If you are wanting to know the worst dog food ingredients, the first thing to do is examine the labels. You will soon discover what NOT to feed your dog.
You can either find the ingredients on the dog food bag or you can go to the website of the manufacturer if you want to know everything included.
The label will list the exact ingredients in their dog food starting with the largest percentage amount, and it can be incredibly enlightening.
You will want to look for the worst dog food ingredients that are controversial and probably not good for your dog.
Guaranteed Analysis
Look for the Guaranteed Analysis label, which is listed on each dog food brand. This label will show you the percentages of protein, fat, fiber and moisture content.
Some dog good labels will also show you the calcium and phosphorus percentages as well.
The next step is to read over the ingredients and watch out for misleading phrases like “Natural”, “Human-Grade” and “Holistic”.
These are just sneaky forms of marketing, and really don’t have any legal standards or guidelines.
Some of the worst dog food ingredients will use cheap fillers that are unhealthy for your dog.
You will want to select a high-quality dog food for your pooch, which will cost more than some cheap brands. But after all, isn’t your dog worth it?
List Of The Worst Dog Food Ingredients
1. Meat By-Products
Watch out for the term on the label that says “Meat by-products.” This is mainly ground-up remains of a livestock animal and not high-quality meat.
Another sneaky label is the “poultry by-products”. This again is just ground-up remains of chicken parts and not high-quality chicken.
In addition, “meat byproducts frequently include waste parts as well as rejected meats,” according to Dr. Michel Selmer, DVM.
Dr. Karen Becker, DVM, says, “There could be something beneficial thrown in, like the heart or gizzard – but because there’s such potential for undesirable pieces and parts…it’s better to avoid them altogether.”
2. Chemical Preservatives
Chemical preservatives are one of the worst dog food ingredients that are found in some low-quality dog foods.
Here is a list of types of chemical preservatives:
a. Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT)
b. Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA)
c. Ethoxyquin (this is a herbicide that has been known to cause medical conditions such as; kidney damage, liver damage, cancer, immune deficiency, blindness, and leukemia.
d. Propylene Glycol (PG) (this is a type of anti-freeze that can cause kidney damage and prove to cause cancer in both dogs and humans.
3. Bad Additives
You will want to avoid these additives, which are not healthy for dogs.
Sugar, Onions, Grapes, Garlic, Food Dyes such as Blue 2, Yellow 5 and 6, Red 40, and 4 MIE. Artificial colors MSG Corn Syrup Nitrates (Sodium Nitrate).
RELATED: Is Chocolate Bad For Dogs?
4. Ingredients That Can Cause Dog Allergies
Some dogs have allergies to wheat and soy, as the popular brands now are grain-free dog foods.
5. Salt
All dogs and humans need salt for their bodies, and a lot of healthy natural ingredients contain enough salt for their required needs. However, too much salt is not healthy as it can cause high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
Dog food labels that show added salt should be avoided, as this is excessive.
6. Non Description Fat
Fat is healthy for your dog, provided it is a healthy fat. Worst dog food ingredients are listed as “animal fat” or “poultry fat”. These are not good fat sources as they can be fat from a dying animal.
Also, watch out for vegetable oil as that is not a good source of fat either. The best dog food brands use high-quality fat sources.
7. Ethoxyquin
One of the worst dog food ingredients is ethoxyquin. This is a preservative that some commercial dog brands have included in their dog food.
One dog food brand states that ethoxyquin is safe for use in dog food when used at an approved level.
According to Dr. Becker – ethoxyquin “should never be fed to any pet”.
Would you want your dog to eat this every meal every day? I know I wouldn’t feed mine any dog food that contained this.
Selecting The Healthiest Dog Food
Here are recommended tips for selecting the highest-quality dog food for your dog.
Make sure you look for dog food brands that have high-quality protein such as beef, chicken, lamb, duck, or salmon as the first ingredient. As stated earlier, make sure the label doesn’t contain meat or poultry by-products.
You might have to look for a more expensive dog food brand over some of the well-known inexpensive brands for a high-quality solution.
You just need to compare the ingredients on the labels to see which dog foods are the best.
If you find a dog food ingredient that has food dyes then it isn’t high-quality dog food.
Providing your dog with top-quality dog food is one of the best ways for your dog to be happy and healthy.
In addition, bone and joint health supplements and vitamins are also recommended.
