The best dog food, according to experts and veterinarians
It is important to remember that the nutritional needs of a dog are distinct and different to humans.
Did you know that a dog is an omnivore and requires 37 essential nutrients? These are classified into 6 main nutrient groups. They are water proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.
To achieve the right balance of nutrients pet food manufacturers blend mixtures of ingredients including meat and fish, vegetables, cereals, vitamins and minerals to produce foods that will satisfy the nutritional requirements of your dog. Dog owners who feed a complete commercial dog food can have confidence they are addressing their dog’s nutritional needs.
Over the decades pet food manufacturers have developed the nutritional expertise to ensure they incorporate the latest advances in pet nutrition. Pet food manufacturers produce products in line with the FEDIAF (European Pet Food Industry Federation) Nutrition Guidelines and the NRC Guidelines (National Research Council). These guidelines detail the nutritional requirements of dogs at varying life stages and they are regularly reviewed by independent nutrition experts throughout Europe and the United States.
There is also strict legislation governing what ingredients can be used in the manufacture of pet food. This legislation is laid down by Europe and also applies to imported commercially prepared pet foods.
The broadening knowledge of pet nutrition and food technology has transformed the pet food industry remarkably over the years. It is now widely recognised by the veterinary profession that pets are living longer, healthier lives as a result of improved nutrition.
Characteristics of a satisfactory pet food:
Complete– provides adequate amounts of all the required nutrients
Balanced – the nutrients are present in the correct proportions
Digestible– your dog is able to digest the food and absorb the nutrients
Palatable– appealing enough to be eaten
Safe – free of toxins or anything which could harm a pet
What Are Pet Foods?
Pet foods have been manufactured since the 1940s in the USA and Europe, and today there are manufacturing plants in most developed countries. They originated from animal feedstuffs based on nutrition that were manufactured for livestock. The close relationship between pets and owners led to the development of certain sensory requirements to attract the consumer. The products were made with more attractive shapes and colors to satisfy the owners and with special flavorings to ensure that the animals were happy. However, the core products are nutritionally well balanced to give a complete diet for an animal so that they can live a healthy life if fed only on the pet food.
There are also some special products known as “treats” that may be more
highly flavored, or have a special chewy texture. These products are aimed at providing an enjoyable experience for the animal and its owner, and are not necessarily so well balanced nutritionally.
There are many types of pets in the modern world, but cats and dogs dominate all the production in the pet food market by a large margin with sales of over five billion pounds worldwide. The next levels of pet foods are for fish, small mammals such as rabbits, guinea pigs, and ferrets, birds, and then the products begin to merge with animal feeds for farm animals and reptiles. In this article only the products made for cats and dogs are described in detail, and some of the products made for fish and small mammals are briefly mentioned.
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