# What ingredients shouldn’t be in dog food!



## deondup (Jan 15, 2014)

Dog food bags are purposefully created to fool us on what is inside. The dog food producers entice us with nice pictures of happy, healthy dogs grinning and waiting for their food to be dished up for them. When you however have a look on the back side of the bag and start reading the list of ingredients, the story changes.

It’s a known fact you could live on McDonalds for the rest of your life, how long your life will be is a different story. It would not be a healthy life, and you would not be able to compare it to a healthier lifestyle. So if you gave your dog a similar lifestyle of food that’s been bought in the supermarket – think of that as McDonald’s – he can survive on it. But, would the dog be happy and healthy? I think not. A healthier diet would see allergies disappear, increased energy levels, muscle development, and an improved digestive health.

It is understandable that feeding your dog a raw or cooked diet might not be an option for all, but not to make that choice should not mean your dog is destined to be on an unhealthy diet. Just do some research on what you want to feed your dog. Though more expensive, there are a number of really good dog food commercially available. Look out for these ingredients you do NOT want to see listed on the back of a bag of dog food;

*Animal By-products or Meat By-products:*

These are the waste parts of animals and contain little or no meat such as hooves, feet, beaks, bones, kidneys, blood, intestines, etc. It’s not always fresh and definitely not appetising.

*Animal Digest:*

This is harvested from “wherever” Road kill, downed slaughter-house animals, euthanized animals, etc. Unbelievable, but yes it is in there.

*Sweeteners of any kind:*

The dog food producers add sweeteners to make the food more enticing to dogs. These can be sugars, molasses, corn syrup, sorbitol etc. This can lead to tooth decay, weight problem, diabetes and other health disorders. Just as humans, dogs are prone to addiction to sugary snacks.

*Corn:*

This is often a source of allergies in dogs even though it is almost always at the top of the list of ingredients on the back of a bag of dog food.

*Soy:*

Avoid this one. It’s just another filler that causes frequent itching!

*Cellulose:*

Ever heard of “sawdust” in dog food? That is just what it is. Cellulose is an ingredient they put in the “light” or “weight loss” formulas and come from dried and processed plant materials.

*Artificial Colours, Flavours*

While rare, artificial colours and flavours may cause allergic reactions in some dogs. For some reason the dog food manufacturers put it in the dog food for our benefit, not for our dogs.

*Ethoxyquin:*

While Ethoxyquin is used as a preservative in pet foods, it has also been used as a pesticide in the fruit industry. Some evidence has shown that it has caused renal, thyroid and immune illnesses in dogs. Ethoxyquin has also been found to cause some cancers in dogs. It is still used in the production of commercial dog food and studies are being done regarding the health safety of Ethoxyquin in dog food.

*BHA and BHT:*

Although banned in many countries for safety reasons, BHA and BHT (Butylated Hydroxysanisole/Butylated Hydroxytoluen) are preservatives and are still legal for use in the United States. Avoid it as it is the cause of some cancers and tumours in humans and animals.

*Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex:*

The more cheaper brands of dog food contains Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex , an inexpensive synthetic form of vitamin K. High input cost force some dog food manufacturers to skip on the high quality, natural sources of vitamin K (kelps, fish, algae) The synthetic versions have been known to weaken the immune system, cause skin irritations, haemolytic anaemia, and allergic reactions. As a rule, skip any and all synthetic add-ons.

Click Here! to find out why we are slowly killing our dogs with commercial pet food.


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## rogerharris (Jun 13, 2013)

Thank you so much for article. You have listed important points which are not good for dogs health.


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

Preachin' to the choir, man!

I also think there is too much "foo-foo" trendy ingredients. Flax has no business being in dog or cat food, also herbs should not be fed continuously to dogs or cats (or humans). Herbs are medicinal and used for short term treatment only.


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## Alpha1 (Nov 19, 2015)

This is very helpful, thanks for sharing.


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

deondup said:


> Dog food bags are purposefully created to fool us on what is inside. The dog food producers entice us with nice pictures of happy, healthy dogs grinning and waiting for their food to be dished up for them. When you however have a look on the back side of the bag and start reading the list of ingredients, the story changes.
> 
> It’s a known fact you could live on McDonalds for the rest of your life, how long your life will be is a different story. It would not be a healthy life, and you would not be able to compare it to a healthier lifestyle. So if you gave your dog a similar lifestyle of food that’s been bought in the supermarket – think of that as McDonald’s – he can survive on it. But, would the dog be happy and healthy? I think not. A healthier diet would see allergies disappear, increased energy levels, muscle development, and an improved digestive health.
> 
> ...


Which are all reasons I have fed raw for the last 10 years.


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## Dr Dolittle (Aug 2, 2013)

Sorry to disagree but the descriptions on most of those ingredients and reasons to not feed them is totally wrong and is really just the result of websites trying to sell you fancy diets based on ingredients that sound good, without ever looking at the nutrients they provide. I love ha, ShamrockMommy, and I know you have had issues with your guys and flax seed, but flax is used more and more becasue of all the benefits. it's not cheap. it's not a filler. it is a great source of fiber and Omega 6s and 3s.


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