June 05, 2020

What you Need to Know About Your Dog's Dog Food

At Bonne et Filou, we are committed to serving only the best to our pups, and delivering the best wholesome, all-natural dog treats we can make. If you’re like us, you understand that it’s only the best for your dog, and that unnecessary filler and fluff simply will not do. So what is a pet owner to do? Lucky for you, we’ve compiled this list of ingredients to watch out for when your pup isn’t snacking on an all-natural dog treat from Bonne et Filou.

Artificial Preservatives

Now we’re not here to knock the use of preservatives for their intended purpose, to preserve! In many cases, preservatives are not a bad thing at all. For example, animal fats and animal products are a staple ingredient in almost any brand of dog food you can find. Since these products are simply not meant to last, preservatives are added to help get your product from the manufacturer to your home. In these cases, some preservatives cannot be helped. The difference lies between natural preservatives and artificial preservatives.

As you can probably guess, natural preservatives are generally okay. When choosing dog food and treats, look for tocopherols, and ascorbic acid as a few. These use natural vitamins E and C to keep food fresh without chemical intervention. What you should be on the lookout for are artificial preservatives. These can be sneaky and downright toxic in large quantities. Some common culprits are ethoxyquin, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). When looking through your pet food, watch for these names. If you see them in the list of ingredients, your product may last longer, but it is artificially preserved.

Food Dyes

We’ve all heard of the infamous Red 40, Blue 2, and Yellow 5. These artificial food dyes are put into pet food and human food alike to make it look more appealing, traits that your dog is not likely to care about. To this extent, dyes are only really added for a dog owner’s benefit, making the treat look more approachable and more visually appealing. To put on your dog parent eyes is to realize that the opposite is actually true. If your dog treat looks too good, or too perfect to be true (perfectly consistent coloring throughout, perfectly molded shapes, etc), it probably is! The more uniform dog treats and dog food becomes, the more that brand is showing their true colors (no food dye pun intended) and letting on their use of artificial ingredients and production practices.

Wheat and Corn

Although some dogs, just like humans, may be sensitive to wheat and gluten, there is nothing inherently wrong with these ingredients, they’re just not great. Ingredients like wheat and corn have been used for decades as filler products for dog foods and dog treats alike. This is for one reason only: they are cheap! Dog products across the market being stuffed with these low-grade ingredients is actually the reason why most of these products are not safe for human consumption. Whether your dog has a grain or corn sensitivity or not, there are plenty of grain-free, organic dog foods and treats out there that may provide a more wholesome and well-rounded nutrition for your pet.

At Bonne et Filou, we are committed to creating dog treats that are as tasty and as nutritious as they are good looking. After all, your dog deserves the best inside and out! Next time you are shopping for dog food and treats, consider those that are perfectly imperfect, free from uniform color or shape, and try to pay close attention to the ingredient label. If you are looking for a truly luxurious experience free of artificial dyes, preservatives, or filler, look no further than the veterinarian certified Bonne et Filou dog macarons.