7 Ingredients To Avoid In Your Dog Food

Dog food is the first item that comes to mind when considering what to feed your dog, and for good reason. Aside from the name, it’s a terrific diet for your dog since it provides important nutrients that he needs to become strong and energetic.

However, not every ingredient in dog food is safe for your dog. Some have little or no nutritional value, while others serve mainly as fillers or preservatives. And what about the risky part? Some pet food ingredients may endanger your dog’s life.

It pays to inspect the ingredients of what you give your dog carefully as a responsible pet owner. To assist you, we’ve compiled a list of seven ingredients to avoid in dog food.

BHA

Many popular dog meals include BHA, a controversial chemical preservative. However, Some people believe that using this chemical in pet food is too dangerous. While government laws still allow this controversial chemical to be used in pet food, it is deemed safe in low doses. BHA has also been found to produce malignant tumours in lab animals. Dogs are usually fed the same food all  the time. And it’s the cumulative effect of a dangerous chemical (like BHA) on an animal’s system that tends to magnify its effect. With a little label reading and research, you can keep your dog healthy and happy by reducing risks to diseases.

BHT

Butylated hydroxytoluene is a preservative often used in dog food to keep the oils and fats from going bad. The only reason BHT is added is to make the dog food last longer on shop shelves. It is found in a variety of products; Pharmaceutical medications, jet fuels and fuel by-products, cosmetics, and embalming fluid all include BHT; the majority of these items are not digestible, however, with the exception of pet meals. Several nations, including Australia, Sweden, and Japan, have outlawed BHT as a food preservative.

White Flour

This starchy ingredient is a simple carbohydrate that is included in some dog foods as a binding agent and filler. The majority of the nutrients in wheat are removed during the bleaching process to convert flour to white flour.

This flour has the ability to substantially boost or reduce the blood sugar levels of dogs once consumed. Furthermore, it only keeps them satisfied for a brief period until they become hungry again. When this happens, your dog eats more food than normal, increasing their chances of becoming obese and developing diabetes.

 Meat Meals

Meat is a nutritious meal option for your dog in general. However, there are some meat products that you should avoid since their ingredients are unknown.

 Meat meals or unlabelled meat components seen in certain dog diets are examples of this. It frequently does not mention the sort of meat used, which raises questions about its source. These meat meals generally include low-quality, expired, or contaminated meat upon closer investigation. Fatty tissues or the carcasses of deceased animals from shelters can also be found there.

Meat meals, typically have little to no quality control, are merely fillers with little to no protein. As a result, it’s recommended to stay away from them entirely. 

Meat Byproducts

Byproducts in dog food are leftovers from the human food industry, to put it simply. All animal parts that are unhealthy, distasteful, or unsuitable for humans are classified as byproducts and used in other products, including dog food. Backs, feet, stomachs, lungs, brains, and livers are common examples. Whole animals that can’t be utilised in human food production because they were sick or died before slaughter are sometimes included. When dogs eat meat byproduct meal, they are consuming primarily byproducts and very little meat. Rendering at high temperatures may alter or destroy natural enzymes and proteins found in these ingredients and thus not very healthy for your pup. 

Rendering fat may also be a source of Salmonella and toxins, both of which are harmful to your pet. If you still don’t believe rendered products aren’t a good idea, remember that rendered ingredients are regarded unsuitable for human consumption. 

Artificial Colours in Food

Colours are fun to add to human food, but in animal food, they cause more damage than good. Artificial colours are frequently used to make dog food appear more appealing to the eye—but not for dogs! Instead, these colours are intended to capture the attention of pet parents. 

Adding colour to dog food is absolutely unneeded for dogs. After all, your dog isn’t concerned about the colour of its food. Furthermore, the most commonly used food colours (Blue 2, Red 40, and Yellow 5 and 6) have been associated with hyperacidity and severe food allergies. It is advised to purchase only naturally coloured dog food.

Corn Syrup

Corn syrup is frequently used in pet treats as a low-cost flavouring. Once extracted and processed from corn, this concentrated sweetener has a thick, syrupy consistency. Dogs find it incredibly addictive, so they keep coming back for more.

However, it is not a vital element of your dog’s diet. When your dog consumes large amounts of them, their blood sugar levels will increase and decrease rapidly. Allowing your dog to eat corn syrup as part of their food puts them at risk for diabetes and obesity.