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The
Dirty Dozen: The 12 Worst Ingredients used in Pet Food
Every
child that gets their first dog promises to feed him, walk him, play with him,
and take good care of him. It would seem that taking care of a dog would be
relatively simple. But as all you pet owners know, there is much more to do owning
a dog than there appears. And unfortunately many dog food companies make things
more complicated by including harmful ingredients in both dry and wet food. Some ingredients are hard to digest and can cause skin problems. Other included
chemicals create imbalances and can lead to behavioral changes such as
aggression. Aflatoxins, which are considered to be one of the leading
cancer-causing agents, can be found in any dog food containing corn or corn
byproducts. Every pet owner wishes their pet could live longer-and they can, if
you avoid these 12 worst ingredients used in pet food.
· Glyceryl Monostearate is a
preservative that is dangerous because of the high level of uncertainty when it
comes to chemical additives. It has been found to contain to contain high
levels of BHT (see below) and glycerol distearate.
· Phosphoric Acid is and unnecessary ingredient
used for flavoring, but is also found in detergents, fertilizers, and
pharmaceuticals.
· Propylene Glycol can be
found in antifreeze and hydraulic solutions that is used to keep wet food from
drying out. It is extremely toxic in high amounts, so much so that the European
Union has not even cleared it as a safe food additive.
· Corn Gluten is an ingredient used for
binding things together and provides little to no nutritional value for your
dog.
· Wheat Gluten is also a binding agent
stemming from a human process byproduct that provides no nutritional value and
therefore is unnecessary.
· Brewers Rice is a very low quality
ingredient that is a processed rice product lacking all the nutrients that
brown or whole grain rice would have.
· Chicken Byproduct Meal is an
unacceptable substitute for protein. Byproduct essentially means anything
coming from the animal that is NOT meat. In this case, the chicken’s head,
feet, and bones.
· Fish Meal cannot be determined as a
quality additive because it could be coming diseased or dying fish. It has been
banned from human consumption because it almost always contains the harmful
chemical, Ethoxyquin.
· Beef and Bone Meal is an
extremely low quality ingredient composed of the portions of a cow that were
not acceptable for human consumption and lack vital ingredients.
· Corn Gluten Meal is
dangerous for the reasons mentioned above. Corn is extremely hard to digest and
this byproduct has been found to raise the level of aflatoxins, a serious
cancer-causing agent.
· Blood Meal is used as a protein booster
and comes from animal blood. The scary part is that you have no way of knowing
what type of animal the blood came from, what hormones or medications they were
introduced to, or how healthy the animal was.
· BHT is used as a preservative that is listed as a
possible human carcinogen and has been banned from human use in many countries
other than the United States. It has been found to cause tumors and potentially
cancer.
It is true that many dog food companies
incorporate these unhealthy, harmful ingredients. So rest assured that Organic Pet Boutique will only carry healthy Pet Food. One of our most popular pet foods is Sojos Original Dog Food
Mix. Sojos contains only natural ingredients such as steam-rolled oats, ground
pecans, and carob powder. No artificial preservatives or flavoring exist. It is
designed to be served with meat such as beef or turkey and is recommended to be
served raw. Raw meat means not having to cook a meal for your pet, but also
adds natural taste that your dog will love. Stella and Chewy’s Raw Freeze Dried
Dinners is another product that offers a healthy meal for
your pet. Stella and Chewy’s dinners come in a couple different varieties
featuring beef, lamb, chicken, and duck. Each product is infused with 100%
natural ingredients including, raw and naturally raised meats, organic fruits
and vegetables, and essential vitamins and minerals. We only
work with reputable U.S. suppliers and seek to minimize any processing to
create the healthiest food products for your pets.
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