The most prevalent mode of feeding dogs globally is by the use of store bought dog food.
The most prevalent mode of feeding dogs globally is by the use of store bought dog food. It is easy to use, cheap and positioned as nutritionally complete.
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Nevertheless, under pretty wrappings and impressive health provisions, a number of people are not conscious of the potential dangers in commercially purchased dog food.
Ranging between contamination risk to low quality ingredients and mislabeling, all these may limitally damage the health of your dog in the long run.
This precise guide outlines all of the serious risks, with factual reasons and industry facts to back up, in order to make even smarter and safe decisions about your dog.
Brand Independent of Big Packaged Food Dangers
Danger Category Overview
| Danger Category | What It Means | No Important Facts or figuring Key Facts and Figures | Possible Health effects. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bacterial Contamination | Foodborne Bacteria | Hundreds of recalls in the past few years worldwide | Vomiting, diarrhea, infections. |
| Foreign Objects 2 | Plastic or metal, or bone remnants | Manufacturing errors contaminate it | Intestinal injury, choking. |
| Chemical Toxins | Mycotoxins, heavy metals, long-term exposure | Will cause organ damage, liver, kidneys and nerve damage. | |
| Excess and deficiency of nutrients in the body | or improper formulas influence the heart and liver conditions | heart disease, and weakness. | |
| Artificial Additives | Preservatives, colors and flavors, added not because it performs well in the pantry or its benefits but because it needs it. | Allergies, skin issues. | |
| False Claims | unclearness in the labeling of ingredients, meat meal, and by-products conceal quality | poor digestion, allergies. |
Bacterial Contamination: Hide the Truth.
Bacterial contamination is one of the most hazardous issues of commercial dog food. Salmonella and Listeria are present in dry kibble, wet food, and raw diets and may prevail after processing and increase in number in the course of improper storage.
Dogs that consume food with contaminants may develop serious diarrhea, vomiting, fever and lack of energy. Drug resistant bacteria in dog food can also be transmitted to humans through bowls, hands, and surfaces causing more problem to children, elderly, and immunocompromised individuals.
Foreign Objects in Dog Food
The introduction of foreign materials in commercially purchased dog food, which is often turned into mass- produced food, is a major source of concern. Impalement commonness items are plastic fragments, metal fragments, rubber or packaging material, and sharp bone fragments.
Even minor pieces are enough to choke down or create intestinal obstructions or internal bleeding. Most of the times, dogs require emergency surgery which is both expensive and life threatening.
Slow and dangerous is the case of chemical contaminants
There are no immediate symptoms brought about by chemical contaminants which damage dogs in the long run. Mycotoxins and heavy metals are the two categories of major type.
Mycotoxins are toxic chemical products that are ambidextrous by mold in food grains like wheat and corn. Ineffective storage mechanisms enable molds to thrive, and these emit toxins which withstand cooking.
Mycotoxin high levels are associated with liver failure, loss of appetite, shivers and sudden death in extreme cases.
The sources of heavy metals including lead, arsenic, mercury and cadmium can be transferred into dog food by contaminated soil, water or by processing equipment.
In the long run, these metals build up in the body resulting in damage of the kidney systems, neurological conditions and immune system depletion.
There are nutritional imbalances in commercial dog food
Most of the owners think that food that is purchased in stores will always contain balanced nutrition, and this is not the case. There are products which have excessive or insufficient content of certain important nutrients.
Most minerals including copper are known to be related to liver disease and high levels of these minerals are associated with liver diseases particularly in the breeds which are not resistant to moderate exposure.
New grain-free diets passed on through marketing trends are based on use of legumes such as peas and lentils, which disrupt the absorption of nutrients, and have been linked to causing heart disorders especially dilated cardiomyopathy.
Artificial Additives and Preservatives
Artificial Additives and Preservatives are artificially added to enhance specific properties within food products, extending their life cycle, or to improve the food product’s flavor and appearance.
Artificial Additives and Preservatives are engineered substances that are incorporated into food products to enhance their life cycle, improve the taste and/or appearance of the food product.
In a bid to increase shelf life and attractiveness, most dog foods have artificial preservatives and additives. These components do not improve the nutrition and may result into health problems.
The most frequent additives are artificial colors and chemical preservatives, as well as flavor enhancers. Side effects would be skin allergies, intestinal upsets, behavioral alterations and persistent inflammation.
Dogs will not require colored food; they just are additives that are meant to attract human beings but not pets.
There will be such misleading labels and tricks of marketing
The labels on dog food are disorienting and even deceptive. Words like premium, natural, or even vet-approved are not very defined promotional statements.
Such problematic labeling techniques are the use of imprecise ones such as meat meal or an animal by-product, displaying the ingredients by mass prior to cooking, and drawing attention to one healthy ingredient and concealing poor-quality filler.
This transparency deficiency influences an inability of the owners to know what they are really giving their dogs.
The Effect of Store-Bought Dog food on Health in the long term
The low quality and/or low safety of dog food do not necessarily provoke instant disease, but with time, it can result in obesity, arthritis, immunodeficiency, permanent stomach complaints, and reduced life expectancy.
The diet is very significant in the health of the dog, its energy and resistance against diseases.
There are indeed the lurking vices of store-supplied dog food that can not be overlooked. There are bacteria, foreign objects, chemical toxins, nutritional imbalances, artificial additives, and misleading labels that are all influencing the health of your dog in a negative way.
To protect your pet:
- Read labels carefully.
- Select foods that have transparency in terms of ingredient list.
- Automate away artificial additives.
- Store dog food properly.
- Check on your dogs health or meta-behaviour.
The responsible dog owner is an educated dog owner. What you feed your dog can make a long difference in your dog and significantly increase life span.