With the recent pet food recalls in the USA, more attention has been paid to what we are feeding our pets. I think that in recent years, with the advancement of medical and veterinary technology, people are now paying as much attention to the health of their pets as they are to their own health. What we are feeding our pets is a crucial part of their overall well being. Pets become a part of the family and losing them can be as difficult as losing a family member. Unfortuantly they just do not live as long as people, so it is important to make the years that they have as healthy as possible.
Suzanne Wilcox, one of the Owners of VIP Boarding Kennel, was recently lucky to be introduced to a member of the Environmental Working Group. On their website,
www.petsfortheenvironment.org, they have a list of “Eddie’s Healthy Pet Tips”. The one item that tops the list is choosing foods without chemical preservatives. Two of the chemical preservatives that may be found in some pet foods are BHA and BHT.
BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole) is a chemical that stabilizes free radicals therefore further free radicals are prevented. Upon doing some online research on this particular chemical I found that Wikipedia reports the following information: “The National Institute of Health considers BHA reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen”
BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene) is a fat soluble organic compound that is primarily used as an antioxidant food additive, as well as in a number of items such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, jet fuels, rubber, petroleum products, and embalming fluid. Some studies have shown that BHT has been reported to cure some cancers, but to encourage others. BHT was largely removed from food in the 1970’s and was replaced with BHA, which has had much less study.
This information that I learned from Eddie prompted me to see what was in the food I was feeding my dog and cats. I learned that a majority of pet food manufacures do not seem to use BHA or BHT in their foods. However I did find that some companies are still using it. I have compiled the following information about a majority of the main stream pet foods:
Pet foods that DO NOT contain BHA or BHT
Purina Dog Food, including food under the following trade names
ALPO
Mighty Dog
Beneful
Dog Chow
Pro Plan
HI Pro
Kibbles and Chunks
Moist and Meaty
Purina ONE (including Purina ONE Naturals)
Purina Cat foods, including food under the following trade names
Cat Chow
Deli Cat
Fancy Feast
Friskies
Kit N Kaboodle
Pro Plan
Purina ONE (Including Purina ONE Naturals)
The following companies DO NOT use BHA or BHT:
Science Diet
Iams/Eukanuba
The Good Life
Authority (PetSmart Brand)
Nutro Max
Nutro Natural Choice
The companies that I found that DO use BHA or BHT are:
Dogs:
Kibbles n Bits all varieties except, Wholesome Medly.
Pedigree Adult all varieties (BHA/BHT is not listed on their Puppy Food)
Cats:
9 Lives Dry all varieties
Canned foods of the above varieties did not contain BHA or BHT. It does seem that in a random sampling of other types of canned dog and cat food, BHA or BHT is not used as a preservative at all.
The important thing to remember when deciding on a brand of food to feed your pet is to read the labels. I feel it comes down to the old adage “If I wouldn’t eat it, why should my dog?”
