11 Best Organic Dog Food Brands

Keep in mind that these levels will fluctuate, depending on where the factories get their ingredients and the concentrations of glyphosate used on each farm. However, this is a great baseline level for your knowledge, and provides a good option for you to make changes to your dog’s diet if needed.  

Here’s a link to what I feed my dog: Taste of the Wild (Amazon affiliate link) It is the best food quality at an affordable price. I haven’t seen it at grocery stores, but our local pet shop carries it.

The “Safe Limit” of Glyphosate

The U.S. has determined the acceptable daily intake of glyphosate for humans is 1.75 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight per day (mg/kg/bw/day) while the European Union has set it at 0.5 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight per day. Based on the safety set for humans, a 100 lb dog would have an intake limit of 22,500 ppb in Europe and 78,750 ppb limit in the U.S.1 part per billion (PPB) = 1 microgram per liter (µg/L) 1 microgram (µg) = 0.001 milligrams (mg) 0.5 milligrams (Europe\’s Limit of Glyphosate) x 45 kg = 22.5 milligrams glyphosate limit = 22,500 microgram/day limit    1.75 milligrams (US Limit of Glyphosate) x 45 kg = 78.75 milligrams glyphosate limit = 78,750 micrograms/day
Lets look at a real life scenario: If a 100 lb dog eats approximately 4.25 cups of Kibbles & Bits per day and drinks 3 liters (1 oz of fluid per pound on average) they are ingesting 685 ppb/day Kibbles & Bits is 660 ppb = 660 micrograms per literDrinking water 1.75 ppb – 8.35 ppb = 8.35 micrograms per literKibbles & Bits 660 ppb +  25 ppb = 685 ppb total glyphosate / day     Why would a dog have higher levels of glyphosate in their urine if they are only ingesting 0.8% of their “safe” limit? Glyphosate is excreted through urine, and has a half life of 9 hours.  So after eating a meal it takes 9 hours for the dog’s body to filter out half of level of glyphosate, and then another 9 hours to filter out half of the preceding half.  Here’s a chart to demonstrate:

Most dogs eat once per day, so this chart will stay relatively consistent.  Humans however eat multiple times per day, so the levels will look much different.  Here is another chart (changed to 8 hour half life for ease of math) to compare different brands and factoring the dog eating every 24 hours:

In a study done in rats in which feces and urine was collected for 7 days after oral administration of glyphosate.  88-91% of glyphosate was accounted for (62%-69.4% from feces, 22%-29% from urine), and according to the EPA there is no other known form of excretion.  Glyphosate that is not excreted (up to 12% of intake) can be metabolized into Aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), showing similar toxicological concerns to glyphosate.  

On a disturbing note, the Health Research Institute Laboratories (HRI) measured the levels of glyphosate in pet urine (30 cats and 30 dogs).  Here’s what they found:

• Cats urine levels average 8 ppb of glyphosate, which is 16 times more than than the average human level.
• Dogs urine levels average 15.8 ppb of glyphosate, which is 32 times more than the average human level.

Oxidative Stress Can Cause Arthritis Pain

What does this mean for your pet? Glyphosate has is known to cause oxidative stress. Oxidative stress causes overall tissue damage throughout the body, leading to health issues like cardiovascular disease, neurological issues, respiratory diseases, arthritis, liver disease, kidney diseases, and cancer. Limiting glyphosate intake will reduce the risk for these diseases, and allow your pet to have a healthier and longer life. The easiest way to reduce the amount of glyphosate intake is to avoid buying the worst dog food brands listed above, and to serve high-quality food.

Sources

• https://truthaboutpetfood.com/more-concerning-news-linked-to-glyphosate/
• https://petsandgmos.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Glyphosate-Tests-Dog-Food_100719.pdf
• https://www.cesarsway.com/how-often-should-a-dog-urinate/#:~:text=The%20average%20healthy%20dog%20will,3%2D5%20times%20a%20day.
• https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/contaminant.php?contamcode=2034
• https://hemopet.org/glyphosate-your-companion-pets/#:~:text=They%20are%20measuring%20the%20levels,32%20times%20the%20human%20average.
• https://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/archive/glyphotech.html#referenceshttps://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp214.pdfhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5551541/