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Originally Posted by friscomom  Gees this dog food thing is complicated. |
Yes, indeed
. Home cooking is not an option for me; I'm quite sure that I would do more harm than good.
I'm torn right now because Maximo is doing well with Natural Balance Ultra Premium, which uses ingredients preserved with ethoxyquin. The company says the chemical is burned off during manufacturing and that they don't use any additional ethoxyquin to stabilize their food. as do some some other dog food producers. However, there is some information on the web that disputes that the chemical is cooked off.
If Natural Balance says it is no big deal, why do they tout that their meat roles and food produced for Australian consumers doesn't contain ethoxyquin? And, why do NB and other producers claim that ethoxyquin is required by law? Information on the USDA website contradicts that claim.
I am planning to try another brand of kibble, Fromm's, but my other concern is quality/safety control. Natural Balance claims that they are the only company that tests for contaminates vomitoxin, aflatoxin, zeralenone, ochratoxin, and fumonism.
From the USDA website --doesn't look like ethoxyquin is required by law:
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Another pet food additive of some controversy is ethoxyquin, which was approved as a food additive over thirty-five years ago for use as an antioxidant chemical preservative in animal feeds. Approximately ten years ago, CVM began receiving reports from dog owners attributing the presence of ethoxyquin in the dog food with a myriad of adverse effects, such as allergic reactions, skin problems, major organ failure, behavior problems, and cancer. However, there was a paucity of available scientific data to support these contentions, or to show other adverse effects in dogs at levels approved for use in dog foods. More recent studies by the manufacturer of ethoxyquin showed a dose-dependent accumulation of a hemoglobin-related pigment in the liver, as well as increases in the levels of liver-related enzymes in the blood. Although these changes are due to ethoxyquin in the diet, the pigment is not made from ethoxyquin itself, and the health significance of these findings is unknown. More information on the utility of ethoxyquin is still needed in order for CVM to amend the maximum allowable level to below that which would cause these effects, but which still would be useful in preserving the food. While studies are being conducted to ascertain a more accurate minimum effective level of ethoxyquin in dog foods, CVM has asked the pet food industry to voluntarily lower the maximum level of use of ethoxyquin in dog foods from 150 ppm (0.015%) to 75 ppm. Regardless, most pet foods that contained ethoxyquin never exceeded the lower amount, even before this recommended change. |