Is Natural Dog Food Best for My Dog?
The Term Natural is Misleading
Many pet food marketers try to capitalize on the use of the term all-natural when referring to their products, but what does natural mean, and is it really better for your pet?
The term all-natural means there are no chemicals or other man-made materials added during processing. Many commercially prepared dog foods contain preservatives that, while approved by the FDA, are still thought to increase the incidence of cancer and other diseases in canines. There are numerous studies that can support claims by both those for and against chemical additives, so you'll have to decide what's best for your pet based on their overall health as well as your personal convictions.
Ethoxyquin was approved to maintain viability of vitamins in pet foods over forty years ago, but reports in the last two decades have raised concerns that it may not be safe at previously approved levels. Increased incidents of skin conditions, allergies, cancer and organ failure were thought to be attributed to repeated ingestion of ethoxyquin found in dog food. Tests showed changes to enzymes in the liver that were directly attributed to the ethoxyquin. Even though manufacturers voluntarily agreed to reduce the maximum level of the chemical allowed, the amounts previously used were already lower than that maximum, rendering the agreed-to lower level meaningless.
BHA and BHT are two synthetic preservatives thought to cause increased liver and kidney problems, yet they're commonly found in many commercially prepared dog foods. The FDA mandates how much of the chemicals may be added to food processed for human consumption, but allows a much higher level for pet foods. Is your pet's health less important than your own?
All dog foods contain fat, so preservatives are essential to prevent it from going rancid. Some natural dog foods contain natural preservatives and antioxidants such as blueberries, Vitamin C, cloves and other spices. While the shelf-life isn't extended as long as with chemical additives, natural preservatives are thought to be much safer for your pet. As long as the dog food you purchase is consumed within a reasonable time and not stockpiled for years, there should be no reason to add potentially harmful chemicals to prevent spoilage.
Chemicals added to dog foods do nothing to improve the nutritional value, so as long as spoilage isn't a concern, there's no reason to feed them to your pet - and a number of reasons not to.
Published by Marie Anne St. Jean - Featured Contributor in Lifestyle
A Top 1000 Content Producer for the last three years, Marie Anne is a retired U.S. Marine MSgt whose weapons of choice are now crochet hook and pen. When not writing for Yahoo! sites such as YCN! Voice... View profile
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10 Comments
Post a CommentHere is a real raw dog food company.
RSG Natural Rearing
www.rsgnaturalrearing.com
A lot of educational information on the FAQ page.
We just changed the food we buy. The new one is not "all natural" but has no corn or preservatives. It is more expensive. Still the dogs eat less, so it's cheaper in the long run.
I agree with you here, but my two cats lived to be 18 years old, on mostly dry cat food. Go figure.
It's all hype- the best thing to do is stick to a brand you trust and add fresh fruits and veggies to it (cooked or raw, whatever your dog will eat). I love my dog and used to buy her the "natural" foods- until I realized I was paying 3x as much for dried cranberries in her food- the only diff between the other stuff. Note- stay away from 'Ol Roy and that Gravy Train stuff- unless you want your dog to have the runs. Any other dog food is basically fine :)
excellent article
Whenever I can afford it, I go with natural food purchases for myself as well as pets. I feel the closer it is to containing nothing but food the better. Good information here and nicely done.
Forget additives! Sherman loved "brown popsiles" available on various parts of the yard from November - February. Maybe that's why he lived to be fifteen.
Well all I know is almost my dogs that our family has had over the years have lived to be at least 15 or 16 years old. We must be doing something right. I think it has a lot to do with the love they received. Great article and good to reveal this information for pet owners. : )
Day two on the Salmon Oil for Calvin's allergies - all is well! cheers :)
Some very good points here. I hate the words "all natural" because not just pet food companies use it all the time to gain the consumers trust and all natural does not always mean it's healthy. I ignore this statement wherever I see it. Another tag on pet foods that is now popular is "grain free" now this is a good start but a lot of pet food companies have added other starches that are equally damaging to pets into their food. I have a dog and cat with health issues and have really had to learn to read labels. My dog eats a raw food diet that my vet said would kill my dog. I got a new vet and kept feeding the raw food. 9 yrs later I have a healthier dog than when he was 1 yr old, I owe much of this to the raw food and a very good holistic vet.