The dangers of BPA for your pet

BPA in dog food cans can interfere with your dog’s hormones, according to a recent study.

Many of us are aware about the potentially dangerous impacts of BPA but did you know that it can have negative health effects for your animals too?

What is BPA?

BPA (Bisphenol A) is an endocrine disrupter, meaning that it may mimic or interfere with the body’s hormones. It is potentially one of the most controversial of the endocrine disruptors. It was initially considered to be a weak environmental estrogen but more recent studies have demonstrated that BPA may be similar in potency to estradiol in stimulating cellular responses and that it may influence multiple endocrine-related pathways.

Increased levels of BPA residues may leach into food when refrigerated or heated and when hot or cold foods or liquids are placed in BPA containers.

Numerous studies have found that laboratory animals exposed to low levels of BPA have elevated rates of diabetes, mammary and prostate cancers, decreased sperm count, reproductive problems, early puberty, obesity, and neurological problems.

And it has been concluded that very low doses of some hormone-like chemicals can adversely affect bodily functions in animals.

Sounds scary, right?

Sources of BPA

BPA is found in many household items, particularly food and beverage storage containers and in resins that are used to line food and beverage containers. BPA is also found in many other products that we are exposed to on a daily basis. Food is considered the primary source of exposure.

BPA in dog food

Until recently, there hadn’t been any research into whether commercial brands of dog foods contain BPA and the potential health effects of BPA exposure to dogs.

In 2017, a study was conducted into the BPA content within dog food, whether short term consumption increases serum concentrations of BPA and potential health consequences. The study revealed that after two weeks of being fed two different diets (one of which was considered to be BPA-free), both diets contained BPA and dogs had:

• a significant increase in circulating BPA concentrations,

• increased plasma bicarbonate concentrations, and

• fecal microbiome alterations.

What does all this mean?

Basically, it means that the food your dog is eating may be contributing to levels of BPA within your dog, which may contribute to negative health impacts from changes to your dog’s microbiome and serum chemistry, such as diabetes, cancers and neurological problems.

What can you do?

Here's some tips to reduce your pet's dietary exposure to BPA:

• Avoid, or reduce, feeding pet food that is contained in plastic packaging or cans.

• If you buy food with plastic packaging or that's canned, remove it from the packaging and store it in a glass or ceramic container. This is especially important if you're going to be refrigerating the food or heating it.

• If you buy canned food, buy food from brands that use BPA-free cans, such as Ziwipeak (but note the 2017 study included feeding food that was considered to be BPA-free).

• Support your pet's detoxification pathways by incorporating natural liver support into their diet, such as herbs. If you'd like to purchase a herbal blend for supporting your pets' detoxification pathways, please contact me.