To help get you started, here’s a closer look at some of the worst offenders. There aren't many ingredients that get as much buzz in the press as gluten does these days. Ingredients to avoid Ingredients are listed by category, to search within this page please press control-F to perform a search for a specific ingredient if you don't know the category. What To Look For In Dog Food: Checking Ingredients…, Earthborn Holistic Dog Food Review 2020: Love Your…, Different Types of Dog Food Available to Feed your Dog, Caru Dog Food Review 2020: Nourish your Pets with Love, Best Food for Your Doberman Pinschers: Top Puppy,…, Dog Nutrition Guide: Everything You Need to Know…, 10 Best Dog Foods In 2020 Plus Our Picks For The Worst. Unless the ingredient is listed as natural, assume it is artificial. Good question. The problem is nothing is for sure. By-products encompass the waste left over from the production of feed animals, and in many cases may not contain much actual meat. Whole grains like quinoa, oats, or brown rice are all great alternatives. By-products . Here is a list of common pet food ingredients we recommend you avoid! What are the bad ingredients in dog food? Prepared meats are high-fat, high-salt items can be occasional treats for you (think: once a week or less), but are better to avoid feeding your pet. Once this Frankenstein concoction is compiled, it is heated extensively to remove any pathogens that might be there (they most definitely are). When manufacturers include “anything goes”, non-descript terms, such as "meat", it is always a guess at what's in them. Fat provides your dog with a concentrated source of energy as well as omega fatty acids for skin and coat health. Why risk it? Once the food allergy has been diagnosed using a hypoallergenic dog food, a challenge should be performed to confirm the diagnosis. Just like proteins, most of the fats in your dog’s diet should come from animal sources – that includes things like salmon oil and chicken fat as well as fish proteins like fresh tuna or menhaden fish meal. If you examine your dog food ingredients and find that the food is mostly composed of the ingredients listed here, you may want to re-think your dog’s diet. That means the first five or six are used in the highest volume, so those ingredients should all be of high quality and sound nutritional value for your dog. Most dog food allergies are caused by grains such as wheat and corn. According to the FDA, artificial flavours are rare and usually take the form of bacon or smoke flavour. If it's lower than that, it's less likely to make a big difference in the protein makeup of your pet's food. The list goes on. Brewers rice is a common carbohydrate source in low quality dog foods, but it's also an ingredient you should avoid. However, this protein does not contain all necessary amino acids and is not nearly as bioavailable as any animal source, such as chicken or eggs. This brand of dry dog food has ingredients that have been considered dangerous for dogs to eat, as it includes as chemicals including BHA, xantham gum, BHT, corn gluten, and food coloring. There isn't really an alternative for cellulose in dog food, it's nothing more than a filler, something used to create texture that should already be there if quality ingredients are being used. According to a fact sheet by the Food & Water Watch, sodium tripolyphosphate can be harmful if inhaled and is a skin irritant (MSDS). Tried fresh, human-grade food for your dog yet? If you spoke to five different veterinarians or animal nutritionists, you would get five different answers in regard to the dog food ingredients that are most important to avoid. While only xylitol is toxic to dogs, other sugar substitutes do nothing for your pet nutritionally. According to Dr. Becker, ethoxyquin is used in many pet foods and almost all fishmeal in pet foods. However, when this popular legume is listed only as "pea protein" you should look at it critically. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(4133719, '02365a5f-0cae-426e-8a7a-95f443ca3d25', {}); If you want to avoid preservatives completely, go with canned dog food. Sugar substitutes are alternatives, but they're questionably healthy. Meat is healthy for your pet. This fat can come from roadkill, dead zoo animals, or even euthanized animals. While it may sound like a whole grain, brewers rice most definitely is not. Yes, they are tasty, but they are not very good for your pet. And there's no reason to use artificial colouring in food. “With respect to flavors, pet foods often contain "digests," which are materials treated with heat, enzymes and/or acids to form concentrated natural flavors. Look for healthy sources of fats that include high levels of omega 3 fatty acids, such as named fish oils (salmon), olive oil, or flaxseed oil. Corn syrup, much like refined sugar, causes spikes in blood sugar and contributes to weight gain, obesity, and diabetes. These super premium, minimally processed foods are filled with nutritional ingredients such as free-range chicken, organic vegetables, and whole fruits complete with antioxidants. Flavour can be listed by itself or with something else (e.g. Similar to processed foods for humans, many dog foods contain dozens of different ingredients and it isn’t always easy to tell exactly what they are. Fillers – As a general rule, you should avoid any dog food that uses a lot of ingredients that do not provide significant nutritional value – this is the case with fillers. What does that mean exactly? But did you know this cheap, sweeter-than-sugar sweetener can be food in pet food and treats, too? While sugar alcohols (such as sorbitol, malitol, and xylitol, among others) may have little or no calories, they can still have an effect on blood sugar. You may want to go gluten-free. According to a farmed salmon brochure by David Suzuki and the cited Journal of Nutrition (2005), levels of 13 fat-soluble pollutants are almost 10 times higher in farmed salmon than in wild salmon. Eggs and named meats or meat meals have high bioavailability for dogs and cats. This process also removes most nutrients that might be in these questionable ingredients. Also, wheat gluten can often be found as an ingredient on their own, used as binders to form the kibble shape and texture. Xylitol causes a surge in your pet's blood sugar and then a subsequent drop, which can result in hyperglycemia. The exception to this rule, of course, is for synthetic vitamin and mineral supplements which can sometimes have strange names. Dogs can eat peanut butter as long as it is fed in moderation and does not contain xylitol, so get out that peanut butter jar and share the good news. Cellulose can be found in your pet’s food, as well as many fast foods, diet foods, processed meat and cheese products, granola and “health” bars, processed breakfast foods, and even ice cream. The issue with animal by-products, and the reason they made our list, is that they are nutritionally inconsistent. The problem with white flour is that it causes a spike and then drop in blood sugar, causing you (or your dog) to be hungry again soon after consuming it. Pea protein has risen to popularity as an ingredient in many cheaper grain-free pet foods. One of the benefits of canned dog food is that the canning process eliminates the need for chemical preservation. If you really want to do what is best for your dog, you should learn about his basic nutritional needs and take the time to figure out how to read a pet food label. There are many high quality dog foods out there like Orijen, Fromm, or Ziwi Peak. You should talk to your vet to have other potential causes ruled out and then put your dog on an elimination diet until all traces of the allergy have disappeared. For more dental care options check out our recommendations for dental treats for dogs with bad breath. Unnamed animal by-products can be so heavily processed that little to no nutrition is left for the pet. Don’t give your pet alkalizing foods such as apples, bananas, cabbage, broccoli, beans, potatoes, pumpkin, millet, honey, alfalfa, non-distilled vinegar (organic apple cider vinegar), squash. Currently parent of three adopted cats and one small mutt. To go to Food Bad For Dogs click here To go to Dog Food Additives click here To go to Plants and Your Dog click here. We're all about honesty here. Be skeptical about the quality of ingredients when flavour needs to be added. Does this one sound familiar? There are so many good, healthful things you can include in your dog's diet. These bad dog food ingredients are some of the worst offenders in pet food. Water and Acidic Foods are Important Increase your cat's or dog’s water intake. There are a variety of animal-based protein ingredients that should be avoided. Gluten, found in grains, is not a natural food for dogs or cats to consume. Until more research is available, avoid these potentially harmful additives whenever you can. Common high-carbohydrate ingredients include corn, wheat, potatoes, rice, and oats. Just choose a dog food with healthy ingredients, including naturally-sweetened fruits and vegetables and hearty named meats such as chicken. However, there is also promising research that they can be used to help cure herpes and even AIDS. “Dog Food Ingredients to Avoid” If you are a dog proprietor that looks after your family pet, after that you recognize for sure that maintaining them healthy and balanced is your utmost top priority. The reduced bioavailability of plant-based proteins, or the ability of your dog's body to process and use the proteins and nutrients, makes these proteins less usable for energy and body processes from immune response to muscle maintenance to metabolism. While soy is one of those few plant protein sources that actually contain all necessary amino acids, it is often difficult for pets to digest, causing bloat and gas. In pet foods (as well as human foods) it is used to make up for the lack of flavour in low-quality ingredients. Recent studies link high sugar substitute intake with high blood sugar, reduced bioavailability of plant-based proteins, propylene glycol may be toxic in large amounts, Containing 55% protein in its concentrated form, Spirulina for Dogs: Tips for Supporting Senior Dogs, 10 Dog Training Tips for First Time Pet Owners, Milk Thistle for Dogs: Protecting Your Dog's Liver. The main reason is money – the lower the quality of an ingredient, the lower the price. Recent studies link high sugar substitute intake with high blood sugar, a precursor to Type 2 Diabetes in humans, due to how these sugar substitutes alter normal gut flora. Sugar substitutes can be deadly for pets, and new research shows that they aren't doing you any favours, either. In dog food, gluten can be found in any gluten-containing grain, such as wheat or barley. Look for real meats you can recognize, such as whole deboned chicken, turkey, lamb, beef, or salmon, or meals of these meats. If your dog has dry, itchy, inflamed skin, or recurrent ear infections, it could be a sign of a food allergy or intolerance. So what are the top ten worst dog food ingredients you should be on the lookout for? These include: ETHOXYQUIN is used to preserve fats. Bruiser kibble Variety Mix demonstrates the motto that you avoid feeding your dog a favour and skip.. The first 7 ingredients cardiovascular disease fruits and vegetables and hearty named meats fresh. Hydroxytoluene ( BHT ), butylated Hydroxytoluene ( BHT ), and spots... 'S leave this unnecessary, non-nutritive ingredient out of our dog food ingredients you should look it. Glycol, especially if you have cats in the diet only feeds dog... But BHA and BHT are chemicals added to some dog food is to make the food contained of., too and skip these insecticide, fungicide and rodenticide flavour needs to be added animal by-product, and disease! 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