Dog food

Dog food is food intended for consumption by dogs or other canines. Some people make their own dog food, feed their dogs meals made from ingredients purchased in grocery or health-food stores or give their dogs a raw food diet. Many others rely on commercially manufactured dog food.

History

A rare classical reference to dog food appears in Virgil's Bucolics:

" sed una

Veloces Spartse catulos, acremque Molossum,

Pasee sero pingui :"

annotated as "Sero pingui : ' nutritious whey,' which Columella, vii. 12, speaks of as dog's food."

In France, the word pâtée (the modern word for dog food) began to appear in the 18th century and referred to a paste originally given to poultry. In 1756, a dictionary indicates it was made of a mixture of bread crumbs and little pieces of meat given to pets."

In 1781, an encyclopedia mentioned an earlier practice of removing the liver, heart, and blood of a downed stag and mixing it with milk, cheese, and bread; and then giving it to dogs.

In 1844, the French writer Nicolas Boyard warned against even giving greaves (tallow-graves) to dogs, though the English favored them (see below), and suggested a meat-flavored soup:

By a misguided economy dogs are given meat scraps and tallow graves; one must avoid this, because these foods make them heavy and sick; give them twice a day a soup of coarse bread made with water, fat and the bottom of the stew pot; put a half-kilogram of bread at least in each soup.

In England, care to give dogs particular food dates at least from the late eighteenth century, when The Sportsman's dictionary (1785) described the best diet for a dog's health in its article "Dog":

A dog is of a very hot nature: he should therefore never be without clean water by him, that he may drink when he is thirsty. In regard to their food, carrion is by no means proper for them. It must hurt their sense of smelling, on which the excellence of these dogs greatly depends.

Barley meal, the dross of wheatflour, or both mixed together, with broth or skim'd milk, is very proper food. For change, a small quantity of greaves from which the tallow is pressed by the chandlers, mixed with their flour ; or sheep's feet well baked or boiled, are a very good diet, and when you indulge them with flesh it should always be boiled. In the season of hunting your dogs, it is proper to feed them in the evening before, and give them nothing in the morning you take them out, except a little milk. If you stop for your own refreshment in the day, you should also refresh your dogs with a little milk and bread.

(Greaves, which was often recommended for dogs, is "the sediment of melted tallow. It is made into cakes for dogs' food. In Scotland it is called {cracklings}.")

In 1833, The Complete Farrier gave similar but far more extensive advice on feeding dogs:

The dog is neither wholly carnivorous nor wholly herbivorous, but of a mixed kind, and can receive nourishment from either flesh or vegetables. A mixture of both is therefore his proper food, but of the former he requires a greater portion, and this portion should be always determined by his bodily exertions.

Sportsmen in the country use various mixtures for food ; in some kennels meal and milk are constantly given, and dogs will thrive on this diet during the season they do not hunt; but, when their exertions are required, this food will not be sufficiently nutritious. All the meals are used for this purpose, but wheat-meal is the most preferable, when it can be procured, it being the least likely to produce a heated skin ; barley-meal and oatmeal are most frequently given, and are sufficiently nutritious when mixed with either milk or broth; but, when constantly used, they may be productive of the mange. Potatoes, without meal, will be a wholesome food for dogs which are not exercised, and are sufficiently nutritious when mixed with milk or butter-milk.

When circumstances render it absolutely necessary to feed dogs principally on barley or oatmeal, the heating effects will be greatly obviated by mixing it with butter-milk. Indeed, butter-milk is an excellent cleanser in all cases of foulness, the mange, canker, &c. When it is most convenient to feed them on potatoes, and the food is not sufficiently relished, let them be mixed with greaves, or other fatty matter, and they will then be greedily swallowed. Greaves are, indeed, a convenient food, and, when mixed with a sufficient quantity of vegetable matter, form a hearty meal for large dogs, who are kept in yards, and are in continual motion.

Animal food should never be given to dogs more than once a day, as he digests his food very slowly, a full meal of flesh not being digested in less than twenty four hours. If full fed with meat, once a day will be sufficient, except the allowance per day be divided, and which will be more salutary, as a dog swallows his victuals very greedily. Hard-worked dogs, as soon as fed, should be shut up, to encourage sleep, for digestion is promoted more by sleeping than by waking. Parsnips, carrots, cabbages, and, indeed, all vegetable matter, will feed dogs sufficiently well for the purposes of their existence. Damaged ship-biscuit is often bought for the purpose of food, and it makes a very good one, when soaked in broth or milk. The broth, or liquor, in which salted meat has been boiled, should never be used for this purpose; dogs, who have been confined on ship-board, during a long voyage, have contracted a very bad kind of mange, owing to their being fed on salt pot-liquor.

No meat should be given to a dog raw, as it is productive of the distemper, and many other dangerous disorders. The best food for kennels near cities, or large towns, is tripe, or haunches of sheep, which, after being thoroughly cleaned, should be boiled half an hour or forty minutes, in a moderate quantity of water. When taken from the water they should be hung up to cool, and the boiling liquor they came out of poured on bread raspings, if possible those of French bread. The quantity of raspings should be so regulated, that when soaked and cold, the mess may be of the consistence of an ordinary pudding before boiling. The paunches, being also cold, but not before, should be cut into fine pieces, and mixed with the soaked raspings. When raspings cannot be got, meal, or biscuit, may be substituted. The mixture may (be made to contain more or less animal matter, by increasing or lessening this proportion of paunch, or by adding other animal matter; though the tripe, of all animal substances, is allowed to be the purest food, and tends least of all to make a dog gross. If deemed necessary to render this mixture more nutritious and enticing, the offal, or intestines, of chickens and other fowl, may be procured from the poulterers, and boiled with the tripe Of all substances in general use, except horse-flesh, the entrails of chickens is the one most eagerly sought after by dogs, and fattens them soonest. The venders of baked sheep's heads sell the trimmings for dogs' food, which is exceedingly wholesome and nutritious. In feeding dogs, their size and strength should be considered, and their allowances should be accordingly. All kinds of bones, except fish-bones, may be thrown to them at any time; indeed, the stomachs of these animals are often benefitted by the action of these bones.

In the feeding of favorites, much error is frequently committed; for their tastes being consulted, they are too apt to be wholly fed on flesh, and this in great quantities too. It may always be in the power of those who feed them to bring their dogs to live on vegetables entirely, if they wish it. Let the usual quantity of meat a dog eats be minced exceedingly fine, and a small portion of mashed potatoes be mixed with it; it will not be possible for the dog to separate the animal from the vegetable portion, and if he will not eat the mixture, let it remain till hunger obliges him to relish it. At the next meal, let an additional quantity of potatoes be added, and, by these gradual means, the animal may be brought to live entirely on potatoes, or any other vegetable. In a medical point of view, a vegetable diet is often very important. In many cases, a complete change of food forms the very best alternative, and, in others, it is an excellent auxiliary to a medical course. The cases that require a change from a meat to a vegetable diet are eruptive diseases, and other affections arising from too full living; also coughs, and various inflammatory complaints.(429)

In later years, dog biscuit was sometimes treated as synonymous with dog food:

The first three prize winners at the late coursing meeting at Great Bend were trained on Spratt's Patent Dog Biscuit. This same dog food won no less than three awards, including a gold medal, at the Exposition in Paris which has just closed. It would seem that the decision of the judges is more than backed up by the result in the kennel. Another good dog food is that manufactured by Austin & Graves, of Boston. They, too, seem to be meeting with great success in their line.(1890)

Commercial dog food

There are many varieties of commercial dog food to choose from.,

Most store-bought dog food comes in either a dry form (also known in the US as kibble) or a wet canned form. Dry food contains 6-10% moisture by volume, as compared to 60-90% in canned food. Semi-moist foods have a moisture content of 25-35%. Pet owners often prefer dry food for reasons of convenience and price. Although dry food can be left out for long periods of time, pet owners typically portion control and feed their pets fresh food twice a day, as they would with wet food.

Dry dog food

Many dry foods can be less expensive, per pound, than their canned (wet) or semi-moist counterparts, and do not spoil as quickly as an open can. In addition, dry food is more nutritionally dense than canned food because of the canned food's high moisture content (anywhere from 60%-90%, depending on brand).This means that more canned food must be fed to meet the dog's requirements, compared to dry. However, dry food generally contains a higher percentage of fillers such as corn and wheat. Generally less expensive dry dog and cat foods have more fillers and less meat.

Manufacturing process

Pellets of dry dog food, called kibble in the US, are produced by one of two methods, extrusion and baking. During the extrusion process, cut dough or a mixture of raw materials is fed into an expander, while pressurized steam or hot water is added. When removed from the high pressure that results, the pellets puff up like popcorn. The resultant kibble is allowed to dry, then sprayed with vitamins, fats and oils, or any other ingredients that are not heat-tolerant.

If extruded kibble is exposed to air for too long or not properly stored, the fats and oils added after cooking can become rancid, and vitamins and minerals in the food may be destroyed by heat during storage or shipping.

Dry food labels

Apart from nutritional value and feeding instructions, dry food labels serve as an important source of information about overall quality of product.

The dog food product name is the first identifier of its ingredients. If a product names a specific food in its product name, the Center for Veterinary Medicine requires that the ingredients meet certain requirements. If the ingredient in the product name is used without the words "dinner" or "flavor", at least 95% of the food must be made up of that ingredient (not including water and "condiments") and at least 70% including the water. For example, a product that includes "Chicken Dry Dog Food" in its name must include at least 95% chicken. If the word "dinner" is used, the product must have at least 25% but less than 95% of the ingredient named. If the word "flavor" is used, the product must have at least a measurable amount of the ingredient named. It should also be noted that product names using words such as "premium" or "gourmet" are not required to have ingredients of higher quality than dog foods that do not use these words.

Ingredients are listed in the descending order by amount, therefore a variety made of "corn, barley, rice and beef" will contain substantially less meat than one featuring "beef, corn, barley and rice". The former is likely to be of questionable value, as three main ingredients are grains which do not represent a part of natural canine diet, and are often allergens in dogs. Protein ingredients in meal form (for example chicken meal) contain very little moisture as compared to fresh meat, thus a product containing "beef, corn, barley and rice" will contain less beef protein than one made of "beef meal, corn, barley and rice". Some manufacturers choose to add nonanimal ingredients, such as soy, to boost total protein content. Another variety of very low quality protein is meat and bone meal and meat by-products. Quality and composition of such ingredients is difficult to determine.

Very often, ingredient lists are very long. A rule of thumb for determining whether or not an ingredient (except for vitamins and supplements) is present in a sufficient quantity to represent a meaningful contribution is to disregard any components listed after the first pure fat ingredient (usually chicken fat, animal fat, fish oil or vegetable oil).

"Splitting" is a widely used practice of dividing an undesirable ingredient into components to place it lower in the ingredient list . A product made of "lamb, corn, corn flour and corn meal" is likely to contain less lamb than corn.

According to the standards in place by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), ingredients are listed by weight before cooking. If a meat protein is listed, such as chicken or lamb, when it is cooked, it will make up substantially less of the food than before cooking. A meat meal ingredient, such as chicken meal or lamb meal, is meat protein without moisture and ground into a powder similar to flour. Five pounds of fresh chicken makes one pound of chicken meal. The bulk of the food is made up of the first five ingredients listed. Vitamins and minerals in the food are in much smaller quantities than the meats, vegetables, and fruits used; they are always the last ingredients in the list, but they make up most of the ingredient list.

Wet dog food

Wet or canned dog food is significantly higher in moisture than dry or semi-moist food. Because canned food is commercially sterile (cooked during canning); other wet foods may not be sterile. A given wet food will often be higher in protein or fat compared to a similar kibble on a dry matter basis (a measure which ignores moisture); given the canned food's high moisture content, however, a larger amount of canned food must be fed. Grain gluten and other protein gels may be used in wet dog food to create artificial meaty chunks, which look like real meat.

Alternative dog food

In recent years, new types of dog food have emerged on the market that differ from traditional commercial pet food. Many companies have been successful in targeting niche markets, each with unique characteristics. A non-alcoholic "beer" for dogs (Kwispelbier) is made in the Netherlands from beef extract and malt.

Popular Alternative Dog Food Labels:

Frozen or Freeze-Dried, comes in raw or cooked (not processed) form. The idea is to skip the processing stage traditional dry/wet dog food goes through. This causes less destruction of the nutritional integrity. To compensate for the short shelf life, products are frozen or freeze-dried.

Dehydrated, comes in raw and cooked form. Products are usually air dried to reduce moisture to the level where bacterial growths are inhibited. The appearance is very similar to dry kibbles. The typical feeding methods include adding warm water before serving.

Fresh or Refrigerated, produced through pasteurization of fresh ingredients. Products are lightly cooked and then quickly sealed in a vacuum package. Then they are refrigerated until served. This type of dog food is extremely vulnerable to spoiling if not kept at a cool temperature and has a shelf life of 2–4 months, unopened.

Homemade Diet often comes in a bucket or Tupperware-like package. In the past this was thought to be a diet that owners create themselves. However, recently, many small companies have begun to home-cook dog dishes and then sell them through specialty stores or over the Internet. Many pet owners feed dogs homemade diets. These diets generally consist of some form of cooked meat or raw meat, ground bone, pureed vegetables, taurine supplements, and other multivitamin supplements. Some pet owners use human vitamin supplements, and others use vitamin supplements specifically engineered for dogs..

Vegetarian dog foods are manufactured by several companies. They are usually balanced and contain ingredients such as oatmeal, pea protein, and potatoes instead of meat to supply protein. A dog owner may choose to feed a vegetarian food for ethical and/or health reasons, or in cases of extreme food allergies.

Contents

Many commercial dog foods are made from materials considered by some authorities and dog owners to be unusable or undesirable. These may include:

Meat and bone meals

Offal (wild canines, however, do eat offal as a vital part of their diets)

Grain byproducts

Less expensive dog foods generally include less meat, and more animal by-products and grain fillers. Proponents of a natural diet criticize the use of such ingredients, and point out that regulations allow for packaging that might lead a consumer to believe that they are buying a natural food, when, in reality, the food might be composed mostly of ingredients such as those listed above. More expensive dog foods may be made of ingredients suitable for organic products or free range meats. Ingredients must be listed by amount in descending order.

According to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), animal by-products in pet food may include parts obtained from any animals who have died from sickness or disease provided they are rendered in accordance to law. As well, cow brains and spinal cords, not allowed for human consumption under federal regulation 21CFR589.2000 due to the possibility of transmission of BSE, are allowed to be included in pet food intended for nonruminant animals. In 2003, the AVMA speculated changes might be made to animal feed regulations to ban materials from “4-D” animals – those who enter the food chain as dead, dying, diseased or disabled.

Dog treats are special types of dog food given as a reward,
 not as a staple food source.,

Special varieties

There are dog foods specially formulated for dogs allergic to common ingredients such as chicken, wheat, or corn. These foods usually contain "novel proteins" and substitute uncommon starches for the usual grains. Meats used in allergy formulas can range from the mundane, such as lamb, beef, or whitefish, to the unusual, such as venison or duck. Carbohydrates in allergy formulas are usually a less common grain, such as rice or barley, but such ingredients as potato and quinoa are sometimes used. Allergies are more likely to develop with consistent exposure to certain proteins (i.e. prolonged feeding of the same food).

The commercial approach to allergies in dogs is not the same as the veterinary approach. Prescription diets, purchased from a veterinarian, will often contain common ingredients that have been hydrolyzed to prevent them from triggering an immune response.

Some foods are designed for dogs with maladies, such as urinary tract infections, and some are tailored to the dietary needs of especially young or aging dogs. There are also vegetarian dog foods, for owners who do not want their dogs to consume meat products, as well as for dogs who have experienced allergic reactions to a number of animal-based ingredients.

Raw dog food

Supporters of raw feeding believe that the natural diet of an animal in the wild is its most ideal diet and try to mimic a similar diet for their domestic companion. They are commonly opposed to commercial pet foods, which they consider poor substitutes for raw feed. Opponents believe that the risk of food-borne illnesses posed by the handling and feeding of raw meats would outweigh the purported benefits and that no scientific studies have been done to support the numerous beneficial claims. The Food and Drug Administration of the United States states that they do not advocate a raw diet but recommends owners who insist on feeding raw to follow basic hygienic guidelines for handling raw meat to minimize risk to animal and human health.

Raw dog food is distributed by various small suppliers.

Raw foods produced for dogs and sold in pet stores are commercially safer than raw meats purchased in grocery stores. The acceptable level of bacteria in meats sold at grocery stores is 30% or less because it is meant to be cooked. The acceptable level of bacteria in a produced raw foods for dogs is 2% or less because it is meant to be fed raw.

Labeling

In the United States, dog foods labeled as "complete and balanced" must meet standards established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) either by meeting a nutrient profile or by passing a feeding trial. The Dog Food Nutrient Profiles were last updated in 1995 by the AAFCO's Canine Nutrition Expert Subcommittee. The updated profiles replaced the previous recommendations set by the National Research Council (NRC).

Critics argue that due to the limitations of the trial and the gaps in knowledge within animal nutrition science, the term "complete and balanced" is inaccurate and even deceptive. An AAFCO panel expert has stated that "although the AAFCO profiles are better than nothing, they provide false securities."

Certain manufacturers label their products with terms such as premium, ultra premium, natural and holistic. Such terms currently have no legal definitions. There are also varieties of dog food labeled as "human-grade food". Although no official definition of this term exists, the assumption is that other brands use foods that would not pass US Food and Drug Administration inspection according to the Pure Food and Drug Act or the Meat Inspection Act.

The ingredients on the label must be listed in descending order by weight before cooking. This means before all of the moisture is removed from the meat, fruits, vegetables and other ingredients used.

Recalls

Dog food at a supermarket in Brooklyn, New York.

The 2007 pet food recalls involved the massive recall of many brands of cat and dog foods beginning in March 2007. The recalls came in response to reports of renal failure in pets consuming mostly wet pet foods made with wheat gluten from a single Chinese company, beginning in February 2007. After more than three weeks of complaints from consumers, the recall began voluntarily with the Canadian company Menu Foods on March 16, 2007, when a company test showed sickness and death in some of the test animals.

Overall, several major companies have recalled more than 100 brands of pet foods, with most of the recalled product coming from Menu Foods. Although there are several theories of the source of the agent causing sickness in affected animals, with extensive government and private testing and forensic research, to date, no definitive cause has been isolated. As of April 10, the most likely cause, according to the FDA, though not yet proven, is indicated by the presence of melamine in wheat gluten in the affected foods.

In the United States, there has been extensive media coverage of the recall. There has been widespread public outrage and calls for government regulation of pet foods, which had previously been self-regulated by pet food manufacturers. The economic impact on the pet food market has been extensive, with Menu Foods losing roughly $30 Million alone from the recall. The events have caused distrust of most processed pet foods in some consumers.

In 1999, another fungal toxin triggered the recall of dry dog food made by Doane Pet Care at one of its plants, including Ol’ Roy, Wal-Mart’s brand, as well as 53 other brands. This time the toxin killed 25 dogs.

A 2005 consumer alert was released for contaminated Diamond Pet Foods for dogs and cats. Over 100 canine deaths and at least one feline fatality have been linked to Diamond Pet Foods contaminated by the potentially deadly toxin, Aflatoxin, according to Cornell University veterinarians.

Dangerous foods and toxic substances

Dog health#Dangerous foods and Dog health#Common household substances

A number of common human foods and household ingestibles are toxic to dogs, including chocolate solids (theobromine poisoning), onion and garlic (thiosulphate, sulfoxide or disulfide poisoning), grapes and raisins, macadamia nuts, as well as various plants and other potentially ingested materials.Green tomatoes should be avoided in a dog's diet because they contain tomatine, which is harmful to dogs. As the tomato ripens and turns red the tomatine disappears, and the tomato become safe for the dog to eat. The tomato plant itself is toxic.