Pet Health And Care >>  Dog Diet  
 
Dog Diet

Dog Food

Dog food is a special kind of food that is intended for consumption by the canine species.



Though a lot of people feed their dogs home cooked food or leftovers from their own dinner tables, there are many others who rely completely on commercially produced dog food for the nutritional needs of their dogs. There are also some other people who buy raw foods from stores and using various dog food recipes, pamper their canine companions with natural dog food.

The use of dog food as complete nutrition for dogs has long been debated.



Some experts maintain that commercially produced dog foods are not adequate in nutrition and contain certain additives which may be harmful for the dog. It is also believed that the commercially available dog foods are made of low quality ingredients and therefore should not be used for a dog’s meal.
There are two forms in which commercial dog food is available.



There is the dry food which comes in weighted packaging and the wet food that comes in small cans. The dry foods are considered more convenient because they are moderately priced and are convenient to carry and store. The dry foods do not spoil easily and can be used over a longer period of time. Besides, dry food offers another kind of convenience. They can be left for the dog to eat at its will.

Dry foods claim to be fortified with a lot of nutrients however, the canned foods contain more proteins and fats than the dry foods. The dry foods are cooked by either extrusion or baking methods. The pellets, after they are produced, are sprayed with additional nutrients, vitamins, fats and oils.  However, because they are laced with nutrients after they are cooked, it is important to ensure proper packaging of the food. If the packaging is not optimally done, the fats and oils may run rancid and the food may get spoilt.
The wet foods contain much more moisture than the dry foods and therefore proper packaging is even more essential in their case. To ensure maximum safety of the food, the wet food is often cooked in the can or is sterilized after being canned. Protein gels and gluten are often used to give the food a meaty appearance.

Pedigree dog food is one of the leading manufacturers of dog foods and prepares various different kinds of foods. The foods are divided into various categories like foods for large dogs, small dogs, adult dogs, and puppies. They also have advanced foods which contain many additional nutrients.

 

 

 

 
  Submitted on July 13, 2010