Dog Food
Dogs
Dog Food
There are many varieties of dog food to choose from.
Dog food is
plant or animal
material intended for consumption by
dogs or other
canids. Special
dog foods given as a reward, and not as a staple, are known as dog treats.
Some people make their own dog food or feed their dogs meals made from
ingredients purchased in grocery or health-food stores; many others rely on
commercially manufactured dog food.
Homemade diets
There are many different recommendations on what diet is best for dogs. Some
people argue that commercial dog foods contain additives or poor-quality (or
even dangerous) meat or ingredients that dogs should not ingest or that certain
commercial foods are not nutritionally sufficient for their dogs. Different
homemade diets are recommended by various experts, from "natural" diets
consisting primarily of
raw meat,
to
vegetarian diets consisting only of nutritionally balanced vegetarian
ingredients, to mixtures consisting of ingredients such as
brown rice,
brown pasta,
meats, eggs, and
vegetables.
Most dogs willingly eat vegetables, particularly if they are cooked, and many
kinds of fruit, although
grapes and
raisins are
toxic to dogs.
Commercial dog food
By its water
content, commercial dog food can be categorized into following types:
The making of dog food
Dried pellet dog food, called kibble, is made in two different ways:
extruding and baking. During extruding, a mixture of raw materials is fed into
an expander while pressurized
steam or hot
water is added. When removed from the
pressure,
the pellets puff like
popcorn. The
pellets are allowed to dry, then sprayed with
vitamins,
grease, or any
other ingredients that are not heat-tolerant. The down side of extruding is that
the fats added after cooking often turn rancid and the vitamins may be destroyed
by heat during storage or shipping.
Dog treats are usually higher in grease or fats. These are usually designed
to be held in a person's hand without being messy, and are often designed in
fanciful shapes and colors.
Contents
Most commercial dog foods are made from materials unusable or less desirable
for human
consumption. These may include:
- Meat
by-products or digests
-
Meat-and-bone meals
- Grain
by-products
- Restaurant
grease
Dog treats are special dog foods given as a reward, and not as a staple food
source.
Special varieties
There are dog foods specially formulated to dogs that are
allergic to
wheat,
corn, and/or
chicken.
These foods usually contain
lamb or
fish meat. Some dog
foods are designed for dogs with maladies such as
urinary tract infections, and some foods are tailored to the dietary needs
of especially young or old dogs. There also exist
vegetarian
dog foods marketed to owners who do not wish for their dogs to consume meat
products.
Common brands
-
United States
-
Alpo,
Dog Chow (made by
Ralston-Purina, owned by
Nestlé)
-
Artemis (made by Artemis Company
[1])
-
California Natural,
Innova (made by Natura
[2])
-
Canidae (made by Canidae Corporation
[3])
-
Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul (made by Diamond Pet Foods
[4])
- Dr. Bilinghurst's BARF Diet (made by Barf World Inc.
[5])
-
Eagle Pack Pet Foods (made by Eagle Pack Pet Foods, Inc.
[6])
-
Eukanuba,
Iams (made by The Iams Company
[7], owned by
Procter & Gamble)
-
Kal Kan and
Pedigree (made by
Pedigree Petfoods, owned by
Mars, Inc.)
-
Kibbles 'n Bits (made by Del Monte Foods)
-
Nutro (made by
Nutro Products, Inc.
[8])
-
Royal Canin (mady by Royal Canin USA, Inc.
[9])
-
Science Diet (made by
Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc.
[10])
-
Solid Gold (made by Solid Gold Health Products for Pets, Inc.
[11])
-
Wellness (made by Old Mother Hubbard
[12])
-
Natural Balance Pet Foods Dog food humans can eat by [Dick Van
Patten] ([13])
-
Wysong Pet Products (made by Wysong Corporation
[14])
-
United Kingdom
- Award (H. J. Heinz)
- Bounce, Cesar, Chappie, Markies, Pal and Pedigree Chum (made by
Pedigree Petfoods, part of Mars UK Ltd, owned by Mars, Incorporated)
- Fido, Winalot (Spillers, owned by Nestlé)
-
Happidog, the first vegetarian dog food company ([15])
-
Barker & Barker Liver Treats, Dog training treats and food
supplements ([16])
External links
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