When shopping for pet food, especially for first-time pet owners, pet food brands might not look all that different from one another to you. However, upon closer inspection, you might find that there are plenty of ingredients in some pet food that can put the health of your furry friends at risk! 

While the list is not exhaustive, here are 5 common ingredients to look out for and avoid feeding your beloved pets: 

1. Sugar

If you have a sweet tooth, you can probably relate to the appeal of a sweet treat or two. Just like you, many dogs find sweeter foods more appealing and tasty, and so pet food manufacturers often add sugar to their products as flavour enhancers, which can come in various forms such as caramel, syrups, and sucrose. 

However, pet owners should take note that while sugar does help to promote the feed intake of their furry friends, too much of it can have negative effects on their health, and has been linked to conditions like hyperactivity, hyperglycemia, obesity, and tooth decay. As pet owners, it would be good to keep a lookout for pet food with minimal sugar content. 

2. Soybean products

With vegan diets gaining traction among humans, you may be tempted to begin seeking vegan alternatives such as soybean products for your pets as well. However, while it is often praised for its high protein content, soybean products may not be as healthy for your pets as you think.

This is because a large majority of soybean products used in pet foods are genetically-modified, and genetically-modified foods have been suspected to cause liver and kidney diseases in pets, as well as skin and food allergies. 

Besides, meat-based products have greater digestibility and amino acid content, and because cats and dogs are carnivorous by nature, their digestive systems are biologically primed to absorb nutrients from meat sources, not plant-based products. 

3. Unspecified meat sources

While meat is a great source of nutrients for your pet, unspecified meat sources such as animal or meat meal are not quite the same thing. This paltry substitute for protein is made from leftover animal parts that include, but are not limited to – diseased animal meat, expired meat from supermarkets (plastic packaging and all), and may even consist of multiple species of animals. 

Due to the lack of specificity about these sources of protein, your pets may be at risk of having adverse allergic reactions to such foods if they consume an unknown source of protein or allergen. 

Plus, while this mixture is processed with high heat to remove pathogens, this also removes most of the nutrients from the meat, resulting in low-quality, hard-to-digest protein fillers that have a weak nutritional and amino acid profile. 

To make sure that your pet is getting the essential nutrients it needs to be healthy and strong, look out for transparency in pet food ingredients. We recommend buying pet food that contains specific meat sources such as actual beef, venison, lamb, and chicken to avoid tummy aches and inflammatory diseases in your pets! 

4. Artificial preservatives (BHA & BHT)

BHA and BHT are artificial preservatives that are used in human and pet food, which are banned in several countries but still allowed in Singapore. Although generally considered “safe” in smaller doses, they have been declared by the United States Department оf Health аnd Humаn Sеrvісеѕ to be carcinogens. Even worse, these chemicals have also been linked to low testosterone, low thyroid hormones, and kidney damage!

It’s better to be safe than sorry, so consider switching to dog foods that use natural preservatives such as Vitamin E and C, or even food with no preservatives at all to keep your pets in the pink of health. 

5. Artificial colouring

Instead of the appearance of food, pet owners should care more about the nutritional value of the food that they give to their furbabies. That being said, a surprisingly large number of pet foods still include artificial colouring and dye in their list of ingredients. 

The truth is, dogs and cats do not prefer foods based on their colours, which makes the addition of these ingredients redundant. Worse, these chemically-based additives have been shown to cause allergic reactions and organ damage, and some of these dyes have even been known to have carcinogenic effects. 

Choose healthier options

As a pet owner, you can save a lot of heartbreak and money on costly vet visits by opting for pet food brands of higher quality, such as Kakato pet food, which comes in the form of tinned foods and healthy snacks. Just by feeding your pets better, you can provide a better quality of life to your fur-iends! 

Why Kakato?

For healthy, wholesome meals, Kakato provides many flavours of tinned food, such as Tuna & Mackerel, as well as Chicken & Vegetables. All of them are made with human-grade ingredients and free from artificial colouring, flavouring, preservatives, or hormone and antibiotic residues, making them the perfect alternative if you have no time to prepare homecooked meals for your furry critters!

All of their fish is ecologically-sourced from natural open oceans as well, and their meat products are made from chickens and cows that are reared and fed with premium ingredients to ensure that all quality and nutrition is intact.

For a treat, Kakato’s healthy snacks are made purely from free-range livestock from New Zealand and contain up to 90% meat content. With exotic flavours such as Saba Fillet and Smoked Tuna, most of the meat’s natural flavours and nutrients are retained, making for a delicious and healthy snack for your pets!

If you’d like to try Kakato’s food products, MaxiPro supplies them to a variety of pet retail stores in Singapore. Simply contact them at 6891 2161 or info@maxipro-asia.com to find your nearest store!

Address: 29 Hillview Terrace #04-05, Hillview Warehouse, Singapore 669245

Telephone: +65 6891 2161

E-mail: info@maxipro-asia.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kakatosingapore/

Website: www.kakato.com

This article was sponsored by MaxiPro Singapore Pte Ltd.