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Pet Food Choices In The Marketplace

by Melinda Smith

Pet food meant for dogs are prepared by several people consisting of ingredients bought from the health food or grocery store. However, others depend on dog food, which is available in the market. Best diet suitable for dogs is based on several recommendations.

Despite the number of commercial dog foods and articles about their superiority, there are a lot of dog owners who still believe that the traditional method of feeding dogs table scraps is the healthiest way to go. After all, they argue, commercial pet foods have only been around 100 years, and who knows what poor-quality ingredients they might contain? Plus, given the contents of most commercial dog foods, owners claim dogs can't receive enough nutrition from them.

Most dry pet food is less expensive than canned or semi-moist varieties. Dry food has considerably less moisture by volume than canned food and can be very helpful in controlling tartar build-up, not to mention having a much lower chance of spoilage. Canned food has a longer shelf life but won't keep for long when opened. This is because canned food is up 78% moisture by volume compared to up to 10% moisture by volume in dry food.

Kibble, pellets of dry pet food, are primarily manufactured by using either an extrusion or baking method. The extrusion process consists of feeding cut dough, or a mixture of raw materials, into an expander. At the same time pressurized steam, or hot water, is added. Pellets puffed like popcorn are the result of this process. The resulting kibble is then allowed to dry and is sprayed with vitamins and other ingredients that could not withstand the heating process.

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 wellness dog food may be destroyed by heat during storage or shipping. Burns Dog Food is very popular.

Pet owners that want a food that is more natural and digestible usually look towards baked kibble. The heating process is slower during baking, as a result of a lengthy, low pressure cooking process. This means that fats present in the kibble are slowly cooked in instead of sprayed on at the end. The baking results in a longer shelf life than extruded kibble. Baked kibble will also last longer when the package is opened by the pet owner. The effects of baking versus extruding are subject to much discussion.

Some people purchase ingredients from health food or grocery stores and feed their dogs pet food they have made themselves. Many other people depend on buying commercially manufactured dog food. There are a variety of recommendations concerning what the best diet is for dogs. If the extruded kibble is exposed to air or the elements for too long or not stored properly, the fats and oils added to the kibble can go bad. The vitamins and minerals in wellness dog food could be destroyed if exposed to heat during shipping or during storage. One very popular dog food is Burns Dog Food.

Published February 10th, 2008

Filed in Pets

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