Check The Dog Food Labels Before Purchasing

I was shocked to find out the poisons that are put in some dog foods. I had heard that there were crappy things put in some canine grub, but I was not aware of how harmful some of the ingredients were. Read the labels before you buy your pup that food. One of the bad things you want to be on the look out for is BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole), which is a cancer causing agent, especially, stomach cancer. They don't allow BHA in children's food, but I guess no one cares about canines being harmed.

BHT is Butylated Hydroxytolune and used in cosmetics, rubber, jet fuels, etc. I can’t believe this preservative is put in dog food. It can cause liver damage, metabolic stress, and increase cholesterol. Ethoxyquin is a pesticide. It has been known to cause liver/kidney damage, cancerous skin lesions, blindness, leukemia, liver cancer and so many other ailments.

The last preservative to avoid in dog foods is propylene glycol, which is another carcinogen. It is known to destroy red blood cells. This poison is found in wet dog foods so make sure to read the labels and if any of these preservatives are listed put them back on the shelf. I have to wonder who is putting this poison in canine food and whether or not they even care about dogs.

Plus, you don't want to by dog food that has meat by products in it. Dog foods that have by-products have manure, hair, hide trimmings, bone, hoof, horn, and other bad additives. This does not sound tasty and I’m sure our dogs would like a more delectable dinner.

There should be at least 24% protein in the dog food. A dog’s diet must contain an adequate amount of protein to build a strong immune system, give them a shiny coat, and maintain proper weight. The proteins must be digestible to rebuild cells in tissues, organs, antibodies, etc. Plus, the more digestible the food is, the less the dog’s body has to work to utilize it.

Just like in human food this rule applies to dog food, the ingredients listed first are what the food contains the most of. If by-products are listed first, your dog will be eating junk rather than nutritious ingredients. You want to avoid foods that have animal fat in it. Unless, it specifies the animal fat, such as chicken, the fat in the dog food could come from anywhere. We wouldn’t want to eat mystery fat, so why make our dogs dine on it.

I feed my dogs Science Diet. It’s very good food and I don’t mind that it cost a lot more than the cheaper dog food. Adding more years to my dogs’ life, this gives me comfort and I want to have them around as long as possible.