IS IT A TREAT OR IS IT TRASH?

with Dr. Elliott Harvey

Treats are important in the lives of your dogs and cats. What is life without a treat? Be honest—how many of us can go through a day without giving ourselves some little tidbit as an emotional reward, to satisfy a craving, to increase energy? Though you can control when and what you consume as a treat, your pets are totally dependent on you and your knowledge of treat quantity and quality.

Pet treats are valuable tools in training, because they serve as positive reinforcement, by using tiny treats as surprise rewards for jobs well done. How about a little snack or after-dinner “dessert?" Treats do have many uses, which is why the dog and cat treat companies constitute a multi-billion dollar annual business. But, can pet treats actually be causing health problems that you’re not aware of?

From big box stores to pet boutiques to retail stores, “delicious,” “mouth-watering,” “paw-licking” treats are marketed and aimed at enticing you. Your dog is attracted to the scent and taste of a food item, not the shape or color, and certainly not a cute little name wrapped in a glitzy package. The leading brands of pet treats sell on creative marketing, bag graphics, brand identity, or attractive pricing. Are they worth the price? NO. The sharp rise in pet illnesses may be attributed to tasty morsels that contain unhealthy ingredients.

Fortunately, today’s pet owners demand healthier treats. In response to that demand, companies are beginning to incorporate natural and/or organic ingredients into the treats. Still, you need to be vigilant and avoid the following ingredients:

Propylene Glycol
An industrial solvent used in acrylics, stains, inks, dyes, cellophane, antifreeze, airplane de-icers, and brake fluid. Side effects on animals include irregular heartbeat; underdeveloped growth; brain, liver, and kidney failure; lowering blood pressure; and even death. Pets love the sweet taste.

Artificial Coloring

• Blue 1 and Blue 2 These have caused brain tumors.
• Red 3 A cause of thyroid tumors.
• Yellow 6 Linked to adrenal gland and kidney tumors; it is really a carcinogen.

ADDITIVES AND SYNTHETICS

• BHA or BHT Many studies have proved the use of this widely used chemical to be a cause of cancer
  in rats.
• Propyl galate A preservative used to prevent spoiling, but has been linked to cancer.
• Ethoxyquin Perhaps the most widely used chemical and the most dangerous. Not only does it cause many forms of cancer, but it has been linked to mutations of genes that suppress cancer. It has been banned as an “additional” additive in dog foods and treats, but it is allowed
  to be used in formulas or recipes with further mention on the packaging! That’s sneaky and dangerous. Ethoxyquin is allowed to be used in exotic bird formulas, so read what’s in those mixes for Polly and Pedro Parrot!
• Potassium Bromate Has been banned throughout the world, except for the United States and Japan.
  It is used in flours and causes renal cancers as well as some forms of lung cancer. And we wonder why young women who have never smoked are dying from lung cancer!
• Acesulfame K A chemical sweetener used in both human and pet foods. Sweetness attracts all mammals, which is why it is tossed into the food. In controlled studies, this chemical caused cancer!
  These cancers included lung tumors and breast tumors, various types of leukemia, and chronic
  respiratory disease in the animals.
• Partially hydrogenated oils A butter replacement in the food industry. It is very high in trans fats which promote heart disease and diabetes.
• Poultry by-product meal A high-protein ingredient used as a major component in some dog foods and treats. It is made from grinding clean parts of poultry cadavers, which may contain bones, offal, and undeveloped eggs. It also may contain feathers. It is possibly hard to digest, but worse than that—
  you just don’t know what it is!
• Meat by-product meal A substandard form of protein, used by many popular pet food and treat manufacturers, because it is cheap. Sources may include road kill, euthanized cats and dogs, including their collars. Don’t forget, the drugs that were used to euthanize the pets are still present.
• Brown sugar/sugar/molasses May cause suppression of the immune system, mineral imbalance, hyperactivity, diabetes, kidney distress, weight gain, allergies, excessive pancreatic activity, liver
  activity, and an increase in bad bacteria in the colon. And sugar is an important nutrient for cancer cells—they thrive on sugar!

Additional items to be wary of:

Ground wheat (linked to allergies), corn gluten meal, wheat four, ground yellow corn, sugar glycerin, hydrogenate starch hydrolysis, bacon fat preserved with BHA, soybean meal, salt, sorbic acid (a preservative), artificial flavor, calcium propionate (a preservative), blood (animal plasma—can come from any animal and can have toxic elements), glyceryl monostearate, phosphoric acid, other added colors (Red 40, Yellow 5).

Just remember: Chemicals are not food!

Photo courtesy of Great Life Performance Pet Products

Dr. Elliott Harvey is: the founder of Great Life Performance Pet Products and the maker of Dr.WooFrs Biscuits, Great Life, and his Gourmet Freeze-Dried Treats.

If you have any questions:
Visit www.doctorsfinest.com

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