Check Your Dog Food Ingredients1

By: Dave Jackson
Dogs, especially puppies and miniatures, are so innocent of their surroundings that they'll try anything once, even if it's harmful. This morning, as I was spraying an organic insecticide made from flowers and my miniature schnauzer took a few licks to see what is was like - before I caught her. Just like snakes, dogs use their tongues to test the environment. This spray isn't that bad because it's natural. Still, even natural repellents are pretty hard on the kidneys.

Dogs will try anything, even more so than cats, which are the most finicky pets you could own. So when you are putting out the dog food, chances are, even if there is something bad in there, if it tastes good enough, they'll consume the whole bowl and look at you to see if more is coming. And by the way, make sure you're not over feeding your puppy. Don't feed your puppy scraps or your unfinished food. That's too much food for an animal that doesn't get out very much. They have nowhere to burn off the food and will get fat, quickly.

So if dogs can't tell you how their food tastes, or read the label to see if there is something in their food that might be hard on the kidneys or digestive tract; it is up to you, their owner, to carefully check what is in that dog food bag that sits in the corner. With the recent crises of the Chinese putting junk in mix, it is time for you to do some label investigation to make sure you are not slowly killing your dog with ingredients that still make it onto our shelves.

First, let's understand the economics behind the making of dog food. Dog food manufacturers are in business for one main reason - and it's not to make dog food! They're in business to make a profit. Dog food is only what gets them to profitability. Once you know this, believe that if they can save money on manufacturing and beat the competition, they will. They don't do this because they want to hurt your pet. They do this because if they don't - the way their business model works - they will lose money and sell less dog food.

Have you been to the dog food aisle lately? Some stores have two or three aisles. There is huge competition on price and ingredients. You'll find your normal dog food; names you've grown up with, and then you'll find newer, organic or special diet dog foods. So know that there is not a lot of concern going on for your dog - just marketing what may catch your fancy. But you need to be aware of what to look out for on those labels.

Since Fido will probably eat the same food day in and day out, it is important to look past the attractive labels and clever marketing. Current pet food regulation allows manufacturers to use ingredients you wouldn't feed your pet in you knew. Look for the word "by-products" on the label. This can mean feet, bones and intestines.

Because dog food manufacturers have to make sure the product won't spoil, typically 12 months, they include preservatives. Fats used in dog food would go rancid, so they use synthetic preservatives called butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), propyl gallate, propylene glycol which is also used as a less-toxic version of automotive antifreeze, and ethoxyquin. Look for these on the label. There is not much information documenting their toxicity, safety, interactions, or use in pet foods that may be eaten every day for the life of your dog. Propylene glycol was banned in cat food because it causes anemia in cats, yet it is still allowed in dog food.
 
Dave Jackson lives in south Florida with his miniature schnauzer. He has great tips on how to care and feed your dog on his website Three Best Dogs.

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