Is Your Dog’s Disease Linked to Their Food?
Many illnesses can be traced back to your pet’s food. Low quality pet food encourages infestations of insects, mites and molds, leading to chronic allergies. However, grain mites that feed on poor quality feed grains can quickly combine with insects to create a far bigger issue for your dog. These mites can pick up and spread the spores of extremely dangerous molds that are capable of producing some of the world’s deadliest natural toxins.
Molds are members of the fungi family. Unlike other fungi such as mushrooms, molds are invisible to the naked eye. They reproduce by creating small, seed-like particles known as spores. Because molds and mold spores are microscopic, they can spread easily by traveling on the small bodies of mites and weevils. When this occurs it doesn’t take very long for an entire bag of grain to become contaminated.
Just like humans, dogs can be allergic to the molds and mold spores commonly found in pet foods. However, the greatest danger lies in the potential for ingestion of the poisons produced by these molds. Symptoms of mold poisoning can include:
- Fever
- Jaundice or yellowing of the skin and eyes
- Dark colored urine
- Persistent violent bouts of vomiting
- Bloody diarrhea
- Death
Even small amounts of the mold can accumulate in a dog’s liver, causing cancer to develop over time. Once the mold enters the liver there is no antidote and no known cure. Any amount of mold in your pet food should be considered unsafe. Every single time you choose to feed your dog commercial pet food made with cheap, low quality cereal grains you are putting them in danger.
In order to protect your dog from these potential dangers you must never buy cheaply-made dog food and avoid dog foods that contain grain by-products or mill waste. Dog food ingredients are often the most overlooked cause of serious disease in healthy dogs. Don’t allow your dog to become one of the ones affected.
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