Having a healthy diet is crucial to your pet's overall health and well being. You can purchase a pet food that you know is healthy at your local animal wellness center, but how do you determine which bag to bring home from the pet store? Bix box pet stores sell some foods with ingredients that are potentially harmful to your pet. Here are some ingredients to avoid!
Corn is often used in syrup form to sweeten pet food. Too much sugar can lead to unhealthy weight gain and all the problems that come with it. If your dog needs a sweet treat, try giving them something with berries in it. Blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries all make healthy snacks for dogs.
BHA & BHT are both potentially very dangerous for your pet. Consuming butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) can potentially lead to kidney damage. Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) has been found to cause cancer in both humans and animals.
Ethoxyquin was originally developed for use in herbicides, not pet food. Pets who eat food that contains ethoxyquin are at risk for developing serious kidney and liver damage.
Propylene glycol is an ingredient that can be found in antifreeze. It's used to reduce moisture, but this quality can reduce moisture that is necessary for the promotion of healthy bacteria in the digestive tract. The absence of healthy gut bacteria can lead to serious digestive problems for your pet.
Food dyes are added to pet food to imitate the color of meat and vegetable ingredients. Some dye mixtures can potentially cause organ damage, cancer, and allergic reactions in dogs.
Meal by-products are the internal remains of another animal. They can contain diseased tissue, organs, and even tumors, and any pet food with a meal by-product ingredient should be avoided.
Xylitol is an artificial sweetener that can cause many problems for your pet. Vomiting, coordination issues, and lethargy are just a few.
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