I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! and Made in Chelsea star Georgia Toffolo launched a protest outside Parliament today, backing her new campaign aimed at removing “dangerous” glycotoxins from processed dog food.
The TV star launched the campaign after seeing her own beloved pooch start to suffer from constant infections and bouts of inflammation caused by the toxins – also known as AGEs.
After exhausting all options and racking up hefty vet bills for her poorly spaniel Monty, Toff – as she is affectionately known – concluded enough is enough, and found the cure by changing his diet.
Through further research, she discovered that pet food contains glycotoxins due to the dehydration process used to make kibble-style dog food, and this was the cause of her canine crisis.
Ms Toffolo has now launched a petition to get MPs debating the crucial hound health issue, with the goal of getting 100,000 signatures.
Arriving in a chilly Westminster this morning, Toff posed with fellow dog-lovers and marched on Parliament Square with placards to demand change.
It also doubled up as a ‘Kibble Amnesty’, where dog owners were able to turn up, surrender their harmful kibble, and exchange it.
Toff is also calling on manufacturers of dry dog food to remove glycotoxins entirely from their products.
She said: “There’s a shadowy monopoly in the pet food space that has a grip on consumers, and I feel that Big Kibble being exposed is long overdue.
“We’re increasingly focused on the way that ultra-processed food impacts humans, but aren’t giving that same care and attention to our dogs’ carnivorous digestive systems – precisely because these businesses have told us for decades that the food they’re manufacturing is science-backed and safe.
“It’s time they got real with dog owners about what exactly is in their food, and the potential harm it can cause to animals.”
Ms Toffolo said the campaign wasn’t aimed at getting dogs across the country to start eating Wild Pack – the raw dog food brand she started in her kitchen.
She added: “This is no pet project! And it is so much bigger than just my business: it’s about us sticking up for our dogs, who stick by our sides through thick and thin.”
Joining the campaign, canine nutritionist Anna Webbe said it is “shocking that Big Kibble is still getting away with bamboozling dog owners”.
She continued: “Pet food research often tests for just one or two glycotoxins and then concludes that it exists in ‘safe amounts’, which really is largely unproven. Dogs have faster metabolisms than us, meaning bad (as well as good!) ingredients can be absorbed faster into their cells.
“You can see, then, how food which contains up to 60% processed carbs and is being fed to a dog twice daily could have a serious effect over time. Increasing the amount of glycotoxins in dogs’ tissue causes damage and inflammation, and constant levels of inflammation in the body are the major contributor to all chronic diseases that affect dogs as they age.
“Scary as it is to say, 50% of dogs are diagnosed with cancer by the age of 10. 25% suffer from allergies, and one in two are overweight.
“And if that wasn’t enough, the low moisture content of kibble puts dogs in a near-constant state of dehydration. Dogs are physiologically over 70% water, like us, so dehydration can be very dangerous. It promotes symptoms from a lack of appetite and lethargy to a dry nose – and perhaps most seriously, it puts pressure on the kidneys. 1 in 10 dogs suffer from kidney disease.”
Ms Toffolo’s petition has nearly hit 500 signatures in just a couple of days.
