Artificial preservatives in your pet’s food inflict more harm than you ever imagined
We are living in a world where packaged food is becoming more of a rule than an exception. Any food – be it for humans or their furred buddies – that comes packaged needs to be preserved to amplify its shelf life. The desired end is achieved through the means of preservatives, natural and otherwise.
Pet food preservatives can be slotted into two broad categories: antimicrobials that restrict proliferation of bacteria, moulds, fungi or yeasts; and antioxidants that apply brakes on the oxidation of fats and lipids that result in rancidity. In preservatives, there are both natural and artificial. The latter is the bone of contention now.
Artificial or synthetic preservatives used to be the norm in the pet food sector till quite recently among various dry pet food variants. The reason? It’s less expensive, ensures higher shelf life and considered more fail-safe when contrasted against natural ones. That said, synthetic preservatives are completely avoidable if your pet’s long-term health and balanced nutrition are of paramount importance to you as a parent. You would do better not exposing your beloved buddy to potentially toxic chemicals, which are capable of causing irreversible damage to their health and well-being.
Many of the dry dog food variants contain several artificial preservatives, including butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), tert-butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ), propyl gallate, and ethoxyquin.
Ingestion of large amounts of ethoxyquin leads to several health problems in pets, warn studies. A study undertaken by the University of Hamburg concluded that “all published findings agree with the fact that BHA and BHT are tumour promoters”. The Department of Health and Human Studies in the US found that “BHA consistently produces tumours in both rats and fish”. Pets and humans can’t be far behind.
Pet food manufacturers, however, are slowly turning to natural preservatives, such as tocopherols (vitamin E), citric acid (vitamin C), and rosemary extract. TailsLife’s Furresh and D WoofPack are preserved following the best practices in the industry, to keep the freshness of the feed intact and your pets happily satiated.
