In an article on the Goodness Gracious Treats website titled “The Dirty Dozen Aliases for MSG, I learned that this food additive that bothers many humans is also very bad for our dogs. MSG, a form of free glutamate, is the bad guy. Jim and I discovered years ago that MSG negatively affects both of us, so we always try to avoid foods that might contain it. It caused migraines for me and Jim experienced heart palpitations and headaches. It makes sense that if an ingredient is harmful to humans, it won’t be a good choice for pets.
Below is a list of ingredients to avoid when buying pet food, because they are MSG disguised under other names:
Any type of hydrolyzed protein
Any type of protein isolate
Any type of textured protein
Natural flavors, or natural flavorings, such as natural beef flavor, natural chicken flavor, etc.
Autolyzed yeast
Hydrolyzed yeast
Yeast extracts or yeast nutrients
Soy extracts
Soy concentrate
Sodium caseinate or calcium caseinate
Disodium inosinate or disodium guanylate (flavor enhancers effective only in presence of MSG)
MSG
Monopotassium glutamate
Glutamate, Glutamic acid
According to the article, MSG in natural flavors is the way most manufacturers mask it. MSG is a huge culprit in overweight dogs. This additive can triple a dog’s insulin levels and is a suspected neurotoxin that has been linked to chest pain, headaches, numbness, brain damage in animals tested, depression, and more.
Goodness Gracious Treats offers a list of pet food treats containing the likely aliases for free glutamate and MSG. Read the entire article here. For example, I discovered that my cats’ favorite treats, Zuke’s Natural Purrz, is on the list. You do have to be diligent with the commercial foods you give your pets.
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This is Mary Anne from the Real Meat Company and we never have and never will hurt a fur kid! Our natural vegetable glycerin is human grade derived from from palm oil.
We are NOT now or have we ever been part of any recall. NO CHINA! Look at how few Ingredients are in our treats, The meat listed on the bag (Lamb, Venison, Chicken, Beef, Fish) and Inulin (from Chicory), Natural Vegetable Glycerin, Sea Salt and Mixed Tocopherols. We keep it simple for the LOVE of all fur kids, and our rescued Turtles Shreds and Steps who have grown very large in the last 10 years eating our treats!