Many of us have been convinced that healthy, natural, premium, and label-recommended for cat and dog food must mean that the food in the bag is good for our pets. Along with these words are statements of 100% complete and balanced that let us assume that we are providing the best we can for our pets, feeding the same dry grain-based diets day after day. However, most people do not fully appreciate what these pet foods contain. Pet food companies put pictures of freshly cut chicken breast, fresh fruits and vegetables, and healthy grains on packages, yet that’s rarely what’s actually inside the bag.

You are likely feeding a pet food that contains more than one of the ingredients described below. The pet food industry has a wide range of unsavory options when it comes to substances that can be used in pet food and the freedom to print attractive, however deceptive, images on its packaging. It is only when our pet’s health begins to degrade and eventually fail that most people begin to wonder why. After all, a healthy body can only be as good as what it gets.

To promote the best health you can in your partner, read and understand the uses of the common ingredients below, and be sure to always read their labels.

Top 12 Pet Food Ingredients to Avoid

Corn, Corn Flour or Corn Gluten Flour

Years ago, pet food manufacturers discovered that pets love the sweet taste of corn. Corn is one of the most subsidized agricultural crops, which makes its market price lower than the cost of producing corn.

Corn gluten is used as an inferior protein source in pet foods. Corn protein itself is not a complete protein source and must be balanced with animal protein to create a usable amino acid profile for pets.

Unfortunately, corn is often abused as the most abundant ingredient in many pet foods, contributing to many diseases related to high-carbohydrate diets, such as obesity, chronic inflammation, diabetes, and cancer. The corn on the cob becomes a filler with very little nutritional value. The quality of the corn is also an issue, as many foods use poor quality corn that contains toxins like mycotoxins and mold that damage pets’ liver and kidneys.

Carnivores were never designed to get most of their energy needs from carbohydrates. In fact, they have zero nutritional requirements for carbohydrates or grains. However, most products on the market regularly consist of up to 50% carbohydrates, some even more.

Eons of evolution have engineered carnivores to obtain energy from amino acids (proteins) and fatty acids, fat from prey animals through the process of gluconeogenesis. Aside from simple economics, there is no reason to challenge the eons of evolution that nature has set in motion when it comes to feeding carnivores like dogs, cats, and ferrets. When we force such a dramatic change in metabolism and use lower-cost ingredients, long-term adverse effects become much more likely. The same effects of junk food on humans can be seen in companion animals today.

Wheat

Wheat is another ingredient found in abundance in many foods. Repetitive and persistent exposure of wheat to companion animals has resulted in allergies and intolerances to wheat and wheat gluten. This is another starchy crop that should be avoided.

Wheat gluten is also used as an inexpensive protein source. Wheat gluten contamination was the cause of Menu Foods’ massive pet food recall in 2007, causing countless companion animals to suffer kidney failure, wasting and death. Menu Foods manufactured foods for hundreds of common brands. This test would have been avoided if the pet food companies involved used quality ingredients like human-grade meat instead of lower-cost cereal alternatives.

Soy

Along with corn and wheat, soy is one of the most common allergies in companion animals. Carnivores should never have eaten soy, it is commonly used in pet food as an inexpensive substitute for meat protein. As an additional problem, it is estimated that around 89% of soybeans and 61% of corn crops are transgenic. Genetically modified foods have been shown to negatively affect our pet’s health, just as it does us.

Cellulose

Cellulose is nothing more than a 100% filler. It can be purified and obtained from anything from plant material to sawdust.

By-products

Cat and dog foods routinely contain by-products. By-products are residues from human food production. By-products come in two forms: named and unnamed. Examples of named by-products include chicken by-products and pork by-products. By-products can include undeveloped necks, legs, intestines, and eggs.

Unnamed by-products include meat by-products. Meat by-products can include the brain, blood, kidneys, lungs, and stomach.

By-products, in many cases, are derived from 4D meat sources, animals that have been rejected for human consumption because they were presented to the meatpacking plant as dead, dying, sick, or disabled.

Animal fat

Unlike chicken fat (a named animal source), unnamed animal fat is a product extracted from animals of unspecified origin.

Again, in many cases, animal fat includes 4D class meat sources.

Meat food

Meat meal consists of unspecified and recycled animal tissue sources.

What this definition does not mention is that class 4D of meat sources can still be legally used on meat.

Meat and Bone Meal

Meat and bone meal is a product extracted from mammalian tissues, including bones.

Recently, many cat and dog food companies and processing plants have come under scrutiny about including euthanized pets in meat and bone meal. Ann Martin, in her book, “Food Pets Die For,” discussed this disgusting practice and the detection of sodium pentobarbital in pet food, a veterinary drug used in the euthanasia of companion animals.

Chemical preservatives: BHA, BHT, propyl gallate, ethoxyquin or sodium nitrite / nitrate

BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) are petroleum-based preservatives used in food and hygiene products. TBHQ (Tertiary Butylhydroquinone) is another petroleum-derived preservative.

Ethoxyquin is used as a food preservative and pesticide. In pet food it is typically found in meat and fish based ingredients. Ethoxyquin is banned for use in human products because it is believed to cause cancer. It is important to note that when a manufacturer sources a preserved ethoxyquin ingredient from a supplier, the manufacturer is not required to list the ethoxyquin in the pet food ingredient panel.

Propyl gallate is another preservative used in foods, cosmetics, hair products, adhesives, and lubricants.

The use of these harsh chemicals is known to cause cancer and they are not considered inert or safe; however, they are widely used in pet food.

Strong preservatives provide an inexpensive means of extending product shelf life. Naturally preserved products can use tocopherols (vitamin E), citric acid, and rosemary extract to prevent rancidity.

These natural preservatives are common in truly healthy pet foods, as manufacturers find that the little extra expense is well worth it when it comes to the safety of our pets.

Sugar

Table sugar is often used to spark interest in nasty concoctions that pet food manufacturers make. There is no reason to put added sugar in pet food other than the reason mentioned.

Propylene glycol

Like sugar, propylene glycol is used as a flavor enhancer due to its sweet taste. It is another questionable ingredient in pet food. In human uses, it is a common ingredient in deodorant sticks and makeup as a moisturizer. It is interesting to note that propylene glycol is the less toxic chemical sister of ethylene glycol, “antifreeze.”

Artificial Colors

The colored kibble pieces are not for the benefit of the dog or cat, in fact, they make it more attractive to you! Our pets don’t care about the color of their food, this is just another marketing gimmick to draw your attention to the meriada of pet food labels. Artificial colors are synthetic chemical dyes that have no place in pet food. There have been cases linking FD & C colors to cancer and other ill effects.

Conclution

We can see that any pet food can claim to be healthy and natural when that is not the case. The recommended claims also have little impact on the quality of these pet foods.

Quality pet food simply does not use these ingredients. Clearly, the pet foods found in supermarkets and even chain pet stores don’t have your pets’ best interests in mind.

So what are the alternatives?

Fortunately there are many! Whether you are looking for dry or canned alternative foods, or would like to switch to a natural raw food diet, there are many healthy options available to you.