Taste of the Wild Ethoxyquin Free?

ForeverMama · #1 17th February 2009, 01:38 PM

The feed store where I buy my dog food is now carrying TOTW. I have been using Wellness Core, but wanted something else to rotate with.

After reading the info on Taste of the Wild Dog Food on DFA, I decided to e-mail the company and ask about the use of ethoxyquin in their food. Below is the reponse I got. From the way I read it, they don't use it, but they won't guarantee their supplies don't. Is this what you guys get from the response? Am I reading too much between the lines? I don't want to take any chances with my crew.

Dear Hazel,

Thank you for your inquiry.

The preservation systems used by our vendors are considered proprietary information. The heat from our pet food process destroys antioxidants that are used in the ingredients that we purchase. The cooking process at our
facilities is at or above 240 degrees. After the heat process (extrusion
and drying), we apply natural tocopherols (Vitamins A & E) in order to carry the shelf life of the food. Taste of the Wild does not preserve any of its products with ethoxyquin, only with mixed tocopherols.

Although we do not use it, when it is used as an anti-oxidant (to prevent rancidity), as soon as it is added, it begins to oxidize ("to be used up").
Heat and moisture greatly expedite the oxidation. Pet food manufacturing
processes typically utilize heat and moisture. The use of ethoxyquin is approved as an anti-oxidant in pet foods and the levels are specified. This information is available on the FDA site.

Since ethoxyquin is an anti-oxidant, it's use in reference to preventing cancer has been published and can be found on PubMed searches.

Sincerely,
Dr. Brookshire

SherylM · #2 17th February 2009, 01:59 PM

That is the same response I got. I read it the same way you do.

BxrMommieNAZ · #3 17th February 2009, 02:58 PM

Yes, they do not use it however they do not guarantee that their suppliers do not. There are other companies (like Wellness) that guarantee that they do not use it but also guarantee that their suppliers don't as well.

oakbales · #4 17th February 2009, 03:12 PM

I recieved this same message when I emailed about Chicken Soup for puppys. I think this is the standard reply from Diamond foods who make both TOTW and CS.

**gmacleod** · #5 17th February 2009, 03:17 PM

The thing you need to understand about Ethoxyquin is that it is quite clear from the product packaging whether or not the food manufacturer uses it. IF they do, they are required to state so on the labelling. That bit is nice and simple.

HOWEVER: they are not required to disclose anything at all about what happens to ingredients prior to receiving them. Most perishable ingredients - meats, meat meals, fish, etc - will have been preserved with something prior to the manufacturer receiving them (they don't all make their own meal, after all). And that information is NOT given to the consumer.

When it comes to fish products, in the US it is required by law that all ocean fish products destined for pet food meal be preserved with Ethoxyquin (yes, the law stipulates that chemical specifically). For anyone to NOT be using fish meal products preserved with ethoxyquin, then their suppliers must either be supplying non-ocean farmed fish or else they must have a special dispensation from the law (i.e. allowed to use some other preservative instead). As you might imagine, that would be a tiny minority. And if it were the case, you'd expect your dog food manufacturer to be shouting it from the rooftops as a marketing point

Does that start to put things into a bit of perspective for you, and make it clearer why the issue is constantly flagged on DFA? The presence of a fish meal ingredient in a dog food is a near guarantee that the product contains ethoxyquin. I would take it as such, unless the manufacturer is prepared to publicly guarantee otherwise. And there are only a very few who can do so (seriously, we're talking 2-4 manufacturers out of the hundreds whose foods are reviewed on DFA).

Incidentally, previous responses from Diamond to that question have confirmed that all of their products containing fish meal are ethoxyquin-preserved. LOL - it is interesting to see how their responses have evolved over the years

PS: Note that fresh fish products (which would be farmed fish) when used in dog food do not necessarily contain ethoxyquin. There are not, however, many manufacturers using fresh (for obvious reasons).

ForeverMama · #6 18th February 2009, 06:37 AM

That part I guess I understand. It's in their food. But what about these comments:

"Although we do not use it, when it is used as an anti-oxidant (to prevent rancidity), as soon as it is added, it begins to oxidize ("to be used up").
Heat and moisture greatly expedite the oxidation. Pet food manufacturing
processes typically utilize heat and moisture. The use of ethoxyquin is approved as an anti-oxidant in pet foods and the levels are specified. This information is available on the FDA site.

Since ethoxyquin is an anti-oxidant, it's use in reference to preventing cancer has been published and can be found on PubMed searches."

Is it really used up and eliminated by the manufacturing process? And what about "its use in preventing cancer"? I thought it was proven to have caused cancer. I think these people just make things up as they go.

**gmacleod** · #7 18th February 2009, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ForeverMama

I think these people just make things up as they go.

I think you may be right

And they're misleading in the extreme (in your position, I'd even be looking for some regulatory body to make a formal complaint to).

The "cancer preventing" research they're referring to has no relation whatsoever to ethoxyquin fed to dogs (or to people). Rather it relates to rats already exposed to another agent known to cause liver tumors in rats, which if given ethoxyquin, had reduced incidence of liver tumours. However, with the side effect of causing severe damage to the kidneys in the process). Great news, then. LOL

Summary from this research http://carcin.oxfordjournals.org/cgi...stract/8/5/723

Quote:

While protection was afforded to the liver, EQ alone caused severe damage to the kidney. Many changes were those of chronic glomerulonephrosis, such that EQ appeared to accelerate the ageing process. In addition, many hyperplastic and putative preneoplastic tubules were visible, suggesting that EQ may be exerting a carcinogenic effect in the kidney.