Dog food

Dog food is food intended for consumption by dogs or other canine. 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.

There are varying opinions on what type of diet is best for dogs. Some argue that dogs have thrived on leftovers and scraps from their owners for thousands of years and that commercial dog foods (which have only been available for the past century) contain poor-quality meats, additives, and other ingredients dogs should not ingest. Some maintain that commercial dog food is not nutritionally sufficient.

Most store-bought dog food does not 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 should make sure to never feed their pets a strictly wet food diet because of the high water content. It can be used as filler or over dry food (which is much more beneficia). Pet owners often prefer dry food for reasons of convenience and price. Despite the fact that dry food can be left out for long periods of time, it is recommended that pet owners portion control and feed their pets fresh food twice a day, as they would with wet food.

Many dry foods can be less expensive, per pound, than their canned (wet) or semi-moist counterparts, and are less likely to spoil than an open can. In addition, dry food is much more nutritious than canned food because of the canned food's high water/moisture content (anywhere from 60%-90%, depending on brand).

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.

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).

It should be noted that 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.