Why Would I want BHT in my Dog Food?
BHT or BHA is a preservative used in commercial pet foods and it basically preserves the animal fat content quite plainly so it does not rot in the dog food bag or can. It is also called Thoxyquin which does not sound very appetizing to people. The history of Ethoxyquin dates back to the fifties where it was used to kill weeds as a herbicide and it was a chemical used to make rubber more stable.
As a preservative it keeps old food preserved longer and that has to do more with shelf life and not your dog’s health. BHA is more for the manufacturers to sell it to grocery stores so it can sit on the shelf longer than other foods.
What does Ethoxyquin do for your dog? Well it can kill it. People who work in the rubber business and were exposed to Ethoxyquin contracted skin cancer, blindness, leukemia, diarrhea and liver damage. In animals it can kill their immune system which is their only defense against diseases. It causes kidney cancers and makes stomach tumors or colon tumors and the Department of Agriculture lists it as a pesticide. Yes you will find BHA in poor cheap dog food at Walmart.
This is a chemical preservative that your dog is ingesting at every meal for years and years. Your dog will consume pounds of Ethoxyquin in its food approximately 27 pounds in its life time. Doesn’t sound very healthy does it?
You wonder why pet owners buy this food at all but most do because it is cheap. It is cheap in its ingredients but is it safe? It all depends on how long you want your dog to live? Dogs can live 25-30 years but today the average life span of a dog is 13-14 years. The best advice is to buy only certified organic food for your dog, and ensure that it does not contain BHA, or corn, or wheat or by products. Pet foods are not supposed to contain chemicals that kill your dog. They are not supposed to contain harmful ingredients that damage your dog’s kidneys.
The only way to buy dog food today is with a magnifying glass as you read the ingredients. These days I know where the organic food is and its not at Pets Mart, at least the fake organic food is but not the real stuff. If you find your local independent health food store -you will find organic dog foods.
Ingredients of Ol’ Roy Complete Nutrition: even after the recall of 2007 this food is not fit for dog consumption.
Ground Yellow Corn, Meat and Bone Meal, Soybean Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Wheat Middlings, Animal Fat Preserved With Bha and Citric Acid, Natural Flavor, Brewers Rice, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Color Added Red # 40, Y … (excerpt from : walmart.com).
There were no product reviews on this item for sale at Walmart. Usually when you buy a product on line you get to see other people’s reviews which states how they liked it, what it did for them, how they used it and how much they liked it. But in this case, we did not find any reviews for Ol’ Roy Complete Nutrition. As Wikipedia explains:
To date, the US FDA has only found a verifiable connection between ethoxyquin and buildup of protoporphyrin IX in the liver, as well as elevations in liver-related enzymes in some animals. It has been shown to cause mortality in fish.
Websites on BHA: http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/Ethoxyquin.htm
Wikipedia Reference on Ethoxyquin: Wiki
Even more information on BHA or Ethoxyquin: CBC Report.
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The industry of dog food is based on three principals: 1) Additives 2) chemicals 3) cheap unhealthy ingredients. If you purchase your dog food from a box store, a pet food store or any store -it must be organically certified to be healthy. The large dog food companies are all the same they obtain their ingredients from dead, diseased, and disabled animals that are mixed with chemicals to kill the smell. You really do not want to feed your dog this food.
Here is an example of a 95 percent organic dog food manufacturer: http://www.karmaorganic.com/ Check the labels of your dog food and thoroughly do the research on each ingredient and you will find out what is healthy.
The FDA does not regulate, monitor or challenge dog food manufacturers including as you know imported dog food from China as we saw in 1997. If you have a dog -purchase your dog food from an organic dog food company and you must check the ingredients of any food you use today. It should be illegal to sell tainted unhealthy dog food but we cannot rely on the government to regulate this industry and that is why our dogs are at risk.
You can also purchase the ingredients on a weekly basis and make your own healthy, organic foods -it is not difficult and your dog will not only live longer but thrive on the essentials of good nutrition. Buy ingredients off of a local organic farm, they still do exist and set up a deal with the farmer. This also applies for human food also you can buy regular weekly produce right off the farm. Look for co-op organic organizations in your area and start yourself on a brand new course of eating healthy both for you and your dog. Not only will you save money in vet bills but your dog will love you for it.
Sara
Please give us some name brands to help us out. Also, it is a crying shame that the FDA allows similar ingredients and chemicals to be used in the food that we humans eat as well. There are so many preservatives to increase shelf life that it should be illegal to do so. However, it is what it is. Be aware and lets help each other out. Give us some names of dog foods that we should be buying.
The best dog food contains no chemical additives and is not bought from your local Wal-Mart or even Petsmart. Organic dog food can be purchased on the internet or at an organic dog food store. Check the internet for your local pet “Health Food Store” and ensure it is organic. That is what this website is all about -feeding your dog natural and unprocessed foods. Find a local butcher -buy off the nearest organic farm in your area. You can also make your own healthy dog food by using a formula of your own. 60 percent protein (either chicken, fish or beef, or lamb ) 20 percent grains, and 20 percent vegetables is a healthy mix.
Hope this helps you with some good ideas.
Sara
Managing Editor
Sooo, can someone KNOWLEDGABLE about dog food please LIST some SAFE HEALTHY dog food for us? That would be a great big help!
it’s sinful what is allowed to be put in commercial pet food. Our only recourse is to expose them to the public. Thanks for fighting the fight.