tag

Search

Glyphosate In Dog Food: The Hidden Ingredient That Can Harm Your Dog

Glyphosate In Dog Food
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
Print

Glyphosate is the most popular herbicide in the world. It was first patented as a broad spectrum anti-parasitic and antibiotic to treat malaria … and there’s glyphosate hiding in your dog’s food.

Why’s that a problem? Because this well-known weed-killer can cause cancer, infertility, brain disorders and heart disease!

The US spreads about 100 million pounds of glyphosate (also known as “glypho-Satan”) every year. And it’s in more than 700 agriculture, forestry and home products including the well-known weed-killer Roundup. This means it’s almost impossible to avoid glyphosate exposure.

The good news is that you can protect your dog from some of the harmful effects of glyphosate. But first, here’s some background …

How Glyphosate Is Used

When released, big marketing blasts promoted glyphosate as a powerful weed killer. They said it could be a standalone product or combined with genetically modified (GM) crops to improve crop yields. But the marketing promo didn’t match reality as yields haven’t increased. So the deeper question is: why would anyone use these products if the yield didn’t increase?

The weed-killer euphemism is really language used to justify its use to kill any unwanted plants. Having unwanted plants between endless rows of corn, soy, wheat and other crops means that they will compete for nutrients. And this makes them “unwanted weeds.”

But glyphosate didn’t just stay on the farms. It eventually became available as Roundup. And that meant anybody could use it to control bothersome plant life in gardens, public parks and the like. And that increases your and your animals’ exposure to this toxicant.

Even more dangerous is the combo with 2,4-D (aka Agent Orange, the carcinogenic defoliant of the Vietnam war). This product is Enlist Duo. And it gets sprayed on genetically modified crops including soy, corn and cotton.

Another area of massive use in our environment is as a desiccant for crops like wheat. It ensures all parts of the crop are ready for harvest at one time, making for more efficiency. Could this be part of the cause of the current epidemic of gluten intolerance? Perhaps it’s really glyphosate intolerance?

What all of this means for you and your animals is this …

Any wheat, GM crop, cotton or animal product (meat, bones, milk, cheese) will have glyphosate contamination. Ugh!

Glyphosate Doesn’t Just Kill Weeds

Glyphosate kills everything … not just weeds but also beneficial insects, microbes and fungi. Glyphosate:

  • Kills plants by stopping a specific enzyme pathway known as the shikimic acid pathway or the shikamate pathway. This prevents the plants from making certain proteins needed for growth.
  • Bonds with minerals like zinc, magnesium, cobalt, copper and calcium. This stops the plants from absorbing these minerals from the soil – starving the plants, killing them.
  • Blocks major detox pathways in the liver, preventing the body from detoxing. Not only does it block the detox of glyphosate and its companion toxicants, it lowers the ability for the body to detox anything at all.
  • Kills “good” bacteria (our BFF for gut and immune system health), allowing the bad bacteria to survive.

So it’s not a coincidence that harmful bacteria like botulism are increasing on America’s farms. Or that we’re seeing stronger, developing species of pathogenic Salmonella bacteria.

Glyphosate And GMOs

Glyphosate and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) go hand-in-hand. About 80% of the world’s GMO crops are glyphosate-resistant (or Roundup-Ready). This allows the crops to survive while all other plants around them die.

Another addition to the Roundup formula is a surfactant agent, which increases its adhesion to the plant and meaning you can’t wash it off. And it’s estimated this surfactant makes Roundup about 1000 times more toxic. Residual estimate (the amount of time it stays in the soil) is somewhere between 23 to 25 years.

Big GMO crops include:

And just about all these foods are ingredients in commercial kibbles. You’ll learn more about a study on GMOs in pet foods later on. 

RELATED: Is your dog eating GMOs? He shouldn’t be!

The Dangers Of Glyphosate

You’re probably getting the message already, but it’s important that you hear about dangers of widespread glyphosate use.

1. It’s A Probable Carcinogen

In 2015, the World Health Organization categorized glyphosate as a “probable carcinogen”.

Of course Monsanto, the company responsible for Roundup, disputes this conclusion. They say there’s no evidence linking glyphosate to cancer and they claim it’s non-toxic to people and pets and safer than table salt.

The government agencies should protect us but they take Monsanto’s side in this argument. Here’s what the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said:

“Remember, it’s the dosage that makes the poison. Sure, you could say that glyphosate causes cancer, of course it does, but only when swallowed in small amounts over a long period of time.”

Margaret Hamburg, Commissioner US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 2009 – 2015

Oh, it only causes cancer “when swallowed in small amounts over a long period of time.”

Well, that’s ALL of us! Glyphosate is everywhere in our environment. It’s in the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe, so we’re all “swallowing” it in small amounts constantly … you can’t avoid it!

2. It Accumulates In Tissues

Because the body can’t effectively detox glyphosate, it accumulates over time in your tissues and of course it’s the same for your dog. So you can assume you and your dog both have it in your bones, intestines, livers, spleens, kidneys, muscles … and mothers have it in their breast milk. Testing in my home of two humans and one dog showed it in all our urine.

3. It’s Linked To Many Chronic Diseases

According to the World Health Organization 1 in 4 people die from diseases of air, water, soil pollution, chemical exposures, climate change, ultraviolet radiation – all from human activity.

These are some of the major diseases linked to glyphosate exposure …

  • Obesity
  • Heart disease
  • Brain disorders like ADHD, autism, Alzheimers, Parkinsons, depression
  • Infertility
  • Cancers
  • Inflammatory bowel disease

And it’s the same for your dog.

So, What About Dogs?

These are some of the top diseases that kill dogs. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that there’s a lot of overlap with the list of human diseases linked to glyphosate.

  • Cancer: nearly half of dogs over 10 get cancer.
  • Kidney failure: the second killer of dogs today. Glyphosate has been linked to more than 40,000 deaths from kidney disease in farm workers in Sri Lanka and El Salvador.
  • Liver disease: glyphosate blocks detox so the liver, as the major detox organ, will be harmed. And if your dog’s liver’s not healthy, his overall health will suffer too.
  • Seizures: glyphosate affects brain function in humans and it’s the same for dogs. As well as seizures, dogs exhibit ADD-like disorders like an inability to focus or extreme anxiety.
  • Gastrointestinal disease: (like bloat or inflammatory bowel disease): glyphosate destroys “good” bacteria. So it’s not surprising that dogs increasingly suffer from digestive issues. It also compromises the “tight junctions” between cells in our gut – leaving the way open for leaky gut syndrome.

Dogs get exposed to glyphosate just as much as you … maybe more so. Afterall, they’re running around barefoot on glyphosate-contaminated soil and grass!

And unless you’re feeding your dog 100% organic food, he’s eating glyphosate in his meals!

RELATED: How important is it for you to feed organic food to your pet?

Glyphosate In Dog Food

Most kibbles contain GMO ingredients like corn, soy and beets. Check out the foods that researchers Anthony Samsel and Stephanie Seneff analyzed. Every can and dog food they tested contained glyphosate.

Purina Cat Chow Complete … 0.102 glyphosate/mg kg -1
Purina Dog Chow Complete … 0.098 glyphosate/mg kg -1
Kibbles-n-Bits Chef Choice Am Grill … 0.300 glyphosate/mg kg -1
Friskies Indoor Delights … 0.079 glyphosate/mg kg -1
9 Lives Indoor Complete … 0.140 glyphosate/mg kg -1
Rachel Ray Zero Grain … 0.022 glyphosate/mg kg -1
Iams Proactive Health … 0.065 glyphosate/mg kg -1
Rachel Ray Nutrish Super Premium … 0.140 glyphosate/mg kg -1
Purina Beyond Natural – Simply Nine … 0.047 glyphosate/mg kg -1

They only tested a few products but if you’re feeding a non-organic commercial dog food, it almost certainly contains glyphosate.

So … what can you do to help keep your dog healthy?

How To Reduce Glyphosate Exposure

As I promised earlier, here’s how to protect both you and your dog from the harmful effects of this toxic ingredient!

  • Don’t use herbicides (especially Roundup) or pesticides in your yard.
  • Try to politely educate your neighbors about the risks so they stop using them too.
  • Avoid parks, lakes, schoolyards, golf courses or other areas that are likely sprayed with herbicide. Do your research. Ask public officials what they spray at your favorite dog park.
  • Give your dog regular detox baths.
  • Detox your dog.
  • Feed your dog fresh foods and buy organic whenever you can. This can reduce the amount of glyphosate in your dog’s food. Sure, it’s expensive, but not compared to losing your dog at 6 years old or spending $10,000 on vet bills trying to save his life.
  • Remember … glyphosate doesn’t wash off the food. It’s IN it … so again, buy organic whenever you can.
  • Avoid commercial kibbles and canned foods.
  • If you must use commercial foods, choose GMO-free foods. Check out the Non-GMO Project’s list of non-GMO pet products and look for their stamp on the food package.
  • Feed fermented foods like sauerkraut or sauerkraut juice to help heal the gut.
  • Give your dog the following supplements:
    • Multimineral supplement (such as Biotics Research MultiMins)
      • 1 tablet/day – small dog
      • 2 tablet/day – medium dog
      • 3 tablet/day – large dog
      • 4 tablet/day – giant dog
    • Glutathione or a glutathione precursor like N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC)
      • Glutathione – 250mg/50 lbs
      •  N-acetyl-cysteine – 250mg/50
    • Probiotics – rotate different probotic products that provide varied bacteria families.
    • Fulvic and humic acids – these soil based products can help heal and neutralize glyphosate damage.

DNM RECOMMENDS: Four Leaf Rover’s Protect soil-based probiotics contains fulvic and humic acids as well as bentonite clay, plus dandelion and burdock roots, that can help remove toxins from your dog. Buy Protect now.

Glyphosate is a scary substance that’s everywhere, including your dog’s food. It’s impossible to avoid glyphosate exposure completely … but you can take these actions to minimize its damage to your dog … and yourself!

References

Samsel A et al. Glyphosate, pathways to modern disease IV: Cancer and related pathologies. Journal of biological Physics and Chemistry. 2015 Jan.

Jayasumana C et al. Glyphosate, hard water and nephrotoxic metals: Are they the culprits behind the epidemic of chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology in sri lanka?. Journal of Environmental Resources. 2014;11(2):2125-47.

5 minutes a day. Healthier Dog.

Get important health plans from vets & experts. It’s natural and it’s free.

START MAKING YOUR OWN DOG FOOD TODAY

Get instant access to easy-to-make and affordable recipes. Plus get new recipes delivered right to your inbox.

Recipe Cards for Making Raw Dog Food

Related Posts