Our Vets Opinion by Felicity Banks
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Many people assume that just because they purchase a product labelled as dog food, they are providing an adequate diet for their pet. Sadly, this is not the case. The recent media spotlight focusing on the dangers of preservatives in dog food has prompted many responsible pet owners to learn more about dietary nutrition and preventative health care for dogs. As a vet, I am highly conscious of the dangerous repercussions that excessive preservatives can produce in animals, such as skin allergies, respiratory problems and gastric dysfunction just to name a few.
One preservative in particular, known as sulphur dioxide is dangerous to dogs for several reasons. High levels of sulphur dioxide in dog food not only depletes the thiamine present in the food, but also has the potential to inactivate thiamine in other foods that are fed at the same time. This can lead to thiamine deficiency if the food is fed habitually. Additionally, the use of sulphur dioxide enables high levels of bacteria in meat products to be masked by delaying the onset of discolouration and putrid spoilage. It also reduces the odour produced by multiplying bacteria.
In fact, the use of sulphur dioxide in mince meat for human consumption is illegal due to its ability to mask the visual appearance of bacteria contaminated meat. This means that dog foods that require high levels of added sulphur dioxide are more likely to contain meat that is of poor quality or meat that has been manufactured under poor hygiene standards. Low levels of sulphites in dog food are probably acceptable however there are likely to be measurable side-effects in some animals and unknown or unseen side-effects in many more.
Signs of thiamine deficiency are due to vessel and nerve damage and can sometime be vague. Early signs include loss of appetite, salivation, vomiting, and weight loss. More advanced signs are muscle weakness, unsteadiness, falling, walking in circles, bending the neck downwards, fixed dilated pupils and seizures. If left untreated the condition can be fatal. Pet owners should not attempt to diagnose or treat the problem themselves and should seek veterinary advice if they are concerned about their pet for any reason.
The good news is that preventing thiamine deficiency is easy! Dogs should NOT be fed large amounts of incompletely balanced or over-processed food, raw fish, or food containing preservatives like sulphur dioxide that depletes the natural or added thiamine in food. Making informed choices at the supermarket can be difficult as many pet food brands choose to omit or provide non-specific preservative listings on their packaging.
This is why as a vet I recommend 4Legs, as it is one of the only chilled dog food brands that comes with a 100% preservative FREE guarantee. The natural and healthy 4legs range is an ideal way to provide a balanced source of protein, carbohydrate and fibre without having to worry about all the nasty additives that are commonly found in pet food. It is important to remember that attending to dog's dietary needs requires more than simply appeasing a ravenous appetite, but that with each mouthful at mealtime we are making an investment in the long-term health and wellbeing of our dogs.
Signing off,
