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Dog Food and Ethoxyquin  Ethoxyquin and your pet.According to Wikipedia, Ethoxyquin is a food additive and pesticide.Wait. Did we just say "food additive and pesticide"?? Ethoxyquin was developed in the 1950's as a rubber stabilizer and herbicide. Reportedly, it is very similar to Agent Orange. It was approved for use as a food additive (chemical preservative) by the FDA in the mid-20th century. The FDA has received numerous reports from dog owners attributing the presence of ethoxyquin in the dog food with a myriad of adverse effects, such as allergic reactions, skin problems, major organ failure, behavior problems, and cancer. Humans who worked with ethoxyquin in the rubber industry reported increases in numerous health problems, including liver/kidney damage, cancerous skin lesions, loss of hair, blindness, leukemia, fetal abnormalities and chronic diarrhea. Safety data published by Oxford University states that Ethoxyquin "May be harmful by ingestion, inhalation and through skin contact" and labels it a skin and eye irritant. The university goes on to recommend using safety glasses and adequate ventilation for workers working with ethoxyquin. The levels of ethoxyquin present in pet foods would normally be much smaller than quantities some workers may come into contact with. Many believe that Ethoxyquin is poisonous and should not be included in pet food, period, but the FDA, lacking actual evidence that the ethoxyquin chemical is actually bad for our pets, has not banned its use in pet food. The FDA has asked pet food manufacturers to voluntarily limit the amount of ethoxyquin in the food. If ethoxyquin has been pre-added to an ingredient, however, such as fat provided to a pet food manufacturer, the manufacturer of the end product may not have to list ethoxyquin on the label. Ethoxyquin kills fish. Ethoxyquin may be present in pet foods in which you wouldn't expect it. Check the labels. It is our policy not to sell dog or cat food or treats that we feel may contain ethoxyquin.
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