{"id":495,"date":"2015-02-16T15:29:08","date_gmt":"2015-02-16T21:29:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.my2whitedogs.com\/blog\/?p=495"},"modified":"2015-02-16T21:29:38","modified_gmt":"2015-02-17T03:29:38","slug":"preservatives-and-ingredients-in-pet-products","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.my2whitedogs.com\/blog\/preservatives-and-ingredients-in-pet-products\/","title":{"rendered":"Preservatives and Ingredients in Pet Products"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week a reader thanked me for the info on flea and tick medications<\/a>, and let me know that many big name pet stores still sell treats made in China that can be hazardous to a dog’s health. \u00a0I don’t feed my dogs too many bones or cookies, but I decided to do a little research anyway. “Made In China” on pet related items has been a red flag since they had a pet food recall around 2007. \u00a0In this case, the reading the label wouldn’t have helped the consumer, the Chinese companies had been dishonest about their product. \u00a0Years later, there were increased reports of illness and death, believed to be cause by chicken jerky treats, “Made in China”. \u00a0Tests were run on the treats, and no specific cause for the illnesses has been found. \u00a0More recently, antibiotics have been detected in jerky made in China, but it isn’t something that could cause illness and death in dogs.<\/p>\n

As of this year it has been reported that Petsmart and Petco have stopped selling treats made in China. \u00a0That seems like a win, but manufacturers can still use ingredients in their products and still say it is made in the USA. \u00a0The other half of the problem, it still hasn’t been determined why these jerky treats have been causing dogs to get sick. \u00a0It’s a mystery, just like the raisins<\/a>… and after what I went through there, why even take a chance? \"\"<\/p>\n

Now, I’ve never run into the safety issue with the jerky treats because Yuki is allergic to chicken and I’ve never kept them in the house. \u00a0Bacio also has a bit of a corn\/grain sensitivity, so I am always reading the labels on dog treats. \u00a0There are some ingredients to watch out for in dog treats (sometimes even your own food too!). \u00a0Milkbones were something I’d always give my dogs, the ingredients seemed rather harmless, except for two ingredients, sodium metabisulfite and BHA. Both are preservatives and both are, as you may have guessed, terrible chemicals for humans and dogs alike. \u00a0BHA has been linked to kidney damage as well as certain cancers, it’s close relative BHT is actually banned in the UK because of how toxic it is. \u00a0Sodium metabisulfite, another preservative, is listed in the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health as a hazard chemical. \u00a0It is used as a disinfectant and bleaching agent, and can cause breathing and gastrointestinal problems.<\/p>\n

Rawhides too are a questionable treat. \u00a0They can be really good for your dog. \u00a0Bacio needs them to keep his hyperplasia under control. \u00a0These treats can be safe if you are buying good quality treats. \u00a0I try to only buy made in USA, as other rawhide has had arsenic and formaldehyde found in it. \u00a0I even read that Thailand was exporting rawhides made from dog skin!<\/p>\n

Here’s a few more ingredients, most of them preservatives, to look out for:<\/p>\n