Natural Better Than Synthetic
From mice to elephants it has been shown that natural vitamin E has more punch, more ‘bounce per ounce’ than synthetic. It has recently been shown that human infants similarly discriminate between natural and synthetic vitamin E.
There are physiological differences in its absorption, transport, utilization and tissue retention. Though past research has shown that natural vitamin E is 36 percent better than synthetic, current research in several species, including humans, shows a 200-300 percent potency of natural versus synthetic vitamin E.
Seed oils such as soy, safflower and sunflower seed and organ meats such as liver and spleen are higher in vitamin E. In the wild, cats and dogs may naturally obtain vitamin E from organ meats. Today’s pet foods are supplemented with vitamin E.
Dry Dog Food Safekeeping
If you opt to purchase dry dog foods that contain vitamin E as a preservative, you don’t have to let the time limitations get to you. Avoid buying this kind of food in bulk, for one. When you do buy dog food with vitamin E preservatives, place them in a dim and cool place. Air and light can cause natural preservatives to deconstruct — not good.
The Scoop Dog Food Recipes Are
- Formulated with ONLY natural copper.
- Grain inclusive.
- Put through numerous digestibility and palatability studies.
We source and test every ingredient in our food for nutritional value and purity. For example, in the new flavor we’re developing with salmon, we sourced farm-raised salmon vs. wild-caught salmon and choosing which one was best for our recipe was simple! We found that the farm-raised fish contained 129.2 ppm of chelated copper or copper sulfate, an alarming increase over the wild-caught salmon which contained a mere 1.6 ppm of natural copper.
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Purina Beneful Original Recipe
It turns out I’m not done with Purina dog food recipes just yet. Here is Purinas Beneful Original formula and it’s one of the worst dog foods out there. Despite its name, this recipe has a lot of unoriginal and familiar unhealthy for dogs ingredients corn gluten meal, ground yellow corn, whole wheat flour, chicken by-product meal, animal fat , soy flour, rice flour and quite a few others.
How To Know Whether Your Pup Gets Enough Tocopherols
Most dog foods contain Tocopherols, and Vitamin E deficiency is not common. However, the following telltale signs might be worth a mention to your vet:
- Muscle degeneration and weakness
- Brown bowel syndrome
- Impaired immunity
Note that each of these red flags could have another reason than Vitamin E deficiency. It is crucial to avoid giving Doggo supplements without first discussing it with your vet. An overdose is possible and could lead to more severe or long-term health problems.
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Preserving Canned Dog Food
Feeding only canned food is another way to avoid artificial preservatives. The canning process is one of the most effective preservation methods available, so no artificial or natural preservatives need to be included in the food itself. Unopened canned food can last for years when stored in a cool, dry environment, although owners should still observe the best by dates that are printed on the label. Canned food is significantly more expensive than is dry but is another option for owners who want to get the artificial preservatives out of their dogs diet.
Of course, what type of preservatives are used in a food is not the only issue involved in how best to feed dogs. A combination of high quality ingredients that altogether provide balanced nutrition is what is nonnegotiable.
Dr. Jennifer Coates
Whats Really In Dog Food
Here is a list of concerning ingredients you might find on your dog food label and should avoid. Disgustingly there could be floor sweepings, mycotoxins, propylene glycol anti-freeze, euthanized shelter animals in your pets food.
1. By-products
By-products means just about anything from the cow or chicken or other source of protein. This includes internal organs and cast-offs from the meat and poultry industry that would not be consumed by humans. It has even been rumored to include cancerous growths and road kill! Animal Planet confirms, According to the Animal Protection Institute , certain pet food companies were accused in the past of including carcasses and road kill in their by-products mix, and some industry insiders reportedly admitted to it.
2. Fillers
Just as the name implies, fillers plant-based sources of small amounts of protein that are used in place of ingredients with nutritional value dogs need like meat. Fillers include soy, corn, wheat, oats, etc. They are typically by-products of human food production, and some are even called floor sweepings from grain factories. Often dogs react to these fillers negatively. It shows up in their fur and skin. Fillers can also include things like peanut shells, weeds, cotton seed hulls, etc. and are used for fiber in the pet food. Even wood pulp is used! The Dog Food Project lists the following filler ingredients:
3. Artificial preservatives
4. Propylene Glycol
The FDA explains:
5. Digests
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What Is The Healthiest Cat Food
What are the most nutritious cat foods?
- Best Dry Food For Cats.
- BLUE Wilderness Indoor Chicken Dry Cat Food.
- Hills Science Diet Indoor Dry Cat Food.
- Purina ONE Urinary Tract Health Formula Dry Food.
- Rachael Ray Nutrish Natural Dry Cat Food.
- Purina Cat Chow Naturals Indoor Dry Cat Food.
- Blue Freedom Grain-Free Adult Dry Food.
Dog Food Preservativeor Pesticide
However, artificial preservatives are another story. Used long term, they can add a notable risk of toxicity to any dog food.
For example, ethoxyquin is one artificial preservative to watch for on a label.
Thats because ethoxyquin is not only used as a preservative but also as a pesticide and as a hardening agent for making synthetic rubber.
Ethoxyquin has been under investigation by the FDA as a possible cause for certain liver and blood problems.
In addition, the preservative is not permitted for use in Australian dog foods nor is it approved within in the European Union.1
Yet to this day, ethoxyquin is still commonly found in many popular brands of dog food.
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What Ingredient In Dog Food Is Killing Dogs
In order for a pet food to be contaminated with aflatoxin, the substance must contain less than 20 parts per billion. Found in a wide variety of pet foods, as well as some food processing products, aflatoxins grow out of mold Aspergillus flavus that can grow on corn and other grains. Pets can suffer from health risks from aflatoxins in high concentrations.
Are Tocopherols Healthy For Dogs
Natural preservatives are typically made from vitamins C or E. Youll usually find them on a dog food ingredients list using some form of the words tocopherol or ascorbate. Natural preservatives are typically considered safe.
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Tocopherols Nutrition For Dogs
We will start by saying that Tocopherols are not included in dog food to provide nutrition. For example, they do not provide any of the core nutrients such as protein, fat, or carbohydrates.
However, as we mentioned previously, Tocopherols are made up of E Vitamins which can provide some health benefits to dogs.
Some examples of the benefits of Vitamin E include helping to maintain a healthy immune system, improve skin health, and help maintain healthy vision.
However, for most dog food recipes, the quantity of Vitamin E found in the Mixed Tocopherols is unlikely to be significant, so one should not expect to see any significant benefits or improvements.
Natural Preservatives In Dog Food
Adding natural substances such as such as vitamin E , vitamin C , and plant extracts to a dry dog food can also prevent fats from becoming rancid. Unfortunately, natural preservatives are effective for shorter periods of time than are artificial preservatives, which means naturally preserved foods tend to have a shorter shelf life. As long as you purchase bags well before the “best by” date printed on the label and dont buy excessively large amounts of food at one time, this shouldnt be a big concern, however.
To determine whether or not a dry dog food contains only natural preservatives, look at the ingredient list. Remember that descriptions like “all natural” on the front of the bag can mean almost anything. If you see ethoxyquin, BHT, and/or BHA in the ingredient list, the food is not naturally preserved.
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Video Answer: Vita Bone Dog Biscuits Review
Dogs love the taste of almonds, particularly the flavored variety .
While not toxic, almonds are not easily digested can give your dog an upset stomach and create gastric intestinal distress.
Threat to pets: Xylitol may cause a life-threatening drop in blood sugar as well as causing liver damage to dogs.
Chewing gums and breath mints typically contain 0.22-1.0 gram of xylitol per piece of gum or per mint.
Thus, to achieve a potentially toxic dose, a 10 pound dog would only have to eat one piece of gum!
Health. With access to a veterinarian and quality nutrition, American Eskimo dogs can enjoy a long, healthy, and happy life. They often reach 15 years without any serious health problems however, owners should be aware of some genetic health problems that Eskies can inherit.
Iams Pro Active Recipe
I’d like to finish up this list of bad dog food brands with another one of the more famous names out there IAMS. Just like with a few other names out there, not all IAMS dog foods are bad, and some are extremely well-made. But it turns out that IAMS Pro Active recipe specifically has a set of unhealthy ingredients, including things such as chicken by-product meal, ground yellow corn, animal fat , soybean meal, dried beet pulp, corn gluten meal, chicken flavor, and a few others.
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Why Are Tocopherols Used In Dog Food
Tocopherols are one of the most common minor ingredients to find in dog food, including dry dog food, wet dog food, and dog treats. They are usually much further down the ingredient list than most other recognizable ingredients like meat ingredients or vegetables.
One of the main reasons that Tocopherols are used in dog food is that they are often touted as a superior or preferred preservative as they are more natural.
While there is no clear-cut research, many believe that artificial preservatives can be a danger or hazard and could have long-term health effects.
This is especially true of preservatives like BHT, BHA, propylene glycol, and others which have a very bad reputation in the industry.
Just as many humans have moved away from artificial or highly processed ingredients and chemicals, for this reason, they are choosing to move their pets away too.
Another and more simple reason that Tocopherols are used in dog food is that they are highly effective at their task. Dog food recipes, especially those from higher-cost or premium brands, often contain very high levels of fat.
Without the use of preservatives like Mixed Tocopherols, these fats would cause the food to have a poor shelf life which would not be practical.
Lastly, Tocopherols can be advantageous as they can also provide some health benefits from the vitamins they consist of as well as their preservative properties.
Are Tocopherols Toxic
Two types of substances, Tocopherol and Tocopheryl Acetate, and Tocopheryl Succinate, have been found to protect against damages caused by ultraviolet radiation. Horse physiological activity is usually not present in these ingredients in animal feeding experiments, although very high doses cause mild diarrhea.
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How Vitamin E Works
As an antioxidant, vitamin E is capable of stopping oxidation from occurring in pet food. When vitamin E is used as a preservative in dog food, it prevents oxidation by stopping the deconstruction of fats, fat soluble compounds and oils. When fats go through oxidation, their nutritional benefits diminish. They also develop an unpleasant and stale taste and texture. Since dog foods often consist of high amounts of fat, oxidation is a common problem with them. Vitamin E is a common natural preservative in dry dog foods — kibble. Canned, moist dog foods aren’t at risk of oxidation due to being airtight.
Pedigree Adult Dog Food
Pet owners who are vigilant about their dog’s food are well-aware of this, and I havent forgotten about Pedigree either. A giant when it comes to brand recognition, sales and fame, but also a big name when it comes to bad dog food brands and the amount of unhealthy ingredients that they put into their recipes. Corn gluten meal, ground whole corn, animal fat , meat and bone meal, wheat mill run, wheat flour, ground wheat, caramel color, wheat gluten is what you’ll find on the back of a package. Pedigree are a prime example of a dog food brand that prefers to invest into marketing rather than the quality of their food, simply because its more cost-effective.
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Is Tocopherol Safe For Dogs
Natural preservatives are typically made from vitamins C or E. Youll usually find them on a dog food ingredients list using some form of the words tocopherol or ascorbate. These items typically look like this. chicken fat preserved with alpha-tocopherol. Natural preservatives are typically considered safe.
What Dog Treats Are Bad For Dogs
To keep your dogs safe, avoid these eight types of dangerous dog treats: Dog Treats From China. Photo by Wallpaper Flare. Rawhide Chews. Photo by Alan Levine. Actual Animal Bones. Other Animal Parts. Cancer-Causing Pet Treats. Sugary or Artificially Sweetened Treats. High Starch Options. Toxic Human Food.
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Other Chemical Preservatives To Avoid
Although not as common as ethoxyquin, BHA or BHT, other unsafe preservatives being used in dog food include tertiary butylhydroquinone and propylene glycol, although both have been proven to be dangerous to both people and their canine companions. In fact, propylene glycol is the main ingredient in antifreeze, which is extremely toxic to dogs.
Bha/bht: Second On The Lift Of Ingredients
Butylated Hydroxyanisole and Butylated Hydroxytoluene are not just impossible to read they are horrible dog food ingredients. They are used to preserve fats and studies have linked these preservatives to different types of cancer. I am 100% sure we dont to increase our dogs chance of getting Stomach, Thyroid or Bladder cancer. This ingredient is found in the more less expensive brands of dog food. Spend a little more money, love your dog and dont feed this to them! I will promise you that spending an extra ten or fifteen dollars on good dog food ingredients will save you a ton of money in health costs down the road.
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Helping You Understand Our Clean Recipe
Here is a list of our ingredients. Because it is required by the FDA that the ingredients be listed by their scientific names, sometimes it’s hard to know clean ingredients from those that are not so clean. We have provided you with the scientific name of each ingredient, its commonly used name, along with the nutritional benefit it provides to your dog. We wanted to be transparent about whats in our food and explain it in a way that is easy to understand.
Dog Food Brands That Use Tocopherols
A huge variety of dog food brands make use of Tocopherols, including some of the premium/luxury brands, the industry giants, and smaller boutique brands.
Some of the best-known brands to use Tocopherols in their dog food recipes include Hills Science Diet, Purina Pro Plan, and Royal Canin, but also includes others like Taste of the Wild, Blue Buffalo, Diamond, Victor, Orijen, Acana, and more.
You can see a classic example of the use of Tocopherols in a dry dog food recipe below, which is the ingredient list of Blue Buffalos Life Protection Adult Chicken and Brown Rice Recipe.
As you can see, Mixed Tocopherols are listed here twice, once as part of a portion of Chicken Fat and then once again independently.
Mixed Tocopherols being included as part of other fatty ingredients like Chicken Fat or Oils like Canola Oil is common practice.
The widespread use of Mixed Tocopherols is not surprising as many of these dog food brands proudly state that they do not use artificial preservatives.
As a consequence, they must turn to natural preservatives like Tocopherols to ensure that their products have a long and safe shelf life.
However, it is also important to note that there are viable alternatives to the use of mixed tocopherols in dog food. Just because a brand does not use them in their recipes does not mean they are using artificial preservatives instead.
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Three Ingredients To Avoid In Your Dogs Food
This post is written by our holistic veterinarian at “I and love and you”,Dr. Angie Krause, DVM, CVA, CCRT
There is an abundance of misinformation about dog food and ingredient labels floating around cyberspace. While there are certainly some unsatisfactory practices in the pet food industry, its usually not as scary as some sources may claim. Meat meals are not always bad and if you want your pup to get all of the vitamins and minerals necessary, you may not be able to easily pronounce every ingredient on the label!
What Does Preserved With Mixed Tocopherols Mean
Tocopherols are a preservative used in human and dog food to help minimize and prevent spoilage. The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association mentions that Mixed Tocopherols are a By-product of the soybean industry. They also imply that just because they are a by-product, they shouldnt be dismissed or feared.
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