Many dogs end up at the vet because of issues of discomfort like itching, dandruff, hot spots, rashes, foot licking, excessive shedding and the list goes on. The one common thing all these dogs have is the type of food they are consuming. Artificial Diets have been linked to many health problems. If we go down in pet history and read about problems they used to have 40 years ago and now, you’ll notice that pets nowadays suffer from health complications that only old ones had back in the day. However, what most vets don’t see is that the chemical additives in pet foods and the wrong quality of nutrients are the reason for the health deterioration happened throughout the decades.
Skin and Allergies
Skin complications and allergies count as the most widespread outbreaks nowadays. The vets handle the problems by turning to steroids, which might stop the itching but inflict other short and long term side-effects. Many owners claim that the skin problems end once their dogs change from consuming artificial diets to real food. The skin clears up, and the change starts to become visible just a few months later.
Why do vets recommend artificial diet?
Vets have little knowledge of nutrition, as they don’t receive much training in that field. However, the training they do receive mostly comes from pet food companies, which is no wonder they stay unaware of the damage they cause dogs. Most pet food brands are owned by big corporations that know the clever tricks of marketing. Surely you’ve seen pet food stored at your vet’s place, offered for sale and probably even recommended to you. It’s what makes you buy these foods in the first place; the assumption that they’re healthy.
How pet food manufacturers manipulate veterinarian opinion
If you think about it, pet food manufacturers sell out the idea that whole fresh food isn’t the best for our pets, that giving them fresh meals will somehow mess the balance of their processed diet up. It doesn’t make much sense, does it? Well, that is the reason these companies finance veterinarian training programs and support vet school clinics. It’s where the money lies. Some vets only possess the information these manufacturers tell them, and they pass it on.
Ingredients of artificial foods
The processed food many of us feed to our beloved pets is filled with fillers that are more beneficial for the producers than they ever will be for our dogs. The formulas used to make pet foods are not just affordable for pet owners, they also lower the budgets for the companies that make them. These fillers help the makers turn raw ingredients into processed pet diets. They are useful when it comes to stabilizing products for storage and shipment. The downside? They are not the proper nutritions your pet should be getting.
Red flag ingredients
To extend the life of processed food, manufacturers turn to preservatives for fat and oil ingredients. However, food preservatives aren’t all the same, there are natural ones, and there are artificial ones. Vitamin C and E both fall under the natural preservative category and are mostly listed within the ingredients as tocopherol or ascorbate. These are somewhat safe.
The bigger problem, are the artificial ones. When used in the long-term, they can add toxicity to any dog food. Make sure to look for ethoxyquin on any brand that you buy, as it is not just used as a preservative, but also as a pesticide as well as a hardening ingredient for rubbers. Remember to watch out for Butylated hydroxyanisole aka BHA and Butylated hydroxytoluene aka BHT. Both chemicals have been listed as cancer-causing compounds by the World Health Organization. While these chemicals are publicly known as toxic and lethal, sadly not all companies refrain from using them. Here’ s a couple of dangerous additives to look for if you still want to feed processed food to your pet:
Propylene glycol
Ethoxyquin
BHA
TBHQ
Propyl gallate
Now that we’ve discussed the health risks artificial diets put on our dogs let’s talk about the food they should be consuming.
Meats: The best meats for your dog are chicken, beef, turkey, lamb, duck, bison and rabbit. Fish can be beneficial, but one must be very careful when picking them. Some fish have toxins, like mercury, and can be dangerous to your dog.
Veggies: First rules about feeding vegetables to your pup? Offer it raw. Cooking kills all the vitamins and enzymes your dog needs in its meal. Dogs can’t easily digest plant nutrients as they lack the enzymes to do so. Consider pulverizing the vegetables in a food processor before handing the meal out to your pup.
Grains and cereals: Just don’t. Grains and cereals aren’t easy to digest and might, therefore, be problematic for your furry friend. These foods help alkaline form in a dog’s stomach instead of acids that help kill bacteria. Some grains also contain carbohydrates that play with your dog’s blood sugar level and might put it at risk to diabetes. Aside from that, carbohydrates are easily stored as fat and might cause other health problems for your dog such as being overweight.
Fruits: Fruits can be refreshing, delicious treats for dogs. Be moderate when you feed it to them and avoid giving your pup any grapes or raisins as they tend to be toxic to them.
Dairy: Plain yogurt is the best dairy product for dogs. It’s simple to digest and doesn’t cause any problems like most milk products. Make sure the yogurt contains no sugar before you feed it to your dog.
Eggs: When boiled, eggs are perfect for your dog especially if they come from free-range, pasture-fed hens. It’s even better if the egg is soft-boiled rather than hard boiled, as it preserves more nutrients that way.
