Are artificial colorings in dog food bad for my pet?

Do you feel guilty if you pour a serving of grey, bland-looking food into your dog's bowl? Well, don't! Your dog doesn't care what his or her food looks like. Dogs are color blind for a start, so it won't matter in the slightest whether you give them food that is brown, black, or bright pink – it all looks the same to the dog! Pet food manufacturers change the color of dog food to make it look nicer and more appealing to the owner, not to the dog. Artificial colors can give highly processed food a rich, meaty appearance in an attempt to convince pet owners that the food is going to be more appealing to their dogs than a less attractive looking natural food.

Pet owners should not buy into this. The appearance of the food does not matter at all to your dog. Dogs only care about how the food tastes and smells, and not only will a nicer-looking food make no difference to their desire to eat it or their enjoyment of it, it could actually end up being harmful to them. Here's a quick summary of some of the artificial colors commonly used in dog food:

 

FD&C Blue No. 2 – thought to increase the sensitivity of dogs to viruses, and is banned in several nations (but not the US) as a pet food ingredient.

FD&C Red No. 40  - this is probably the most commonly used food coloring, and is often used as a way of keeping meat looking fresh. It has been widely tested, but the results have proved unreliable and generally inconclusive. While it's not thought to cause serious harm, it's probably best avoided.

TiO2 (Titanium Dioxide) – Non toxic, but unnecessary. This could easily be left out of dog food.

FD&C Yellow No. 5 – This is the second most widely used food coloring, and if you find that your dog has food allergies, you should check for this ingredient – it's known to cause allergic reactions.

FD&C Yellow No. 6 – the third most widely used dye, this one can also cause allergic reactions in some dogs. It has been claimed that Yellow 6 is a cancer risk, causing tumors of the kidney and adrenal gland. Although the FDA reviewed this data and now claim that the cancer risk to humans is not significant, it's probably best to steer clear of it in your pet's food, just to be on the safe side.

If you want to avoid artificial colorings completely, then go for the premium varieties of dog food – but be sure to check the ingredients, as even some of the top recommended brands have been known to sneak in a few artificial colorings in order to make the product look more appealing to dog owners! The best type of food to choose if you want to be sure that only natural ingredients are included is an organic or natural dog food. Remember that the bland and colorless appearance of the food means nothing to your dog, and feel confident that you're giving him only what's good for him.

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