- Preservatives
They kill the good bacteria in the gut that digest food.
Got gut problems? Go preservative free!
Here are some of the names by which preservatives are called in dog food.
Butylated Hydroxytoluene or BHT, BHA and Propylene Glycol
Artificial colourings are just as bad for your dog as they are us! As are the chemicals in deli meats.
- Grains
Dogs are not meant to eat grains like white rice, barley and oatmeal. Even worse are Soy, wheat and corn. Small amounts of brown rice and quinoa are OK. - Meat by-products
Sometimes called meat meal are slaughterhouse waste, what’s left of an animal after all the cuts of meat intended for humans are removed from the carcass. This can include organs, feet, beaks, brains, undeveloped eggs, pieces of tumours and intestines (with the best effort to remove feces). So if you see beef, chicken, duck or lamb by-product as an ingredient leave it on the shelf.
Meat meal of meat and bone meal can contain road kill, dead zoo animals or dead livestock.
Dr. Martin Goldstein