Baby Hunter is not falling for it … that’s for sure!
In my recent Serious and Scary Sunday post, I referenced some great homemade recipes at my site (Suzi Beber’s Homemade Recipes and Assorted Homemade Recipes) and healthy organic and free-range treats at my store. The sad part was due to the fact that few folks are buying the good stuff, with one of the most popular dog treats in the country filled with the most questionable, poor and unhealthy ingredients. All it took was to look at the following list and marvel at the number of ingredients. Check out all the chemicals, check out the looooooong listing of vitamins that need to be added to provide nutritional value because there is absolutely nothing there of merit that has any value.
If you can’t pronounce an ingredient in a product, your dog shouldn’t be eating it. Also realize that manufacturers use unfamiliar terms to disguise unsavory ingredients. For instance, if MSG wasn’t harmful, it wouldn’t be hidden. And, it is hidden in many of the ingredients listed below. You can learn more about MSG in this GReat PDF on Excitotoxins. Dr. Russell Blaylock, in a September 27, 2006 interview with News Target.com, tells us that excitotoxins have been found to dramatically promote cancer growth and metastasis. The glutamic acid in every MSG-containing ingredient is an excitotoxin.
While going green is typically a good thing, not when it comes to this hideous product. Here are the 34 ingredients of GREENIES, that HIGHLY POPULAR dog treat:
Gelatin, Wheat Protein Isolate, Glycerin, Soy Protein Isolate, Sodium Caseinate, Natural Poultry Flavor, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Vegetable Oil (Preserved with Propyl Gallate), Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Lecithin, Ground Flaxseed, Calcium Carbonate, Magnesium Monostearate, Monoglycerides of Edible Fatty Acids, Choline Chloride, Potassium Sorbate (A Preservative), Minerals (Magnesium Oxide, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Potassium Iodide), Vitamins (dl-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate , Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride [Vitamin B6], Thiamine Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Folic Acid), Chlorophyll.
Here’s the Dirt on the TOP TEN #@%$*# INGREDIENTS
1. Gelatin — It has little nutritional value, because it contains little or none of several essential amino acids. Gelatin contains MSG.
2. Wheat Protein Isolate — contains MSG, poor quality, wheat is a major allergen for dogs.
3. Glycerin — a poor ingredient of grossly limited value.
4. Soy Protein Isolate — creates MSG during processing; soy is one of the leading allergens for dogs and folks alike (it is highly toxic for me).
5. Sodium Caseinate — contains MSG.
6. Natural Poultry Flavor — creates MSG during processing; little nutritional value.
7. Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate — HSH is slightly sweet and poorly absorbed by the body. Like sorbitol, and other sugar alcohols, eating significant amounts of HSH may cause intestinal gas and diarrhea.
8. Vegetable Oil (Preserved with Propyl Gallate) — non-specific oil typically of lesser quality. Propyl gallate can cause stomach problems, liver and kidney damage and is suspected of causing cancer. Preservatives such as citric acid and rosemary extract are effective, all-natural alternatives . . . just more expensive.
9. Lecithin — a food additive derived from soy, a leading allergen. Contains MSG.
10.dl-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate — aw synthetic vitamin E, it is only half as effective as natural vitamin E and not as readily available to the body.