What to avoid in commerical dog food
“According to Dr. Andrew Jones, “MOST Veterinarians have little knowledge about Pet nutrition, and they have strong FINANCIAL INCENTIVES to NOT change”. Can you see how you should Question their Pet Food recommendation?….READ MORE HERE.
INGREDIENTS TO AVOID IN COMMERCIAL DOG FOOD
BEEF AND BONE MEAL (protein source):
A byproduct made from beef parts which are not suitable for human consumption.
It can incorporate the entire cow, including the bones, but the quality cuts of meat are always removed.
This is an inexpensive, low quality ingredient used to boost the protein percentage.
MEAT BY-PRODUCT (protein source):
Pet grade meat by-products consist of organs and parts either not desired, or condemned, for human consumption.
This can include bones, blood, intestines, lungs, ligaments, heads, feet, and feathers. – This can also include the dreaded 4 D’s – ( Dead, dying, diseased or dying prior to slaugther).
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The animal parts used can be obtained from any source, so there is no control over quality or contamination.
Any kind of animal can be included: goats, pigs, horses, rats, misc. roadkill, animals euthanized at shelters and so on. It can also include pus, cancerous tissue, and decomposed (spoiled) tissue.
MEAT AND BONE MEAL (protein source):
The animal parts used can be obtained from any source, so there is no control over quality or contamination. Any kind of animal can be included: “4-D animals” (dead, diseased, disabled, or dying prior to slaughter), goats, pigs, horses, rats, misc. roadkill, animals euthanized at shelters and so on.
It can also include pus, cancerous tissue, and decomposed (spoiled) tissue.
BEEF TALLOW (fat source):
Used to make lower quality dog foods palatable, instead of using quality fat sources such as nutritionally rich chicken fat, or human grade vegetable oil.
ANIMAL FAT (fat source):
Animal fat is a “generic” fat source that is most often made up of rendered animal fat, restaurant grease, or other oils too rancid or deemed inedible for humans.
Look for a named fat source, such as poultry or chicken fat, that is naturally preserved.
CORN (filler/fibre source/vegetable):
*NOTE: no redeemable nutritious value in any dog food listing this as their first ingredient. It is a useless filler
CORN OR WHEAT GLUTEN MEAL (Binder):
This is the remainder of the corn after the best parts of the corn have been removed.
It does absolutely nothing for the animal and actually is difficult to digest and is used as a cheap binder.
WHEAT FLOUR (fibre source):
Wheat is the leading cause of dog allergies. Absolutely useless with no nutritional value whatsoever.
This is the fine particles of wheat bran, wheat germ, and the offal from the “tail of the mill.” “Tail of the mill” means the floor sweepings of leftovers in the mill after everything has been processed from the wheat.
FOOD FRAGMENTS (filler/fibre source/carbohydrate source):
Low cost by-products and left overs from another food manufacturing process. Examples include WHEAT MIDDLINGS AND SHORTS, (Floor sweepings), WHEAT GERM MEAL, WHEAT BRAN and BREWER’S RICE (a waste product of the alcohol industry).
Also look for and avoid fragments which are labelled POTATO PRODUCT, MIDDLINGS/MIDS or MILL RUN of any kind.
Unspecified grain sources like :CEREAL FOOD FINES, CORN BRAN, OAT HULLS, RICE HULLS, PEANUT HULLS, DISTILLERS GRAIN FERMENTATION SOLUBLES, and last but not least CELLULOSE (which is wood which is dried and ground up)
*NOTE: These ingredients listed above are all ALLOWED AS ACCEPTABLE INGREDIENTS IN THE AAFCO GUIDELINES!!!!!!
SOY FLOUR (filler/carbohydrate):
Another cheap allergy causing ingredient used as a filler. This is the leftover “dust” after the healthy cleaned and dehulled soybeans are processed. Sometimes sweepings from the factory floor.
BREWER’S RICE (carbohydrate source):
A cheap substitute for whole grain rice.
SUGAR (flavour soure) :
Also listed as Cane molasses , corn syrup in any form, sugar, sorbitol, sucrose, fructose, glucose, ammoniated glycyrrhizin, propylene glycol.) : Useless, uneccessary and adds empty calories. Bad ingredients used by companies to make food more palatable to the animals if the ingredients themselves aren’t enough to make the dog or cat actually want to eat it.
Used to cover up rotten and rancid foods, and is known to cause hypoglycemia, obesity, nervousness, cataracts, tooth decay, arthritis and allergies.
ANIMAL DIGEST(flavouring agent):
Unspecified parts of unspecified animals, cooked down into a goopy broth (rendered) and used as a spray on or added directly to the food.
The grease that rises to the top is used as a source of fat and the rest of the mash is dried and used as “meat meal”.
No quality control is used and this can include “4-D animals” (dead, diseased, disabled, or dying prior to slaughter), goats, pigs, horses, rats, misc. roadkill, animals euthanized at shelters, restaurant and supermarket refuse and so on.
ABOUT THE RENDERING PROCESS: All these undesirable ingredients by products are “denatured” before rendering. Denaturing is spraying crude carbolic acid, cresylic disinfectant or citronella on these dregs. ( *NOTE: THESE DENATURING PRODUCTS ARE TOXIC.)
Cresylic Acid is a tar-oil derivitive.
COLOURING (Blue 2, Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Titanium Dioxide):
Any colouring is completely unnecessary and should be avoided. Your dog doesn’t care about the pretty coloured shapes, and artifical dyes and colouring agents are known cancer causing agent, and also causes allergies.
Used in “junk dog food”.
PROPYLENE GLYCOL (additive):
Used in antifreeze solutions, in hydraulic fluids, and as a solvent. May be toxic if consumed in large amounts, and should definitely not be an ingredient in a food an animal will eat daily for weeks, months or even years of its life. This is not allowed for use in Europe as the findings have shown it to be dangerous.
BHA (Butylated Hydroxysanisole), BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene), and ETHOXYQUIN (Preservatives):
Banned from human use in many countries but still permitted in the US. Possible human carcinogen, apparently carcinogenic in animal experiments.
Ethoxyquin has also been used as a pesticide for fruit. It has never been proven to be safe for the lifespan of a companion animal.
It has been linked to thyroid, kidney, reproductive and immune related illnesses as well as cancer.
HYDROCHLORIC ACID:
Used in Kibbles n Bits – I really can’t find out why they use it but it is a caustic chemical agent used in the production of chlorides, fertilizers, and dyes. Hydrochloric acid can cause immediate pain and burns of the mouth, throat, esophagus and gastrointestinal tract. Simple common sense would indicate not to use this as a pet food ingredient!
*NOTE: MENADIONE SODIUM BISULFITE
This synthetic version of vitamin K has not been specifically approved for long term use, such as in pet food. It has been linked to many serious health issues. If you are not aware of this, it sounds like one of the healthy vitamins, but beware.