We found ethoxyquin in chicken and liver cat treats and it's on the label
of Mazuri ferret food, which we have thrown out!
 
CHECK Your LABELS for this dangerous ingredient to ALL our pets!  From
Dr. Michael Fox, DVM.'s home page.
 
Home-prepared foods for our animal companions, ideally with organic
ingredients that were locally produced, are important because you then
know what your animal is being fed if a food-related health problem such
as an allergy to a particular ingredient or digestive upset were to
arise.  With most processed commercial pet foods containing all kinds of
human food-industry by-products and ingredients considered unfit/unsafe
for human consumption, many of questionable nutritional value after
repeated processing, you just don't know.  Aside from coloring agents
that may cause problems other than saliva-staining of animals' faces,
and paws, most commercial pet foods contain artificial preservatives like
BHA that is linked with cancer of the bladder and stomach; BHT that may
cause cancer of the bladder and thyroid gland; and Ethoxyquin, one of
Monsanto's many allegedly harmful products that renderers (meat and
poultry processors) add to the fat/tallow that is put into pet foods to
prevent rancidity.  Ethoxyquin is a recognized hazardous chemical, a
highly toxic pesticide.
 
 ( and this article googled from another websource)
 
The bad boy on the label ==> Ethoxyquin
The U. S. Dept. of Agriculture for toxicology information lists
ethoxyquin in their Farm Chemical Hand-Book as a pesticide, used in fruit
scald control.  It is also used as a rubber preservative.  It is FDA
approved for use as an antioxidant for carotenes vitamin A and E and
the prevention of the development of organic peroxides.
 
It is approved at 150 ppm in paprika and chili powder, and because
it is used as a preservative in livestock feed, the following residue
allowances in human consumed animal products as follows: 5 ppm in or on
the uncooked fat of meat from animals except poultry; 3 ppm in or on the
uncooked liver and fat of poultry, 0.5 ppm in or on the uncooked muscle
meat of animals, 0.5 ppm in poultry eggs, and zero in milk.
 
The above information brings up the question why the FDA allows such a
small amount of ethoxyquin residue (5 to .5 ppm) in human consumed foods
yet allows such high amounts (150 ppm) to be used in pet food and
livestock feeds?
 
In the case of the dog, pound for pound, a dog is consuming up to 300
times more ethoxyquin than allowed for people.  (depending upon the
weight) Also many dog food manufacturers are not always listing it as
an ingredient on the packaging, but sometimes merely print "E".
 
Check your dog or cat food label to see what the pet food you are using
is being preserved with.
 
Monsanto's (the manufacturer) own cautionary warnings in using and
handling this product: They warn that it may cause allergic skin
reactions, irritation to the eyes and skin.  They advise that workers
must wear eye and respiratory protection.  The container of ethoxyquin
has a very prominent skull and crossbones with POISON written in capital
letters.
 
Ethoxyquin is listed and identified as a hazardous chemical under the
criteria of the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910, 1220).
The Chemical Toxicology of Commercial Products says that ethoxyquin has
a toxic rating of 3 (on a scale of 1 to 6, with 6 being super toxic
requiring less than 7 drops to produce death).  At that level it can
slowly develop depression, convulsions, coma and death; skin irritation
and liver damage.
 
In a recent study by The Department Of Pathology, Nagoya City University
Medical School Japan, it was found: ethoxyquin promoted kidney
carcinogenesis.  Also, it significantly increased incidence of stomach
tumors and enhanced bladder carcinogesis.
 
The FDA maintains it is safe, yet have asked pet food manufacturers to
"voluntarily" lower the levels to 75 PPM.
 
I've included some of the better sites that inform you of ethoxyquin
below, including the FDA report.  I suggest you take some time and read
these, then you will be able to make an informed decision on your own.
 
copy and paste each link into your browser
 
www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/ANS00119.html
www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/Ethoxyquin.htm
www.mindspring.com/~woofsportsusa/petfoodpreservatives.htm
www.groomers.com/tidbits/food.html
 
[Moderator's note: Making an informed decision impies that a consumer
has a well-rounded reading list -- the list above appears rather skewed.
(Granted, the fda.gov link is pro-ethoxyquin, but that's to be expected
from them, kind of like the CA Fish and Game Dept.)
 
Fact is, this is one of the topics dicussed ad-naseum on the FML and I
doubt we'll ever have much resolution of the issue here.  I don't mind
that it comes up now and then -- there are always new subscribers and
readers who only spot-read the FMLs.  But what I'd like to avoid is a
nasty war, since it sometimes turns to that.
 
Luckily for the FML the use of ethoxyquin seems to be declining, often
in favor of more "natural" preservatives such as vitman E (which itself
might be preserved with ethoxyquin!).  And maybe in a few years we won't
have to talk about it anymore!  But for now, if you want to avoid foods
that contain it there are many ethoxyquin-free choices.  And please be
gentle ;-) BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 5176]