Things You Don’t Want in Your Dog’s Food
Fact: Being a responsible pet parent means looking beneath the surface of a dog food label…
The Australian pet food industry is a 20-billion-dollar industry with a handful of players dominating the market. With corporations like Mars and Nestle now own 90% of the pet food brands on the shelf.
Did you know that Mars owns ADVANCE, Dine, Eukanuba, Exelpet, Good-o, Greenies, Natura, Pedigree, Optimum, Royal Canin, and Shmackos, just to name a few.
Now ask yourself… Isn’t it interesting that the largest chocolate bar company in the world, is also involved in the pet industry?
Let me elaborate…
Sugar is commonly known to be extremely unhealthy for dogs and throughout my research, I’ve concluded these same companies that are poisoning humans with sugar and other harmful additives, are also adding the same dangerous ingredients to dog food, guaranteed to make your precious pets ill.
Here are just some of the common ingredients used in your dog food by these big-name companies, if you knew about them, you definitely would NOT want it in there.
1. Propylene Glycol
A toxin is common in antifreeze used during dog food production processes.
Cited as a pet food “moisturizer,” this harmful additive has been linked to deadly blood diseases as well as seizures and tremors, yet it continues to pop up in product after product.
2. Sucrose
Otherwise known as sugar.
Dogs process sucrose in the same way we humans do and this is a big no-no ingredient.
As in the case of humans, when too much sucrose is ingested by dogs it leads to a host of issues such as weight gain, inflammation, and diabetes which can lead to loss of eyesight and premature death.
If your pet food label has sugar on it, put it back and move on.
3. Sulphur Dioxide (Preservative)
We have all heard about preservatives and how in small amounts they aren’t dangerous.
But what about dog foods?
They use some of the most hardcore preservatives, one reason is to make the product last years in warehouses so it can be bulk produced, the other is because the meat they are using is downgraded, sometimes even rotten meat that has been emulsified and reformed. Without the preservative, they wouldn’t last 30 days.
If you look on the back of the pack and you see the words ‘preservatives’ move on to another brand.
4. Corn
When you think of corn as an ingredient, it doesn’t sound too bad.
But the corn in your pet’s food is usually downgraded and not fit for human consumption.
This means it could contain traces of mold and some toxins that will make it through the treating process. Most dry foods contain around 40% grains/corn and only 25% protein.
Considering corn is not an essential nutrient for dogs, why is this ratio so out of whack.
You wouldn’t feed a Child a corn-based diet, so why would you feed it to a dog?
5. Melamine
Found in dog food and treats produced overseas, melamine — is an industrial chemical banned in many countries.
Melamine has been used in the pet industry to boost the apparent protein content.
Melamine is also used in the production of plastics, primarily for countertops, utensils, fabrics, adhesives, and flame retardants. It has been linked to liver failure and, even, death in dogs.
A massive 2007 dog food and treat were issued on the heels of tens of thousands of pets getting sick and, even, dying as a direct result of consuming these melamine-laced products.