5 Dangerous Ingredients to Avoid in Pet Food & Treats

We know that choosing the right food for your pet can feel overwhelming. That’s why we’ve always wanted to make it simple when you're shopping for your furry family.

At House of Paws, we only carry food and treats that are free from ingredients known to harm your pet’s health. We have always ensured, you can shop with confidence regardless of what you choose from our shelves or our freezers. Everything we choose to carry, must positively impact your pet's health, or it won't be in our store. If we wouldn’t feed it to our own furry family, we would never recommend it for yours. That's not a marketing slogan, that's honestly how we feel. As pet parents, we've been bamboozled with flashy marketing from companies with deep pockets for long enough. They've made us believe substandard is "good enough" and we know it's not! 

I expect nothing but the best for Zaner and every pet parent I have had the pleasure of talking to each day feels the exact same way! I may have even had this exact conversation with you! We all want the best for our pets and there are literally thousands of products on the market that will do harm to our pets. We vowed when we opened our doors to be a different breed of pet store and that's why we don't carry the products you typically see in grocery stores, big box stores or even other pet stores. We have never and will never carry any product that contains controversial or harmful ingredients. I would never let Zaner eat a potentially harmful ingredient and that means, I'll never let your furry family either!

Because of our beliefs in only providing and carrying the best of the best for our furry guys, there are five ingredients we've banned from House of Paws! You'll never find them in our store, though you may find them in our videos as we spread the word to ensure more pets aren't affected by harmful pet products. But they will never be in any product we sell or recommend!

Here are the five ingredients that are officially banned at House of Paws and exactly why.

 ❌ 1. 4D Meats (Dead Diseased Dying or Disabled) 

 These meats come from animals that were either already dead, dying, diseased, or too disabled to be processed for human consumption. Once deemed unfit for us, they’re often rendered and turned into unnamed meat products in cheap pet foods. 4D Meat can be made up of some disturbing things; dead zoo animals, roadkill, euthanized pets or carcasses left to rot but scooped up by pet food rendering plants to make a quick buck!

✅ Why We Ban It: The primary reason 4D meats are banned from House of Paws is because we have no idea what the "meat" is! We don't know where it came from, the quality of the meat or whether or not it was contaminated. What we do know is, it wasn't humanely slaughtered for consumption. These animal tissues may contain harmful bacteria, high levels of toxins, or residues from drugs and euthanasia chemicals. The nutrient quality is extremely poor and can cause long-term health issues including chronic inflammation, digestive problems and more.

🔎 Commonly Found In: Bargain kibble, low-cost canned foods and low quality treats.

👀 How to Avoid It: Always be sure to read the ingredient panel. If there are any unnamed meat products that do not identify the source animal, that tells you the product contains 4D meat. Examples of what to avoid, "meat", "meat by-products", "animal by-products", "meat and bone meal" or "fish". We have no idea what the source animal of any of those ingredients are and should always avoid them.

 ❌ 2. BHA BHT and Ethoxyquin

These are synthetic chemical preservatives added to extend the shelf life of pet food, not your pet's life. They are typically used in products like jet fuel, embalming fluid, pesticides and lipstick to prevent the item from drying out. While banned or heavily restricted in human foods in many countries, they’re still widely used in the pet food industry.

✅ Why We Ban It:
These chemicals are linked to cancer, liver and kidney damage, reproductive issues and immune dysfunction. Many pets eat the same food every day, which means they’re exposed to these toxins repeatedly over time. We believe preservatives should preserve health, not put it at risk.

🔎 Commonly Found In:
Some of the most popular big brand kibbles, fish meals, vet-recommended dry foods and cheap canned foods. Ethoxyquin is often used in fish meal and while it may not appear on the final label, it can be included in raw ingredient sourcing unless specifically declared as "ethoxyquin-free." Many pet food companies don’t disclose whether their suppliers use it unless asked directly.

To find out if a pet food contains these, look at:

• The ingredient list on the bag or manufacturer website

• Contact the company directly and ask, “Do you use ethoxyquin, BHA or BHT in any form, including in your raw ingredient sourcing like fish meal or animal fats?”

👀 How to Avoid It:
Look for BHA, BHT or ethoxyquin on the label, they are usually listed under preservatives or in fish meal. If you see any of these names, don't walk...run away!

❌ 3. Artificial Dyes and Colors

These synthetic colorants are used to make kibble or treats look appealing to humans. Our pets do not care what color their food is, but their body does care about the toxic load. Colors used in pet food and treats are literally paint. We learned a long time ago that paint was not something we should eat...and neither should our pets.

✅ Why We Ban It:
Artificial colors are linked to behavioral issues like hyperactivity, as well as allergic reactions and long-term toxicity. Some dyes are known carcinogens and have been banned in human food, yet they’re still common in pet products.

🔎 Commonly Found In:
Bargain kibble, colorful biscuits, commercial treats, iced-bakery cookies, jerky snacks and some prescription diets.

👀 How to Avoid It:
Avoid any product with colors like Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 2 or the word “color” or “artificial coloring” of any type listed in the ingredients. Food should look natural, not like candy. Pet food manufacturers are getting tricky and listing "carmel color" or "colored with vegetable juice". This is no different than 4D meat! Where did the vegetables come from? What condition were they in before being recycled into the pet food industry? Quality pet food and treats will never have anything added for color. If you see any type of color added, put the product back on the shelf and hit the nearest exit!

 ❌ 4. By-Products

This vague term includes meat or produce not consumable by humans, such as beaks, feathers, hooves and organs or rotten and not sellable. AAFCO, the American Association of Feed Control has openly admitted the "pet food industry is the recycling department of the human food industry". This is why reading labels and trusting the companies making your pet's food and treats is essential. The governing body who regulates pet food manufacturing is well aware of the questionable ingredients being used to make products for our pets and rather than prevent it, they rewrite definitions of ingredients to allow them to be used. 

According to AAFCO "natural" in pet food means...

"an ingredient is derived from a plant, animal, or mined source, and has either not been processed or has been processed using methods like heat, rendering, purification, or extraction. It cannot be produced by or subjected to a chemically synthetic process, nor can it contain chemically synthetic additives or processing aids, except in minor amounts due to good manufacturing practices."

That's certainly not how I'd describe "natural". 🙄

✅ Why We Ban It:
If it doesn’t specify the animal or the raw ingredient, we don’t trust it. By-products are low-quality, poorly digested and provide limited nutritional value. Aside from that, by-products are nutritionally inconsistent due to the fact that we have no idea what's actually in them. We believe your pet deserves food made from clean, identifiable ingredients, not mystery meats and produce.

🔎 Commonly Found In:
Most grocery store kibble, wet foods and even many vet-prescribed diets.

👀 How to Avoid It:
Look for vague terms like "meat by-products", "animal by-products", "poultry by-products" or "vegetables". If it doesn’t clearly identify the specific ingredients used to make the final product, skip it.

❌ 5. Carrageenan

This seaweed-derived thickener may sound natural but is anything but safe. It’s added to give canned food that jelly-like texture, but it comes with serious health risks.

✅ Why We Ban It:
Carrageenan has been linked to gut inflammation, ulcers and tumor promotion. In pets with sensitive digestion, it can make things much worse. We never compromise gut health for visual appeal or texture.

🔎 Commonly Found In:
Canned pet food, wet “loaf” styles, grocery store gravies and even some vet prescription diets.

👀 How to Avoid It:
Check the label of any wet or canned food. If carrageenan is listed, skip it. There are safer thickening alternatives used by companies that care about your pet’s health.

✅ What’s in the Bowl Matters

Feeding your dog or cat real whole food ingredients that are biologically appropriate is the best way to support their health and prevent illness. When you shop with us, you can feel confident knowing we’ve done the ingredient research for you.

We research every brand we bring in and continually monitor our existing brands. If they don't meet our high standards, they don't get a place in our store and they would never be something we would recommend for your pet. We've replaced brands, turned down aggressive offers from brands and questioned brands we're interested in or already carry.

Transparency and ethical sourcing is critical when it comes to the things we feed our furry families. Remember, you are what you eat! That applies to our pets too and we'd never compromise their health just to make a buck. We will always put the health of the furry VIPs we are so privileged to know and serve above our profits. Companies who choose to use any of these five banned ingredients, are putting their profits above our pets and that is something we cannot get on board with.