We all love our dog friends. It feels good to spoil them with some yummy treats and watch their tails wag in appreciation, right? Most dogs will happily eat whatever is put in front of them, whether that’s a chocolate cookie or KFC leftovers. But don’t be fooled – dogs suffer the consequences of poor dietary choices, just like us.

40% of dogs in the US are now obese and 46% die of cancer. As if that weren't enough, kidney, heart, and liver disease are widespread. We’re not saying this to scare you – we’re saying it to push you into action. It’s time to have a long, hard think about what we feed our dogs, who depend on us so much.

Many dog foods and treats have long lists of ingredients you might not recognize, so be sure to watch out for the following ingredients.

4 – Tertiary Butylhydroquine (TBHQ)

TBHQ is another synthetic preservative used to increase the shelf life of dog food. Some studies have linked it with the growth of pre-cancerous stomach tumors. Need we say more?

5- Propyl Gallate

Yet another chemical preservative of dog food, scientists think propyl gallate mimics the negative effects of the female hormone estrogen. Don’t mess around with hormones, kids.

There are concerns propyl gallate could adversely affect reproductive health – and if there’s one thing the world doesn’t need, it’s fewer puppies. Naturally, it's considered safe by the FDA, Noticing a pattern yet?

6 - Food Colourings

Food dyes make products look more appealing to us humans, but it’s doubtful your dog is interested in such things!

The addition of Blue 2, Red 40, Yellow5 and 6, and caramel color to foods can have serious health consequences. Hypersensitivity, allergies, behavioral problems, and even cancer all have links to these chemical colorings. Are those multi-colored dog treats worth it?

7 – Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

MSG is a common ingredient in some pet and human foods, serving as a flavor enhancer. But the tastiness comes at a cost.

MSG can be an allergen for many humans and animals. Besides, there’s no reason to add it to foods that contain good, quality ingredients.

9 – Carrageenan

This seemingly natural food is derived from seaweed. It’s a common feature in dog and human foods alike, which use it as an emulsifier, thickener, and moistener.

However, carrageenan has no food value– in fact, it’s indigestible. It can cause gastrointestinal inflammation, which could lead to ulcers, intestinal lesions, and possibly even colon cancer. Yeah, probably best to steer clear.

Other considerations about dog treats

As if the long list of chemicals we've just presented wasn’t scary enough, you also have to worry about feed-grade ingredients. It might sound like feed-grade ingredients are designed to be eaten – but honestly, it’s not advisable.

Many “feed-grade” dog treats contain dead and diseased we’d never seen in the human food supply chain. These poor quality ingredients require more processing and additives.

But don’t go thinking the solution is to give your pet human food instead. Not all human foods are good for dogs! For instance, onions, grapes, raisins, chocolate, and the sweetener Xylitol are all toxic for dogs.