Watch Those Labels!

What’s the problem with commercial pet treats?

They are not all the same, but you really have to make sure you read the small print in the list of ingredients on each if you really have your pet’s interests at heart. But even taking that precaution might not be enough.

Manufacturers of dog and cat food have been in the news for some very bad reasons of late, and the mass recall in early 2007 of almost 100 branded products from store shelves – some of them really well known and respected products – has made most animal lovers think hard about what they serve their four-legged companions.

Commercial manufacturers have been ramping up their production and range to recognize people want to pamper their pets.

But they have to mass market their treats – usually working on a dog weighing an average 24 pounds. If you have a 40 pound dog, you can simply give them two treats.

But what if you have a 12 pound schitz tzu like us? Or a 5 pound toy poodle?

Then there’s the issue of preservatives. All commercial pet treats must be preserved to appear fresh and as appealing as possible to animals. Some preservatives are added to raw materials by suppliers, and then yet more by manufacturers when the product is being mixed.

Because manufacturers need to ensure that dry foods have a long shelf life to remain edible after shipping and prolonged storage, fats used in pet foods are treated with either synthetic or ‘natural’ preservatives. Synthetic ones include such unpronounceable ones as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), propyl gallate, propylene glycol and ethoxyquin.

There is surprisingly little information documenting their toxicity, safety, interactions or chronic use in pet foods that might be eaten every day during an animal’s life.

Potentially cancer-causing agents such as BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin are permitted at relatively low levels – but the use of these chemicals in pet foods has not been thoroughly studied, and who knows how harmful their long-term build up in your pet will be?

Some veterinarians and pet food critics believe that ethoxyquin in particular is a major cause of disease, skin problems and infertility in dogs, although others claim it is the safest, strongest, most stable preservative available for pet food. It has never been tested for safety in cats.

Who can we believe? If we buy natural, wholesome, healthy treats prepared using natural sun-drying preserving methods – such as those produced by Pet Treat Bakery – we don’t have to even consider the question.

Sadly, some people continue to give their four-legged friends chemicals, artificial colouring and preservatives as a treat! It’s the equivalent to us eating food full of toxic chemicals and persuading ourselves it’s a good thing.

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