ethoxyquin, BHA, BHT

[mnhgutyer]

Hi,
I feed my dog (Great Dane, not a Boxer) Innova Adult. I'm looking for a secondary food to keep over at my parent's house for when my dog & I visit (usually once a week).
Since Innova Adult is mostly chicken & turkey, I was thinking about buying another food with a different type of meat... such as beef, lamb, salmon, herring, duck, bison, venison, rabbit or whatever...

I have spent lots of time on the dogfoodanalysis site, reviewing 6* and 5* foods. I know that Natura certifies that their foods do not have ethoxyquin, bha or bht in them.

I was wondering about some other brands: Nature's Variety Instinct, Taste of the Wild, and Merrick. These are possibilities for a food to keep over at my parents' house for occasional visits... What I am wondering, since the dog food review site does not say, is if these companies certify that they do not use these preservatives. Does anyone here know?

Another possibility of a secondary food to keep over at my parents' house is Solid Gold Barking at the Moon, which I already know certifies that they do not have these preservatives.

Thanks for any comments!

PS: I joined this site for the nutritional/feeding info. I own a 2-yr old great dane, not a boxer. I did not feed any high-protein food during his growing years (up to 2 yrs old).

 

[kayboxer]

I only know about Taste of the Wild because I emailed the company and asked them if their protein source was ethoxyquin free. They told me they could not give out that information. That immediately told me the answer was "no". I do not know about the other brands of food. Have you gone on their website and looked? Most will say if they are or aren't, if not, you could email the company like I did.

 

[mnhgutyer]

yes, I have emailed a few companies already. Natura was very fast in their reply (the next day) and very helpful also.

I was just trying to save some time over emailing all these other companies... since I figured some of you had already done so...

I agree about companies who say "we can't say...". I'm sure that means yes they do have ethoxyquin in their protein meal. Maybe THEY don't put it in, but their suppliers probably do.

As stated, I feed Innova dry Adult. A 5* rated food, that certifies no eth. I'm just looking for a different type of protein food to keep over at my mom's house for when me & my dog go visiting. I may just decide on Calif. Natural Lamb & Rice. Only a "4 star" food, but Natura certifies that there's none of that bad stuff in it.

My dog Cosmo just loves going to grandma's house, and he always wants to eat when over there. My mom only has a Petsmart near her, so she doesn't have access to premium food. So I am going to buy some premium food for her to keep over there. I have a feed store near where I work that carries many 6* and 5* foods.

 

[DeeBoxer]

natures variety dog food

I feed my three dogs Natures Variety (all Flavors) I buy it from a specialty dog store that carries only the best foods out there and the owner checks out all foods with manufacturers before selling. I also went there when she had someone come in for obedience classes, at that time she informed all of us and gave us a list about the different foods and what not to buy and assured us that everything in her store did not have bht,bha,Eq, and many others. So, I would say Natures Variety is safe. Deanna

 

[mnhgutyer]

thanks for that info on Nature's Variety. I'm pretty sure my Feed Store sells that brand. I will look at it next time I am there.

 

[gmacleod]

The problem with preservatives and dog food is that manufacturers are only required to disclose what they add to the food themselves. Ask any of them if they use ethoxyquin, and most of the time they can say no (if they did, they'd have to disclose it on the food packaging anyway).

But that's actually the wrong question The issue with ethoxyquin in particular is that in many cases it is already added to the ingredients before the manufacturer obtains them (it's actually even a legal requirement in the case of fish meals that they be preserved - and ethoxyquin is by far the cheapest preservative). And in that case the manufacturer is not required to disclose the presence of ethoxyquin (and may not even strictly know it's there).

Therefore: It is of little to no use at all to ask the manufacturer whether or not they use ethoxyquin in their products. If they do, you'll already know it from the packaging anyway. The question that needs to be asked is "do you guarantee (preferably in writing on your website where the world can see it) that the protein ingredients you buy and put in your dog food products are free of ethoxyquin". There are but a handful of manufacturers who provide such a guarantee

US Coastguard regulations on the treatment of fishmeal products here: http://frwebgate4.access.gpo.gov/cg...ISdocID=9260267156+10+0+0&WAISaction=retrieve

 

[mnhgutyer]

I usually word my emails so that I am actually asking if there is any ethoxyquin in their food at all... whether it be from their suppliers, or themselves...

But, yes, you are right in what you say.

Natura (Innova, CalNat, EVO) told me that they, in fact, test their food for eth, to make sure it is not coming from their suppliers.