|
TREAT TIME! |
|
Let’s say you have been
feeding your dog truly top quality food – none of the supermarket foods, at
the very least. And then you break
open a bag of some “cute” looking treat you found at the pet store. You call out: Treat time! And Bouncing Billy comes on the
run. He gets his treat and is clearly
delighted with it and nudging you for another one. But?
Just what is in that “treat” that you bought? Chances are it won’t be
good for your dog. Treats can contain
sweeteners that we would never want to see in the regular food because they
are, after all, treats. But the
sweeteners should be things such as molasses, honey and apples. How about what is
in a product we see locally, Purina’s Bacon and Cheese Beggin’
Strips? Well – sugar, plain and
simple. Bacon is number 10 in the
list of ingredients so one can only guess about how much is really in there
but bacon should not be a first choice treat for your dog no matter
what! Further down the list it
indicates bacon fat preserved with BHA* which is considered one of the WORST
preservatives. Even further down the
list it does indicate “Dried Cheese Powder” – whatever that may be. And the list of ingredients ends with
“Added color Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6 and Blue 1. Dogs don’t give a hoot about color and such
additives are not healthy with Red 40 considered the worst. Oh yeah – the first 4
ingredients in this “tasty treat” read:
Ground Wheat, Corn Gluten Meal, and Ground Yellow Corn. Dogs did not evolve eating grains and have
zero need for them. This product is
loaded with grains and all of them are the poorest quality available. Compare the Purina product
with Wellness Lamb and Salmon Wellbites. First ingredient – just as it should be! –
Lamb and Salmon is right behind it.
Then there is Ground Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Vegetable Glycerrin, Guar Gum, Cane Molasses, Carrots, Sea Salt,
Natural Smoke Flavor, Garlic, Blueberries, Flaxseed, Sweet Potatoes, Apples,
and concludes with natural preservatives. There is clearly a HUGE
difference between the two products! One need not be concerned
about giving a dog a treat from a bag of those goodies. Besides the “cookie” style of treats there
are jerky-style treats that are really simple when it comes to ingredients - at
least that is true with the high quality versions. For example, Canine Caviar Wild Alaskan
Salmon is precisely that – just one ingredient – wild salmon! Dr. Becker’s Bites is made
of free range bison liver and heart.
You may have to shop on the net to find such quality items but it is
worth it. Learn to read the labels of
whatever you buy and don’t get caught up in cute shapes and avoid those
colors! Locally we are limited so
my very best suggestion is raw chicken feet!
Look for places that sell Rancho Viejo chicken because it is hormone
and antibiotic free chicken. Those “patas de pollo” are easy on
your budget too! *In
general, foods will spoil without some form of temperature control or
preservatives. BHA, BHT, and ethoxyquin are
chemical antioxidants designed to extend the shelf life and reduce fat
spoilage (rancidity) of pet foods and pet treats. Chemical additives and
artificial preservatives such as BHA, BHT, and ethoxyquin
may cause dry skin, allergic reactions, dental disease, and poor health, as
well as stimulate adverse effects on liver and kidney functions. Specifically, BHA, short
for Butylated Hydroxyanisole,
and BHT, Butylated Hydroxytoluene,
are both artificial preservatives added to oils to slow down deterioration.
BHA and BHT (as well as ethoxyquin) are used in
numerous pet food brands, including both "premium-grade" brands
like Science Diet (even their prescription diet product line) and lower-grade
brands like Alpo and Pedigree, to replace vitamin E, which is removed during
oil processing. Studies have shown that BHA and BHT promote liver disease and
other medical problems. Ethoxyquin is
a chemical preservative – and possible carcinogenic – regulated by the FDA
(U.S. Food and Drug Administration) as a pesticide. While ethoxyquin cannot be used in human foods, it continues to
be used in many pet food brands. Ethoxyquin has
been found to promote kidney carcinogenesis and significantly increase the
incidence of stomach tumors and enhanced bladder carcinogesis,
according to several studies, including a recent one by The Department of
Pathology, Nagoya City University Medical School, Japan. H |