Commercial diets are those produced in bulk by pet food companies. Many varieties of diets are available, and no one diet is best for all dogs; dogs, like people, vary in how well they digest diets and in what they consider palatable. All
commercially produced diets must be balanced and proven to contain the correct proportions of ingredients for the life stage for which they are marketed.
A given food can be certified to be “complete and balanced” by the Association
of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) in two ways. One is to submit a
sample of the diet or its ingredients for analysis by a chemical laboratory,
which can verify what compounds are present; however, this does nothing to
prove palatability or digestibility of the diet. No diet can be considered complete and balanced if the dogs will not eat it or if some of the components bind
with others, preventing their being digested and absorbed as expected. For this
reason, the preferred method of certification is through feeding trials, in which
the diet in question is fed to animals in the life stage for which its use is recommended and those animals are monitored to assess food intake and biological use of the diet. All commercial foods are labeled to document the content
of the diet and contact information for the company; if you have any question
about any diet, contact the manufacturer (Figure 1).
Commercial diets have the following advantages:
• Consistency—These diets are produced in vast quantities and vary little in
content from one batch to the next.
• Safety—Most diets contain appropriate antioxidants and other compounds
to decrease rancidity, increasing their shelf-life.
• Convenience
The following are disadvantages of commercial diets:
• Ingredient quality—The source of protein and other components may not
be food of a quality considered suitable for human consumption, such as ud
Figure 1: Label from dog food package. Note guaranteed nutrient content, Association of American
Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) certification, and name and address of manufacturer.
ders and heads of cattle. All proteins are broken down into usable amino
acids, regardless of source, but some people find the thought of their animal
eating “unsuitable” protein disquieting.
• Additives—Some people find the addition of preservatives disquieting, although there is no research documenting any danger from use of low concentrations of these compounds (e.g., ethoxyquin, ascorbic acid, sodium nitrite, tocopherol). Other compounds that may be added to commercial diets
include agents that prevent caking (calcium stearate), binders (ethylcellulose), flavors (monosodium glutamate), and colors (titanium oxide).
2. HOMEMADE DIETS
Recipes for homemade diets are available, and entire books have been written
about these types of diets. Again, it is vital that the diet be complete and balanced. The following are advantages of homemade diets:
• Ingredient quality—Higher-quality sources of protein, and often more animal than plant protein, usually are used.
• Fewer chemical additives, if any, are used.
1. Cooked Versus Raw
Raw homemade diets are a current topic of great interest to breeders.
Proponents of raw diets claim that animals fed these diets, which they believe
better mimic what dogs would have eaten in the wild, demonstrate increased
energy and better general health; improvement in the condition of the coat;
and decreased odor of the breath, general body odor, and less odoriferous feces. Commercial raw-food diets, which are sold frozen, are also available.
Concerns about the use of raw-food diets include lack of balance of the diet, as
for all homemade diets, and public health concerns. Public health concerns include the following:
• Bacterial contamination of foodstuffs used in homemade diets—Even if the
person preparing the diet is scrupulous in his or her food hygiene, purchased
foodstuffs may have been contaminated during processing. About 20% to 35%
of poultry carcasses intended for human consumption test positive for growth
of Salmonella spp., a bacterium that causes gastrointestinal disease in humans
and dogs and has been associated with pregnancy loss and puppy death in
dogs. Other organisms isolated from foodstuffs include Campylobacter spp.
from poultry, Escherichia coli with or without associated toxins from hamburger, Yersinia enterocolitica from pork products, and Listeria monocytogenes,
another documented cause of pregnancy loss in dogs. Most bacteria will not
withstand freezing, but care must be taken that raw diets are frozen completely,
thawed at refrigerator temperatures, and not refrozen.
• Viral contamination—Viruses such as pseudorabies, a widespread problem
in pigs that the government has spent billions of dollars to eradicate, can be
maintained in the environment by feeding meat from infected pigs to dogs
in a raw diet.
Figure 2. “Balanced” human diet.
life cycle and reinfest the environment after ingestion by dogs include the fish
tapeworm (Diphyllobothrium latum) and giant kidney worm (Dioctophyme
renale) from raw fish, roundworms (Toxocara spp.) in any muscle meat, and
trichinosis (Trichinella spiralis) from pork.
Three raw-food diets commonly described are the Bones and Raw Food (BARF)
diet, the Ultimate diet, and the Volhard diet. All consist of a variety of meals,
some containing primarily meat and others primarily grains, eggs, or vegetables, such that no given meal is balanced, but the diet overall is balanced. This
is, of course, similar to our goal as humans with our own diet (Figure 2).
Supplements, such as brewer’s yeast, kelp, fatty acids, and cod liver oil, are added
to provide vitamins and minerals.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends the following
when preparing, storing, and using raw-food diets:
• All ingredients should be from federally inspected facilities and passed for
human consumption.
• All bones and other material should be ground.
• Preparation techniques should mimic those used for human food preparation. Keep raw meat and poultry separate from other foods, wash working
surfaces and all utensils (cutting boards, knives and grinders, preparation
and feeding bowls) with hot soapy water, and wash hands with hot soapy water before and after working with ingredients.
• Transport and store food frozen.
• Thaw frozen food in the refrigerator or thaw in the microwave and use
immediately.
• Refrigerate leftovers immediately or discard.
The position statement set forth by the FDA is as follows: “FDA does not believe raw meat foods for animals are consistent with the goal of protecting the
public from significant health risks, particularly when such products are
brought into the home and/or used to feed domestic pets.” Please talk to your
veterinarian or a veterinary nutritionist if you have questions about the use of
raw food diets for your dog.
