Dog Food May Contain Deadly Toxins With Only 5% Fit For Consumption

As we speak, a billion dollar industry is in turmoil. With recalls, lawsuits and accusations, pet food companies are desperately analysing their products in the hope that they don’t contain toxins. Overall, it’s not a great time to be working in the pet food industry. Though that production line may not have been great in the first place…

A lawsuit has been filed against Purina following accusations that their Beneful dog food has caused the deaths of a number of dogs. If it is found to contain toxins, it’s possible that it’s killed literally thousands of dogs.

So how can you know whether what you’re giving your pooch is up to scratch? Well, the guys at Reviews.com have recently completed a colossal undertaking – they have found out what’s actually in nearly all of the different types of dog food. As you can see, the numbers involved are considerable.

They created a list of over 11,000 people connected to the dog food industry, and then narrowed it down to the best. They also compiled a list of more than 8,000 search queries in order to determine what matters most to dog owners.

The first discovery was unsurprising. Around 70% of dog owners don’t know all of the ingredients in their dogs’ food. But what’s more concerning is what actually is in the food. Using a sample of 2,219 formulas from 115 different brands, it was determined that only 119 formulas were satisfactory.

Many of them contain extremely low quality meat, which may be referred to simply as “meat”, “meat meal” or even “dry rendered tankage”. Mmm. I’m getting hungry just writing about it.

Reviews.com’s method is as follows:

• We removed products where the first ingredient is not a meat of any kind.
• We removed products containing corn, soy, wheat, grain, or flour.
• We removed products containing beet pulp or sugar.
• We removed products that contained by-products or sauces.
• We reviewed brands for recalls, ingredient sources, history, and customer satisfaction.
• We reviewed the remaining formulas based on the best ratio of protein, fat, and carbs, as well as the source of protein.

It’s important to point out that a while a formula may not contain toxins, it can still be harmful to a dog, not least as it may be the only thing which the dog eats. Over a number of months or years, formulas which are the canine equivalent of fast food can cause serious health issues.

As Reviews.com explains, “Digestive problems, including bloat and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), are symptomatic of poor ingredients that don’t contain enough whole, unprocessed foods. Food allergies can also lead to digestive issues – many of the experts we reached out to have seen evidence that dogs are sensitive to wheat and corn, both popular fillers.”

There were a number of reasons why certain samples didn’t make the cut, including false labelling and a lack of information. Only 119 of the 2,219 formulas were found to be satisfactory. The brands which did pass were generally those which focussed on natural ingredients.

So lastly, here is the list of brands which passed the test:

• ACANA
• Addiction
• Annamaet
• AvoDerm
• Back to Basics
• By Nature
• Earthborn Holistic
• Fromm
• Grandma Lucy’s
• Hi-Tek Naturals
• Horizon
• K9 Natural
• Lotuz
• Nature’s Logic
• Orijen
• Pinnacle
• Precise Holistic Complete
• Primal
• Stella & Chewy’s
• Stewart
• Stewart Pro-Treat
• The Honest Kitchen
• The Real Meat Company
• Wysong
• ZiwiPeak

While it may seem shocking only 25 out of 115 brands passed, it’s a certainty that there has always been a big gap between the required standards for human food and pet food. And after all that serious doggie chat, it’s certainly time for some light relief. Check out this hilarious video of a guilty dog backing out of a difficult situation in the cutest way possible. And breathe.