“The wrong ingredients in the wrong combinations can lead to a host of health problems, both physical and mental.”
One day, while I was on a walk, a neighbor stopped me to ask for some pet care advice. He told me that his three small dogs had all been suffering from skin rashes for over a year. He explained that he had changed their shampoo and even "upgraded" their food from Purina to Nutrish by Rachael Ray. I then broke the news to him that, even though switching from Purina (the company involved in a class action lawsuit in 2015 because thousands of complaints of kidney failure were connected to their line of Beneful dog food) was a good move, feeding Rachael Ray's dog food may not have helped much. This is because it has been cited as containing chemicals and synthetic ingredients, including L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate and menadione sodium bisulfite.
I then suggested that he start feeding his furry kiddos a brand of dog food made with healthier ingredients that did not contain harmful ones. I also let him know that using a homemade lemon water rinse on their skin after their baths should help clear up the rashes. Some time later, we talked again. He told me that after he started feeding the higher-quality grain-free food I recommended and adding a lemon water rinse to his dogs' bath time routine, the skin rashes went away, and his dogs seemed to be in much better moods as well.
Thankfully, he was aware that the first step in investigating a cure for his dogs' illness was to adjust their diet. And usually, that is the best place to start.
"The wrong ingredients in the wrong combinations can lead to a host of health problems, both physical and mental." Unhealthy ingredients that are in some dog foods can cause allergies that result in skin rashes and digestive disorders. So, if your pet is showing any of these symptoms, before rushing to the vet for pills and other forms of medication, you might want to take a closer look at the ingredients in their food.
Here is a list of some controversial ingredients to look for when examining the labels on your pup's food:
1. BHA, BHT Ethoxiquin, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Selenite
2. Meat, meat meal & by products
3. Corn, wheat, soy & beet pulp
4. Products from China and rendering plants
5. Onions, grapes, garlic and avocados
Sources: https://www.law360.com https://www.reviews.com/dog-food/