You’ve heard it before, you need to get more antioxidants in your diet. Whether that means drinking more green tea or eating pomegranates, antioxidants are an essential part of the diet that we are all getting too little of. Your dog’s food also needs to have antioxidants in order to keep your dog happy and healthy. Dog food should contain antioxidants so make sure the dog food you are feeding your dog contains this important ingredient. Wait a second, what are antioxidants? We’ll discuss two different antioxidants: natural and artificial.
Antioxidants are food preservatives that keep the fat content in your dog food from being oxidized. Once the fat in dog food is oxidized it will begin to taste rancid, or like spoiled meat, yuck! Because canned food is airtight it does not require antioxidants, the dog food is eaten quickly before the process of oxidation can occur. Dry food, on the other hand, can become oxidized quickly without the help of antioxidants. So all dry food companies incorporate antioxidants into their ingredients, without it your dog food would not be edible within a matter of days.
The first type of antioxidant is “artificial”. Artificial antioxidants that are commonly used are ethoxyquin, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA). These artificial ingredients keep dry dog food stable for a longer period of time. Essentially they allow the dog food to have a longer shelf life. This is good for the dog food company because their product can survive for a long period of time. They do not have to rush to get the item to the consumer, making their job much easier. But artificial antioxidants are not great for dog owners/parents; the dog food you are feeding your dog may contain toxins that can cause numerous diseases in your dog. Allergic reactions, skin disease, organ failure, cancer, and behavior problems have all been linked to the artificial antioxidant ethoxyquin. Do not purchase dog foods that contain this artificial antioxidant.
The second type of antioxidants is “natural”. Natural antioxidants that are commonly used are vitamin E, vitamin C, citric acid, and rosemary. These natural antioxidants can also keep dry food from oxidizing. Natural antioxidants, however, cannot keep dry food from oxidizing as long as artificial antioxidants. As a result natural dog food can be much more expensive. It has a shorter lifespan and therefore must be rushed to shelves, and if it is not purchased it must be destroyed. You should consider buying natural dog food in much smaller amounts, that way the dog food remains fresh and tasty to your dog. Natural dog foods should always have a best if used by date, and should be stored in a cool dry area. You should store this food inside a sealable container once opened.
We recommend natural dog food for dog owners/parents. The food is more expensive; however it will be much more fresh and healthy for you dog. You should definitely be considering the ingredients of your dog’s food when you purchase it. We hope you consider antioxidants as a part of your dog food checklist.
