By Sandee LaMotte, NCS
(NCS) — Samples of well-liked industrial dog meals contained “dangerous levels” of heavy metals, plastic contaminants, and acrylamide, a cancer-causing compound created when food is subjected to excessive warmth, based on a new investigation.
“The levels of heavy metals and other contaminants we found were alarming,” stated Molly Hamilton, the chief director of Clean Label Project, which performed the investigation. The Colorado-based nonprofit assessments client merchandise for purity and gives producers a certified label if their commodities meet strict requirements.
“Pet owners care for their dogs as deeply as parents care for their children,” Hamilton stated. “They should be able to buy dog food without worrying it might harm their pet.”
Dog meals contained three to 13 instances extra heavy metals than human food examined over the previous decade by Clean Label Project, based on the report. The levels are just like these present in prior analysis finished by veterinarian Dr. Joseph Wakshlag, a professor and dietary specialist at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, New York.
“We wrote a paper in 2018 comparing the intake of heavy metals between people and dogs based on a calorie,” stated Wakshlag, referring to a report he coauthored with three Cornell colleagues. Wakshlag was not concerned within the new investigation.
“Compared to a person, we found dogs consumed three to seven times the amounts of heavy metals each day,” he stated.
Dry dog food, additionally referred to as kibble, contained the very best levels of heavy metals and other contaminants, adopted by air- and freeze-dried dog food. Fresh and frozen dog meals contained the bottom levels of heavy metals, based on the laboratory assessments.
The report didn’t launch particular take a look at outcomes by model or product identify.
“Over 85% of dog owners feed dry foods to their pets, and most dogs are eating one type of dog food each and every day, often for their entire life,” Hamilton stated. “If dry dog food is all they consume, it’s possible the accumulation of heavy metals could be contributing to the higher cancer rate in dogs.”
Studies present heavy metals can accumulate within the kidney and liver in a dog, doubtlessly contributing to continual illness. Exposure to lead and cadmium has been linked to canine most cancers, a number one trigger of dying in canine. About 1 in 4 canine will develop most cancers throughout their lifetime, based on the American Veterinary Medical Association.
The Pet Food Institute, or PFI, which represents producers of dog food, informed NCS in an e mail it is going to evaluation the Clean Label Report.
“PFI and U.S. pet food makers are continuously monitoring to best support the health and safety of dogs and cats,” a spokesperson stated.
Fewer contaminants in contemporary and frozen dog meals
Clean Label Project bought 79 samples of best-selling contemporary and frozen dog meals, kibble and air- and freeze-dried merchandise. A federally licensed laboratory then performed 11,376 particular person assessments for plastics, pesticides, lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium and acrylamide.
Fresh and frozen dog meals, which solely entered the mainstream pet food market in 2006, have been least contaminated. Lead and mercury levels in dry food have been about 21 instances greater than contemporary and frozen dog meals. Kibble additionally contained over 13 instances extra arsenic and six instances extra cadmium than contemporary and frozen merchandise.
One potential purpose: “Fresh and frozen dog foods are at least 70% water, and water contains far fewer heavy metals than a highly condensed piece of kibble,” Wakshlag stated. In addition to doing tutorial analysis, Wakshlag consults for a dog food firm.
“You also can’t take those numbers at face value, because a dog has to eat about 3 cups of fresh or frozen dog food to get the same calories and nutrients as 1 cup of dry food,” he stated. “Therefore, the dog’s exposure to heavy metals in fresh or frozen foods goes up because it has to eat two to three times as much.”
An October 2021 examine additionally detected high levels of two heavy metals in dog meals. Nearly 81% of the industrial dog meals analyzed within the examine exceeded the utmost tolerated degree of mercury set by regulatory businesses whereas 100% of the dog food merchandise exceeded the utmost tolerated degree of lead.
There isn’t any secure degree of lead for people, based on the US Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA doesn’t listing levels for canine.
Safety thresholds for all animal feed are set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials, or AAFCO, and the National Research Council, or NRC. Maximum levels for heavy metals are based mostly on the species that may be essentially the most vulnerable to the toxins, Wakshlag stated.
“The difficulty of using NRC or AAFCO expectations is that they don’t have guidelines that are specific to dogs. Pet food is lumped into the same category as agricultural animals,” Hamilton stated. “The prevailing industry theory is that dogs have a higher tolerance for heavy metals than humans, though what this theory is based on is up for debate.”
That’s not identified, as a result of there are so few research on poisonous publicity in canine, Wakshlag stated.
“How would chronic consumption of these contaminants at really high levels affect a dog? We don’t know,” he stated. “We have very few studies that have followed dogs for years on different diets to find those answers.”
An answer can be for pet food firms to repeatedly take a look at their merchandise for toxins and report the outcomes to customers, Wakshlag added.
“But extensive analyses take time and money,” he stated. “So if you want this kind of information, then expect your bag of dog food to go up $3 or $4 a bag, because that’s what it’s going to cost to do these tests.”
Acrylamide and chemical compounds utilized in plastics
Acrylamide levels in dry dog food have been about 24 instances greater than contemporary and frozen, with one food testing at 780 components per billion, based on the Clean Label Project report.
“I’ve never seen acrylamide at a 780 level in a food,” Wakshlag stated. “That company must be cooking the hell out of their food or using ingredients that are leading to more acrylamide formation. That’s like a person eating five servings of french fries every day in terms of acrylamide exposure.”
Acrylamide seems in meals wealthy in carbohydrates when they’re fried, grilled or baked at temperatures above 248 levels Fahrenheit (120 levels Celsius). The browning of toast, french fries, espresso and baked items can create acrylamide, which is taken into account “likely to be carcinogenic to humans” by the EPA. The chemical can be current in tobacco smoke and is used to make paper, dyes and plastics.
“Acrylamide reduces the ability of male animals to produce offspring,” the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry states on its website. “Acrylamide has caused several types of cancer in animals. Adequate human data are not available.”
The investigation additionally examined levels of two bisphenols — Bisphenol A (BPA) and Bisphenol S (BPS) — and one phthalate referred to as Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, or DEHP. In line with the other findings, dry dog food contained the very best levels; contemporary and frozen food contained the bottom.
While no research have been finished in canine, the phthalate DEHP might have contributed to greater than 10% of all grownup international mortality from coronary heart illness amongst males and girls ages 55 by way of 64, according to a study revealed in April 2025.
Bisphenol A, or BPA, has been linked to fetal abnormalities, low start weight, and brain and behavior disorders in infants and children. In adults, the chemical compound is related to the event of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, erectile dysfunction, cancer and a 49% greater threat of early death inside 10 years.
Bisphenol S, or BPS, is a typical substitute for BPA. Studies present that BPS might have an analogous detrimental influence on the reproductive system and might disrupt mobile operate.
So with all these toxins, what can a pet guardian do?
First, don’t panic, Hamilton suggested. If your veterinarian agrees and it matches your price range, think about contemporary and frozen meals. Many pets, nevertheless, are choosy and gained’t permit homeowners to change from kibble to contemporary or frozen.
“If you’re going to keep using dry food, rotate it with other brands to diversify your dog’s diet,” she stated. “You wouldn’t want to eat the same thing every day for every meal, and many dogs are thrilled to eat new foods. Rotating the diet is probably the best thing you can do.”
The-NCS-Wire
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