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Ethoxyquin
in Pet Food
Copyright
1999, Lori Mohr-Corrigan. Used with permission.
Just what is ethoxyquin, and why is it in our pet food?
Ethoxyquin
is a fat preservative found in many commercial foods and fiercely
rejected by those who refuse to feed chemicals to their animals.
The
January/February 1994 issue of Natural Pet Magazine states
that at a meeting in 1956 between Monsanto, the maker of ethoxyquin,
and the FDA, Dr. Lehman (of the FDA) said that if he was asked,
he would have to rule that ethoxyquin is "harmful and
deleterious," and that no amount of retesting could convince
him, or others in his division, otherwise.
And
if that isn't clear enough, the article goes on to say that
ethoxyquin is considered a hazardous chemical under the criteria
of the OSHA Hazard Communication standards. It is not able
to be detected after it is added to any product unless it
is "tagged," and today it is illegally present in
products in which it is prohibited by law.
One
of the biggest pet food companies to still use ethoxyquin
is Hill's, makers of Science Diet.
When looking for a food, make sure it's preserved with Vitamins
C & E only -- no BHT or BHA either.
As responsible pet owners, we try hard to maintain the health
of our animals. For some, there is no limit to what they will
do to keep their dogs and cats disease-free, whether that
means acupuncture, special herbs or homemade meals.
Those
of us who depend upon commercial companies to provide nutritionally
sound and quality pet food have learned to bypass any brand
that uses ethoxyquin as a preservative. "Many problems
of nervousness or hypersensitivity are caused by preservatives
in food -- especially ethoxyquin," says Anitra Frazier,
author of the best-selling book, "The New Natural Cat."
But
here's a news flash: Even if the label doesn't list ethoxyquin
(a carcinogen used, among other things, as a rubber preservative),
it could still very well be in that food. "Because of
labeling law loopholes," says Anitra, "many pet
foods containing ethoxyquin do not have to list it on the
label. If the food you buy already has ethoxyquin in the fat,
it doesn't have to be listed on the label, because the food
manufacturer didn't actually put it in."
Everything
is health-related -- the animal is body, mind, nerves and
instincts. Be sure to check the label for outright additions
of the preservative and stay away from them. As a guide, Anitra
recommends her three "clean" brands: Pet Guard,
Nature's Recipe and Wysong, but she says a homemade diet is
best of all. Proven recipes are available in her book, as
well as in "Dr. Pitcairn's "Complete Guide to Natural
Health for Dogs & Cats."
"The
Holistic Guide to a Healthy Dog" -by Wendy Volhard &
Kerry Brown, DVM states the follwing re: Ethoxyquin.
Ethoxyquin
has been the most debated preservative used in dog food. Since
it was first added to dog foods, many breeders and pet owners
have told stories of sterility and decreased fertility; deformed
puppies; periodontal disease; precancerous lesions of the
liver, kidney and bladder; vaccine failure; and increased
incidence of cataracts. Ethoxyquin was originally approved
by the FDA as a grain preservative intended for animals raised
to be killed for food, and it was to be used no longer than
2 years. The safety of feeding it to dogs who live 10 to 12
years has never been proven, and the original studies run
by the company who manufactured ethoxyquin were seriously
flawed. Other countries have conducted studies on ethoxyquin
and found it to be unsafe for long-term use in dog food. There
is now a petition before the FDA to withdraw its use from
the dog food market. Although ethoxyquin is still used as
preservatives in some foods, the trend today is for more foods
to be naturally preserved. It seems as if the marketplace
is responding to dog owner's needs.
Foods
that are naturally preserved have a shorter shelf life and
need to be bought from a source that has a high turnover.
If, when you open the package, the food smells rancid, return
it. Always check the date of manufacture. If in doubt, call
the manufacturer. Look in the chaper "Reading Labels"
for information on reading the bar code dates on the package.
Also, avoid foods where the fat has "bled" through
the packaging.
Foods
containing BHA/BHT or ethoxyquin have longer shelf lives,
but the continued feeding of these foods may cause long-term
health problems for
your dog.
Date: Sat, 13 Jul 1996 08:13:17 -0700
From: Susan Thorpe-Vargas <docvite@snowcrest.net> Subject:
Re: Ethyoxyquin
Science
Diet and Eukanuba use ethoxyquin in their dry food It reduces
the blood plasma level of Vit E, it also impairs Selenium
(vit E keeps selenium at the +2 oxidation state and selenium
reduces Vit E once it has been oxidized,thus 'recycling' it)
Ethoxyquin also reverses active transport of glucose, causes
cancer of the kidneys, liver, esophagus and stomach, caueses
cycling problems in bitches, and motility in intact males,
cardiomyopathies, skin and coat problems and 'trashes' the
liver. In an internal memos from the FDA from 1959 (bless
the freedom of information act) it was declared a poisonous
and deleterious substance, but then a special ammendment to
the Food and Cosmetic Act was passed in '59 and it was allowed
in animal foods.BTW
during the five year study the controls got mixed up with
the experimental dogs, but the FDA chose to except Monsanto's
data (they have gone to jail for'cooking the books')The smaller
the dog the worse the effects....if you want to read the original
citations let me know and I can arrange to have you sent chapters
4,5,and 6 of Feed
That Dog! my book....Hills and I go round and round about
this but it comes down to MONEY, they couldn't ship to Europe
without using it. The amount allowed in human food is far
less then that allowed for dogs..depending on the foodstuff...compare
0-2 mg per kg of bodyweight to 250mg per kg of bodyweight,
remember what I said about smaller dogs? The smaller dogs
have a higher metabolic rate and therefore eat more per bodyweight.
If your vet sells science diet he is getting 45% off the top....if
this sounds cynical consider that ethoxyquin causes skin and
coat problems...all of these points are made in the book and
I haven't been sued yet!
A
big percentage of a vets practice is allergies,skin and coat
problems...just after obesity. Hills and FDA do not accept
any other countries science but 'ours'. BTW the FDA has asked
for a new study..and they received the results of a two year
one last month...not a word has been released..it is time
to haul out the freedom of information act...some people will
tell you that their dogs are doing fine on food containing
ethoxyquin...let me point out two things...they don't know
what is happening at the cellular level....and the ability
to breakdown toxic substances and their metabolites is genetically
determined...I leave you with a quote from an internal memo
from the FDA...if there are any untoward effects to the animals
it is only money...
Susan
Thorpe-Vargas along with John Cargill wrote a series of articles
for the "DOG WORLD MAGAZINE" on dog Nutrition. The
8 parts of the article were composed in a booklet by DOG WORLD...
titled: FEED THAT DOG, A COMPLETE GUIDE TO DOG NUTRITION.
This has probably been one of the most concise series of articles
on dog food, preservatives, explanation of the ingredients
and how they benefit the dogs health. The part on preservatives
is quite blunt and I don't know why the manufacturers
do
not get it!!
Lori Mohr-Corrigan
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