Chemical Preservatives in Dry Pet Food
The department of Pathology, Nagoya City University Medical School, Japan, conducted a study to determine the toxicology of the commonly used preservatives BHA, BHT, and Ethoxyquin, in dry pet food. The study found that:
Ethoxyquin
- promoted kidney carcinogenesis
- significantly increased the incidence of stomach tumours
- enhanced bladder carcinogenesis
- significantly increased the number of colon tumours
BHA
- causes squamous-cell carcinomas in rats and hamsters
- enhanced stomach and unrinary bladder carcinogenesis
BHT
- promoted urinary bladder carcinogenesis
- could be a promoter of thyroid carcinogenesis
Those in favour of vivisection might perhaps be able to explain why chemicals continue to be used when they have been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals. Either the data is valid or it isn't. Which will it be?
According to Dr Wendell O Belfield, author of How to Have a Healther Dog, both BHA and BHT are known to cause liver and kidney dysfunction and are banned in some European countries. He says that ethoxyquin is suspected of causing cancer, and that propylene glycol, another common pet food ingredient, causes the destruction of red blood cells.
Dr Jean Dodds tells us that underlying thyroid disease can render dogs susceptible to other autoimmune diseases. She says that an important link has been shown between a deficiency in the mineral, selenium, and hypothyroidism. "The selenium issue is further complicated," says Dr Dodds, "because chemical antioxidants can impair the bioavailability of vitamin A, vitamin E and selenium. As manufacturers of many premium pet foods began adding the synthetic antioxidant, ethoxyquin, in the late 1980s, its effects along with those of other chemical preservatives (BHA, BHT) are surely detrimental over the long term. The way to avoid this problem is to use foods preserved with natural antioxidants such as vitamin E and vitamin C."
Ethoxyquin, incidentally, is manufactured by Monsanto, which requires employees handling the substance to wear eye and respiratory protection. According to the publication Z-Team, 1993, ethoxyquin containers are marked with a skull and crossbones and prominently display the word, 'POISON'.
So what to do about the pet food dilemma? Pet food manufacturers that do NOT use chemical preservatives usually proudly proclaim this fact on labelling and promotional literature - and if enough of us refuse to buy chemical-laden pet foods, they'll soon stop trying to sell it. Also note that the levels of hazardous chemicals within human foods are usually far lower than those permitted in pet food. Alternatively, we dog lovers could continue doing what we've always done, and refuse to believe that anyone would sell us anything that could cause harm to our dogs. As John Lennon said: "living is easy with eyes closed".
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The department of Pathology, Nagoya City University Medical School, Japan, conducted a study to determine the toxicology of the commonly used preservatives BHA, BHT, and Ethoxyquin, in dry pet food. The study found that:
Ethoxyquin
- promoted kidney carcinogenesis
- significantly increased the incidence of stomach tumours
- enhanced bladder carcinogenesis
- significantly increased the number of colon tumours
BHA
- causes squamous-cell carcinomas in rats and hamsters
- enhanced stomach and unrinary bladder carcinogenesis
BHT
- promoted urinary bladder carcinogenesis
- could be a promoter of thyroid carcinogenesis
Those in favour of vivisection might perhaps be able to explain why chemicals continue to be used when they have been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals. Either the data is valid or it isn't. Which will it be?
According to Dr Wendell O Belfield, author of How to Have a Healther Dog, both BHA and BHT are known to cause liver and kidney dysfunction and are banned in some European countries. He says that ethoxyquin is suspected of causing cancer, and that propylene glycol, another common pet food ingredient, causes the destruction of red blood cells.
Dr Jean Dodds tells us that underlying thyroid disease can render dogs susceptible to other autoimmune diseases. She says that an important link has been shown between a deficiency in the mineral, selenium, and hypothyroidism. "The selenium issue is further complicated," says Dr Dodds, "because chemical antioxidants can impair the bioavailability of vitamin A, vitamin E and selenium. As manufacturers of many premium pet foods began adding the synthetic antioxidant, ethoxyquin, in the late 1980s, its effects along with those of other chemical preservatives (BHA, BHT) are surely detrimental over the long term. The way to avoid this problem is to use foods preserved with natural antioxidants such as vitamin E and vitamin C."
Ethoxyquin, incidentally, is manufactured by Monsanto, which requires employees handling the substance to wear eye and respiratory protection. According to the publication Z-Team, 1993, ethoxyquin containers are marked with a skull and crossbones and prominently display the word, 'POISON'.
So what to do about the pet food dilemma? Pet food manufacturers that do NOT use chemical preservatives usually proudly proclaim this fact on labelling and promotional literature - and if enough of us refuse to buy chemical-laden pet foods, they'll soon stop trying to sell it. Also note that the levels of hazardous chemicals within human foods are usually far lower than those permitted in pet food. Alternatively, we dog lovers could continue doing what we've always done, and refuse to believe that anyone would sell us anything that could cause harm to our dogs. As John Lennon said: "living is easy with eyes closed".
Back to:
Pet Food
Diet
A to Z