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Dog food

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Dog food refers to food specifically intended for consumption by dogs. Technically carnivorous, dogs have sharp, pointy teeth, and have short  gastrointestinal tracts better suited for the consumption of meat. In  spite of this natural carnivorous design, dogs have still managed to  evolve over thousands of years to survive on the meat and non-meat  scraps and leftovers of human existence and thrive on a variety of foods.

In the United States alone, dog owners spent over $8.5 billion on commercially manufactured dog food in 2007.[1] 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.

Contents

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."[2]

In France, the word pâtĂ©e (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."[3]

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.[4]

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.[5]

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.[6]

(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}."[7])

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.

The article even warns against spoiling "favorites":

 
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)[8]

It wasn't until the mid-1800s that the world saw its first food made specifically for dogs. An American electrician, James Spratt concocted the first dog treat. Living in London at the time, he  witnessed dogs around a shipyard eating scraps of discarded biscuits.  Shortly thereafter he introduced his dog food, made up of wheat meals,  vegetables and meat. By 1890 production had begun in the United States  and became known as "Spratt's Patent Limited".

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)[9]

Canned horse meat was introduced in the United States under the Ken-L-Ration brand after WWI as a means to dispose of deceased horses. The 1930s saw the introduction of canned cat food and dry meat-meal dog food by the  Gaines Food Co. By the time WWII ended, pet food sales had reached $200  million. In the 1950s Spratt's became part of General Mills. For  companies such as Nabisco, Quaker Oats, and General Foods, pet food  represented an opportunity to market by-products as a profitable source  of income.[10]

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. Despite modest prices that are associated with  many brands, dog owners (and there are over 43,000,000 households in the United States with at least one dog) still managed to spend over $8  billion on dry dog food in 2010 - a 50% increase in the amount spent  just seven years earlier.[11] 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.[citation needed]

Wet dog food

Wet or canned dog food is significantly higher in moisture than dry or semi-moist food.[12] 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.[13]

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.[14] A non-alcoholic "beer" for dogs (Kwispelbier) is made in the Netherlands from beef extract and malt.[15]

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.[16]
  • 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.[17]
  • 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.[18] These may include:

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 natural food, when, in reality, the food might be composed mostly of ingredients such as those listed  above.[19][20] 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 which 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.[21] 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.[22]

 

 

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

Raw dog food

Main article: Raw feeding

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.[23]

Many commercial raw pet food manufacturers now utilize a process  called High Pressure Pasteurization (HPP) that is a unique process that  kills pathogenic bacteria through high-pressure, water-based technology. High Pressure Pasteurization is a USDA-approved, and is allowed for use on organic and natural products.

Commercial frozen raw dog food is distributed by various independent pet specialty retailers.

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 relatively high because  it is meant to be cooked. The acceptable level of bacteria in produced  raw foods for dogs is relatively low because it is meant to be fed raw.

Labeling

Further information: Pet food#Labeling and regulation

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."[24]

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

Main article: 2007 pet food 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.[25]

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.[26]

Dangerous foods and toxic substances

Main articles: 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[27]), grapes and raisins, macadamia nuts, as well as various plants and other potentially ingested materials.[28][29] 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.

See also

 

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