Ingredients to Avoid in Dog Food

For many years, most dog owners have fed their dogs whatever their vets recommended or what commercials on TV advertised as being the best for their pets. After the dog food scare involving China was exposed, dog owners have begun questioning their brand of dog food and what exactly is in it.

The findings can be disturbing. Dog owners need to take responsibility for what they feed their dogs and learn more about the dog food they have chosen. When choosing a dog food, always read the ingredients.

Never choose a food for your dog because it says, “Recommended by Vets” as this statement is misleading. All this statement means is that the dog food company has a vet on staff that is paid to say they recommend the food.

Also, don’t use a food just because your personal vet recommends it. Vets are “gifted” to recommend the food to their clients – it doesn’t necessarily mean it is good for your dog. If you have a vet you feel that you can trust, ask him about the food and of course, always read the label. The first ingredient on the list should be meat – nothing else.

There are many ingredients in dog food that you need to avoid. Corn, wheat, and soy are fillers. This means that it is just being used as a cheap means to fill up the contents of the dog food bag instead of using meat.

Corn should be avoided because dogs can’t digest corn. It triggers allergies and dog skin problems such as itching and excessive shedding.

Wheat is another allergen. Grains are not a natural part of a dog’s diet and should be avoided.

Soy is a grain.

Powdered cellulose should be avoided at all costs. Cellulose is just a fancy word for sawdust. You don’t want your dog eating sawdust – do you?

Meat by-products is a common ingredient you see in commercial dog food. This term means anything that humans don’t eat – undeveloped eggs, neck, feet, head, teeth – anything not fit for human consumption including cancerous tissue.

BHA, BHT and Ethoxyguin are preservatives. They have been recognized as carcinogens and have been banned from human food. If it is cancer causing for humans – it is cancer causing for dogs.

Dyes need to be avoided for potential cancer causing properties.

Meat that is any that is only identified as “meat.” This is just more by-products that your dog shouldn’t be eating. If it isn’t the first on the list, you can probably be right in assuming it is a by-product.

Beef and bone meal is a low quality meat product.

Soybean meal is used as a source of protein in dog food but is poor quality. Nothing with soybeans should be included in your dog’s food due to allergy problems.

Brewers rice is a waste product. It is the grain that has been used and is a by-product of the alcohol industry. There is no nutritional value left in the grain – it is strictly a filler.

Now that you know what to avoid in your dog’s food, skip the dog food section at your local grocery store and go straight to a reputable pet store. But remember, just because the pet store stocks the food doesn’t mean that it’s the best. Read the label and avoid any food that has the above-mentioned ingredients.