Look at the can of dog food you have been feeding your dog. Don't just look at the label. "Super Gourmet Beef Delight" doesn't tell you what your dog is actually eating. Read the ingredients. Do you know what each ingredient is? What it really is? Not all ingredients in a can of food are necessarily good for your dog. Here are three ingredients you should steer clear of.
Corn (in any form)
You will see it listed as corn gluten, corn gluten meal, corn cellulose, or simply corn. Dogs are carnivores but they can eat and digest vegetable matter. However, corn is very difficult for them to digest because they don't have enough of the proper enzymes. Too much corn can lead to digestive issues. The corn gluten, gluten meal, and cellulose are used primarily as binders and have very little nutritional value.
BHA/BHT
These are phenolic antioxidants, used to preserve fats and oils. Many countries have banned these from human use, but they are still permitted in the U.S. They may possibly be human carcinogens and have been demonstrated carcinogenic in animal experiments.
Here's how this ingredient listing looks on the bag of a popular brand of kibbles. This is the fourth ingredient, by the way: "Animal Fat (preserved with BHA/BHT)".
Ethoxyquin
Ethoxyquin is an antioxidant. It was developed by Monsanto as a stabilizer for rubber. It has also been used as a pesticide for fruit and a color preservative for spices - and later for animal feed. It has been linked to thyroid, kidney, reproductive and immune related illnesses as well as cancer. Studies to determine the safety of Ethoxyquin have not been completed, which is why it's still allowed in dog foods.
As a side note, if you see that fish meal is an ingredient in the dog food brand you are using, unless it says "human grade" fish meal, it is preserved with Ethoxyquin, even if it's not specifically listed.
These are just a few of the dog food ingredients you should avoid feeding your dog. The best way to ensure that your dog is getting the healthiest, most nutritionally balanced food possible is to make it yourself. Otherwise, you could be compromising your pet's health without even realizing it.
