Dogs may be man's best friend -- but they can be their own worst enemies. From dirty socks to last night's casserole, there's almost nothing our beloved pooches won't put in their mouths.
It's no wonder digestive issues are the number one reason we take pets to see veterinarians.
But if Fido's tummy problems have been lingering a little too long, the real culprit may not be something he fished out of the trash.
If you're feeding your pet any canned food (or even those new refrigerated "loaf" or chunk kinds), you could inadvertently be giving him a dangerous additive linked to stomach inflammation, intestinal lesions and even colon cancer.
It's called carrageenan, and it's a food thickener found in most canned and perishable kinds of pet food -- even the expensive organic varieties.
Carrageenan is made out of seaweed, which makes it seem natural and safe enough. But one watchdog group describes carrageenan as so inflammatory that it "appears to do to your gut what poison ivy does to your skin."
How's that for an image?
Researchers have been warning about the dangers of carrageenan for decades, but the FDA even refuses to ban it for human food -- so don't expect to see it removed from pet food anytime soon.
The good news is that pet food manufacturers are required by law to list carrageenan on their labels, so read carefully.
It can be a little harder to find cat food without carrageenan. But there's enough evidence already that carrageenan could be behind many of the digestive problems (and even cancers) that now afflict dogs and cats, so it's worth the extra effort to find a brand without it.
To Your Good Health,
Jenny Thompson
HSI-eAlert
Sources:
"Is this sneaky ingredient sickening your pet?" Jean Hofve, DVM, Rodale News, rodalenews.com
