Ethoxyquin poison and in most dog foods

[Maximo]

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:

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.

[Cha Cha]

Originally Posted by friscomom

Gees this dog food thing is complicated.

I agree! It is complicated, and the more posts I read about dog food the more confused I get.

I was feeding TOTW Pacific Stream with the Salmon in it, to Moka and she was doing really well on it. After reading all the good things about Wellness, I switched her, even though I had no complaints about the TOTW. She eats the Wellness ok, but ever since she has been on the Wellness, she seems depressed and very clingy to me, and more lazy than usual. So, what does a person do? I want to feed the best but I want my dog to be happy too?

[tonyag9]

Darn it! After tons of research to be sure I was giving Pixel a good quality food, I chose Solid Gold Wee Bits. I had a dog pass away last year (after 15 years) and I fed her Natural Choice and I think that led to her death, so I wanted to be more informed this go round. I can't believe Solid Gold has ethoxyquin in it!!! I don't even know WHAT to put Pixel on now. I sent Solid Gold a message asking about it, but who knows if they will reply at all, much less honestly. Thanks for the info!

[carmen in nj]

Originally Posted by tonyag9

Darn it! After tons of research to be sure I was giving Pixel a good quality food, I chose Solid Gold Wee Bits. I had a dog pass away last year (after 15 years) and I fed her Natural Choice and I think that led to her death, so I wanted to be more informed this go round. I can't believe Solid Gold has ethoxyquin in it!!! I don't even know WHAT to put Pixel on now. I sent Solid Gold a message asking about it, but who knows if they will reply at all, much less honestly. Thanks for the info!

Same here, I am in the process of switching to natures variety Instinct now, I found out here about solid gold wee bits and called my son inmediate and we decided on natures variety it seems to be a good food and free of ethoxyquin.
best of luck in your search..

[Britster]

Originally Posted by tonyag9

Darn it! After tons of research to be sure I was giving Pixel a good quality food, I chose Solid Gold Wee Bits. I had a dog pass away last year (after 15 years) and I fed her Natural Choice and I think that led to her death, so I wanted to be more informed this go round. I can't believe Solid Gold has ethoxyquin in it!!! I don't even know WHAT to put Pixel on now. I sent Solid Gold a message asking about it, but who knows if they will reply at all, much less honestly. Thanks for the info!

I've been feeding my picky boy Fromm Surf and Turf as well as Nature's Variety Instinct and he loves both. I feel safe with both foods after research!