| But you don’t give your dog toxins! Or do you? | | | | it’s got some kind of preservatives – |
| You probably do without even knowing it. | | | | probably the kind you don’t want your pet to |
| | | | | have! |
| Do you make your own dog food or use commercial | | | | |
| dog food? If you use commercial dog food, then | | | | One of the advantages when you make your own |
| there is a good chance you are feeding your dog | | | | dog food is that you know exactly what is in the |
| toxins. | | | | food you feed your dog. You have complete control |
| | | | | over what your dog eats. When you make your own |
| There are some preservatives that are used in dog | | | | dog food, you use human-grade ingredients – |
| food which are not healthy if consumed on a daily | | | | none of those extremely harmful preservatives are in |
| basis (the way we feed our dogs the dog food!), | | | | our food. When you make homemade healthy dog |
| such as BHA & BHT. Both have been shown to | | | | food you are stopping the build-up of toxins in your |
| cause liver and kidney failure. Another preservative, | | | | dog's body. |
| Ethoxyquin, has been banned for human use. These | | | | |
| preservative are used as a fat stabilizer to prevent | | | | Of course there are a handful of companies out |
| the dog food from going rancid. | | | | there that do care about your dog and provide |
| | | | | nutritious, harmful-preservative-free food. Some |
| But here is the most deceitful part of the toxin issue | | | | provide kibble to which you add your own fresh |
| – these preservatives don’t always have to | | | | meat and/or vegetables. This is a great way to feed |
| be listed on the dog food ingredient label! If the | | | | your dogs when you do not have the time, or the |
| manufacturer did not add the preservative itself, | | | | energy, to make your own dog food from scratch. |
| they don’t have to list it - legally. However, the | | | | |
| processing plant that provides the ingredients to the | | | | The most important thing you can do if you |
| dog food plant may very well have used any of | | | | don’t make your own dog food is to learn how |
| these preservatives! | | | | to read the ingredient label. Although harmful |
| | | | | preservatives may not always show up, the rest of |
| A good way to check to see if your dog food has | | | | the ingredient list should be a tell-tale sign as to |
| preservatives is to check the expiration label. If the | | | | whether the dog food company cares about your |
| shelf-life of your dog food is greater than 1 year, | | | | dog or its profits. |