A pet care expert has warned owners to check the labels of dog food for a chemical no longer considered safe for pets.
Dr. Karen Becker posted on social media to share information about products that owners should be concerned about.
She explained that a recent assessment by the European Food Safety Authority stated titanium dioxide should not be consumed by pets due to its potential to affect DNA and cause chromosomal damage.
Titanium dioxide turns pet food white and has no overall benefit to dogs.
Explaining to her 2.1 million followers on Facebook, Karen said: "A chemical, Titanium Dioxide, used in top-selling pet foods, treats, and supplements should no longer be considered safe for consumption due to concerns over its ability to damage DNA, according to a new animal-model study.
"A scientific panel created by the European Food Safety Authority determined, "Taking into account all available scientific studies and data, the Panel concluded that titanium dioxide can no longer be considered safe as a food additive.
"A critical element in reaching this conclusion is that we could not exclude genotoxicity concerns after consumption of titanium dioxide particles.
"After oral ingestion, the absorption of titanium dioxide particles is low, however they can accumulate in the body”.
"The panel concluded that titanium dioxide has the potential to damage DNA and cause chromosomal damage. The Environmental Working Group called on the Food and Drug Administration to quickly consider whether to ban titanium dioxide from use in food."
She concluded by saying that a chemical that may damage your pet's DNA should not be fed to them and therefore owners should check the labels before buying.
Other artificial colours pet owners have been previously warned about include:
- Blue 2
- Yellow 5
- Yellow 6
- Red 40
