Dog Community

Hill's prescription z/d dry with bha & propyl gallate

Posted : 8/12/2009 6:26:16 PM

I posted a reply/question to the last post about z/d, but wanted to post this specific question.

Would it be okay to give my dog Hill's prescription z/d ultra dry dog food even if there is bha and propyl gallate in the soybean oil. He currently easts the z/d canned which does not have these preservatives, but I need to add a dry food to the z/d canned as a snack and I think he is becoming allergic to the one he is currently eating, Royal Canin, Rabbit & Potato dry.

I'm hesistant about the z/d ultra dry because of the bha and propyl gallate which again is only in the soybean oil. He would only be eating about 1/2 cup a day.

On the other hand, I eat foods with bha and bht in it all the time. It's on so many of the ingredient labels that I eat. So why am I so afraid to give it to my dog?

Thanks,

Michelle

Heathr6913

Posted : 8/12/2009 9:19:57 PM

I've thought about this as well. I eat stuff with bha and bht in it (cereal especially) so why is it such a big deal to give to my dogs? The answer I came up with is; I'm not eating cereal 24/7. That is not my only food I'm eating. The dog food you feed your dog is ALL (or almost all) that dog is eating. Think about how much bha/bht that adds up to be, compared to your eating cereal or a granola bar with it in it.

brookcove

Posted : 8/13/2009 6:50:55 AM

BHA isn't too awful - it's not on my list of deal breakers. I'm not very excited about the fact that the soybean oil required two separate preservatives - soybean oil is shelf stable, not sure why it needs that much preserving unless it's coming from somewhere, where it's been stored a LONG time. :p BHT is definitely a deal breaker. Because the two have similar acronyms, they are often lumped together, but while BHA actually has studies suggesting it might PREVENT cancer due to its antioxidant properties (LOL), BHT is definitely implicated strongly in various health problems. As to why I'm so much more picky about what my dogs eat - one thing to consider is how compressed their lives are. Puppies are adults in mere months. Adults have from seven to eighteen years to live, total. And if all you feed is commercial, they are exposed to whatever's in it day after day. We are protected by the variety we allow ourselves (most of us). In other human cultures where there's less variety in their diets, you'll see similar issues with undernutrition and disease, even where food is plentiful.

jennie_c_d

Posted : 8/13/2009 9:53:11 PM

I feed it, to Emma. I just don't look at the ingredients list, and everything is ok, LOL. Seriously? This is the FIRST food, in 5 1/2 years, that she has really done well on. She has to have at least SOME sort of crunchy food, to take to training classes, etc. She gets Z/D kibble, and she gets a little of both in her food bowl. I do a lot of training.... Working FROM the bowl, using the kibbles. Anyhow, she's 5 1/2 years old, and she's not going to live forever. I want to make the time she has as happy as possible, so she's eating Z/D, and I'm not messing with it, any more.