Recent re-called pet food has been a horror for pet owners.
The brand was found to have been made with a batch of wheat gluten
shipped to the United States from China that the FDA said was laced with melamine.
Dr. Karen Halligan explains which ingredients
pet owners should look out for and avoid, and steps to insure you are buying safe food.
What is wheat gluten?
Gluten is a glycoprotein
that's found in wheat, oat and barley. It's used to thicken, and to make gravy in wet food. It may also be used in dry food
as part of a protein supplement or a carbohydrate source.
How to pick a good dog food
You want to pick
a dog food that conforms to minimal AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) standards because AAFCO officials
strictly regulate pet food.
You want to pick pet foods that have good sources
of animal protein. If you look at the ingredient list, it is listed in descending order by amount — just like humans.
So the first two or three ingredients should be some type of animal protein — chicken, beef, fish, lamb, beef or turkey.
They shouldn't be vegetable, wheat or grain, or animal by-products.
Also, the pet food — can or bag —
should have an expiration date. And it should have a phone number and/or Web site, so you can call the company and ask questions.
These are the things that are going to be on high-quality pet foods. You also want to look for natural preservatives, like
vitamin C or vitamin E, and stay away from chemical preservatives. Ethoxyquine is one that they used years back that was determined
to be a carcinogenic, and are no longer using.
Avoid generic-label or store-label brands because
the food is probably from bulk suppliers. Don't pick products that have unidentified meat or bone meal. It's got to specify
the protein(i.e. chicken, turkey, salmon).
Avoid preservatives that are controversial:
BHT, ethoxyquine, BHA and propolyneglycol. Those are things you don't want to see on the label.
Key points
Make sure there are no wheat or
wheat gluten products in your pet food, and monitor your pet's behavior to be sure your pet is well.
Avoid these ingredients
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Wheat or wheat gluten
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BHT
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Ethoxyquine
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BHA
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Propylene glycol
How to pick safe food
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Read ingredient labels
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Find AAFCO stamp
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Check expiration date
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Get contact information
