liked wet cat food… maybe he was smart
Is Beef n’ more a good dog food brand?
Hi Brenda… Haven’t yet reviewed Beef ‘n More. But thanks to your suggestion, I’m adding it to my “to do” list.
Mike,
Hello! I am a friend of Claudia’s. I have one of her chocolate labs Doc Riley. I am a breeder and I want to make sure that I am feeding my dogs and puppies the best possible diet. We are currently feeding them Exclusive. I would love for you to check out the ingredients and see what you think.
Thank You,
Janet Saunders
http://www.LaKobielabs.com
Hi Janet… Thanks to your suggestion, I’m adding Exclusive Dog Food to my “To Do” list. Look for the review here on this website in the near future. Thanks for taking the time to write.
a-tocopherol… vitamin E
ascorbate… vitamin c
sounds dangerous
Hi Dave… The whole point of my article is to let my readers know that alpha tocopherol (a vitamin E derivative) and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) are both considered safe. My article states… ” What you mainly need to know here is that natural additives are usually considered very safe.” They are certainly NOT dangerous.
During the 2007 Recall, I became a serious detective when it came to selecting commercial food (to use on occasion to supplement a home-prepared diet) for the critically or terminally ill animals who come into our rescue/rehab’s care.
Nearly every food I fed, or had fed, was on the recall list! I ONLY purchased premium foods (Solid Gold, Wellness Core, Evo…) and was shocked to find that they were produced by “parent companies” (Menu Foods, etc.) who produced, on the same lines, poor quality grocery store brands.
Besides learning to carefully look for the “red flag” items listed here, I started eliminating all foods that had these two little words on the label: “PRODUCED FOR:” or “DISTRIBUTED BY:” ! 99% of the time the manufacturer was not identified! Scary! So off to research again, often to find that the product came from a company involved in one of the recalls.
I have found very few foods that are made “in-house,” without “out-sourced” ingredients. I am now RARELY feeding any kibble. At present, when I need something in an emergency/large intake situation (e.g., hoarder/puppy mill bust) I am feeding Fromm Family Four Star recipes. I’ve experienced/heard/read no negative feedback with it, and the dogs like it. The only concern I have is that it is very soluble.
I have not visited this site in quite a while, but very much appreciate the valuable information available here.
Thanks!
Kim Lea, Founder
Wishaven Animal Rehabilitation
High Point, NC
Hi Kim… thanks for your interesting comment and sharing the way you investigate dog foods. Initially, I was faced with those same concerns. Although this is an important factor in rating foods, I’m concerned with the sources of the individual ingredients and raw materials used to make these products.
To the best of my knowledge, there are no laws requiring manufacturers to provide this information. Even our own “people food” contains (hidden) imported ingredients… critical information almost never clearly disclosed on the labels.
But these days, that’s the way the food industry works… and much to our benefit. When I was a kid, strawberries were only available here in Virginia in the middle of the summer. Now, we get strawberries virtually all year long. It’s always summer somewhere. This past winter most of the fruits and vegetables we purchased came came from South America (Chile, Argentina, etc.).
Just because a particular dog food is made “in house” is no guarantee that the ingredients used to make it are safe. You’re correct in saying that many dog food companies subcontract or outsource their manufacturing. And that’s the real problem… when something goes terribly wrong (like it did with melamine scandal of 2007), it affects lots of products… all at the same time. A catastrophe of major proportions.
Outsourcing is a part of almost all industries… especially the pet food industry. If you avoid all outsourced dog foods you eliminate many of the finer quality choices.
Thanks for your detailed contribution to our website. Because of your excellent points, I hope to address this issue in a feature article in the future.
Sally, I went to get the Bil Jac treats last night and I think they are not good to use. Not only is the preservative BHA in it, it also has chicken by-product meal. Chicken by -products could include eyeballs, feathers or worse. Cheaper brands are made with lower quality “by-products which are zapped with high heat which destroys the nutrients, then it is sprayed with grease so your dog will eat it. The preservative, BHA in the treats are bad, can cause thyroid cancer. Here is an article on it.