[Sloth]

I accidently came across an article that stated acrylamides, a proven carcinogen, are accidently formed when potatoes are baked at high temperatures.

TONS of premium dog foods have potatoe in them in various forms. The food I just switched to, Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream, uses potatoes as the main source of starch/carbs. And of course it's baked at a high temperature.

Canidae and Taste of the Wild are the only good dog foods I can get in my area. I did notice the other two varieties of TOTW have potatoes further down the list of ingredients...would these be "safer"?

Also, has anyone else even heard of this? Am I just "digging too deep"?

 

[FourIsCompany]

Do you have a link to the article? I'd like to read it, too. I think sometimes I do dig too deep, so that could be a possibility. There are foods with Sweet potato (I use one) and I'd like to know if they are included.

 

[Max'sHuman]

I am one of those who is overly analytical sometimes myself. We all want to find the healthiest food possible for our dogs and I think you have found some good ones. If you dig deep enough you'll be able to find an article about something bad in every single food source available human, animal or otherwise. Most things in life are fine (or as good as they're going to be) in moderation. So I say don't overanalyze too too much. If you are very concerned go to raw feeding or homecooked. Otherwise relax. At least a little bit.

ETA: This may be another good argument for rotating foods as well, not just tasty but exposing your dog to a variety of food sources and all in moderation. Just food for thought...

 

[K9companions]

I won't say much, but in my opinion, I don't worry about it too much. I get my dog Wellness Core, but we all do the best we can do for our dogs. They will live as long as they are able and I have seen dogs healthy and live long on the "bad food".

Is there better food, yeah, but don't sweat too much over it. Your doing the best you can and I'm sure theres always going to be a problem with some ingrediant or another.

Use your own best judgement.

 

[WoodLark]

Considering all the toxins we release into the atmosphere, just breathing is unhealthy!

 

[Kathyy]

I have read that as well. I there is a wiki article on it. So don't give your dog all your burnt potato chips, problem solved. Boiling temperature is fine, baking and frying are too high and the acrylamides form. And this is a brand new problem, only discovered in 2002! Kibble may not be cooked at a high enough temperature to be a problem I think.

 

[Chris / Oakley]

Orijen's take on Potatoes is they're healthy..

Q: POTATOES are night shade vegetables? Are they healthy?

A: Potato is a healthy alternative to the grains in most of today’s processed pet foods. Our potatoes are processed at low temperature (90c) and do not contain skins or leafs.

 

[flipgirl]

There has been some talk about the acrylamides - especially in light of the low-carb craze. So basically, all of us, including our animals, will die of cancer because these exist in bread, fries, chips etc. I've read other things about potatoes being unhealthy for dogs and cats but to me, it's the starch in them. Like any other starch, they increase insulin production leading to more storage of fat and ultimately, diabetes.

I'm still on the fence about low carb food, human, dog or otherwise. I'm not sure whether it's an issue of feeding or eating low carb or an issue of reducing the carbs that are fed or eaten. Before the low carb craze, we ate a lot of carbs, pasta, rice, potatoes etc. The starch made up a good portion of one's plate. It's not that the carbs are bad (complex carbs anyway); just the portion of carbs was too much?

Regardless of what you or your dog eats, cancer is unpredictable. My dad ate healthy, was fitter than most young people and didn't smoke and he died of lung cancer. If you are worried about it, would you be willing to try raw? Many grain-free foods use potato or pea fibre to bind the ingredients together so one way to get away from these starches is to go raw. There are many premade raw diets available if convenience is an issue.

 

[awesomedogtoysandmore]

I have been feeding Nikki Canidae for years and no problem and I switch Tensing onto Evo since it was very low carb and we were trying to beat his lymphoma and almost did! 23 months out from dx.

I feel that you are feeding some of the best food.