Owner: Dog Food Blog URL:http://www.dog-food-blog.com/ Join Date: Sun, 15 Jul 2007 11:39:39 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Dog food blog gives you the news and trends in dog food. Stay tuned for there is just so much going on. Site statistics:Click here
Dog Food in the Age of the Genome 2007-07-14 15:19:02 Is there one species on earth that is as diverse as the dog? Look at pet cats; they come in more or less the same size and shape. The same is true for sheep, goats and cows. But then consider these AMAZING DOGS. From little Chihuahua’s to giant Great Dane’s, from Hairless Chinese Crested to Afghan Hounds with their luxuriant fur and from cute Toy Poodles to fierce American Pit Bull Terriers. Dogs exhibit the greatest diversity in body size of any mammalian species. Dogs are truly wonderful creatures that brighten up our lives.
We distinguish different dog breeds by their appearance and behavior. On the inside these all look the same, metabolism-wise, as all dog breeds can be traced back in time to their ancestor, the wolf.
Currently there seem to be two schools of thought in dog food (at the very least). One says the “every dog its own food” is a marketing trick, whereas the other school claims breed specific dog food, life stage specific dog food and even gene specific do Read more:Genome
, Dog Food
K-9 Genetics Designs Ultra-premium Dog Food For Each Unique Dog 2007-07-12 15:41:19 EntreMetrix Inc, a business development company in California, just launched a new nutritional genomics portfolio company called K-9 Genetics
Corp. This new company will develop personalized wellness programs within the ultra-premium dog food and treats industry. This includes products like Personalized Chow, Personalized Treats and all kinds of functional foods that are nutritionally balanced to meet the exact needs of each unique dog.
This is the next big thing! Historically, dog food was manufactured in bulk, assuming that a single diet would fit every single dog. In the eighties dog foods were produced specific for certain dog life-stages. In the nineties more specialized dog foods were designed for different dog sizes and recently nutraceuticals are used in dog food targeted to the needs of specific dog breeds. The personalized nutrigenomics approach of K-9 Company is undoubtedly a big revolution.
Nutrigenomics is the study of how an individual’s genetic makeup metabolizes Read more:Designs
, Ultra
The Dance of The Dog Food Dollars 2007-07-12 09:03:00 It’s now 4 months after the largest recall in US history started and many cat and dog food products still are missing from store shelves.
According to Petco, US’ number 2 pet food chain, only 15% or recalled brands are available today and they expect half of them to be available by the beginning of August.
PetSmart is the biggest pet food chain in the US. Their spokeswoman, Michelle Friedman, says that some products take longer to return and that some have been discontinued. For instance, the recalled Iams products are not expected back until next year.
Sales in cat and dog food increased with 5-6% just before the pet food scare and, though numbers obviously dropped, these are still ahead of last year. For the last years pet food sales have grown by 4% year-over-year. With an only 2% increase in pet headcount this sales growth is attributed to the humanization trend. Pet owners in the US calling themselves pet parents and treating pets as furry children.
Menu Foods is the Read more:Dance
Pet Food Traceability - How To Improve Pet Food Safety 2007-07-11 15:10:28 These days, unfortunately, pet food safety has become a very hot topic. As seen in the latest recall, customers want control and many dog owners turned either to holistic dog food or started making their own dog food. Still, according to a survey held by Pet Food Institute inquiring US pet owners, 70% of consumers were NOT changing brands.
For tomorrow July 12th, Petfood Industry has scheduled a web seminar sponsored by PetFood Forum ASIA about this number one topic. Pet food safety experts Julie Lenzer Kirk (traceability expert at Interstates Companies) and Matt Frederking ( Director of Regulatory Affairs at Poet Nutrition), will present this forum and discuss preventative measures (the why’s and how’s of automated traceability systems) and present practical ideas on what to do when a contamination crisis occurs.
To show pet food safety is a crucial item on the agenda, and the recent recall is not just an unfortunate one-of event, I’ll list a few historical US feed Read more:Improve
, Safety
Dog Food; a Quick and Nutritious Take-Away Meal for You? 2007-07-11 09:50:08 Nutrition experts have compared 15 pet food brands with 30 common dishes served to humans on key measures such as fat, salt and sugar levels.
Ceasar dog food has 4.4 g fat per 100 g and Gourmet Gold cat food has just 2.9 g of fat per 100 g. The unhealthiest food on test appeared to be Kentucky Friend Chicken’s chicken pieces with 23.2 g fat per 100 g (12 grams when counting the added fries as well).
Below you find the results of 2 food samples tested (results are displayed as g per 100 g).
McDonald’s Big Mac with fries
Cesar dog food with chicken and turkey
Fat:
12
4.4
Salt:
0.9
0.4
Sugar:
3.7
0.5
Protein:
9.3
10.9
Fiber:
3.2
0.7
According to the FDA’s red, amber and green ‘traffic light’ scheme, much of the cat and dog food brands get a green or amber score whereas some of the convenience foods for humans fall in the red or unhealthy category.
The result dog food being healthier than snack meals should not be a Read more:Dog Food
, Quick
About Double-Edged Swords in Dog Food 2007-07-09 09:02:43 Swords in dog food? Well, not literally of course though stuff appearing in dog food that should not be there is not as rare as we would like.
In the wake of the recent dog food recall in the US at least 50 class action lawsuits have been filed. Also, Assembly Deputy Speaker Neil Cohen proposed legislation A.B. 4217 in New Jersey to pave the road for dog owners to sue for the loss of companionship when their furry friend died as a result of contaminated dog food. New Jersey would then join Illinois and Tennessee where such lawsuits are allowed in certain cases.
The strange thing is that when your canine companion dies as a result of dog food poisoning your dog is classified as property under US law and you get the replacement value as if your beloved pet was just a TV that died. In contrast, animal abuse or theft of pets can be punished with fines and even jail time.
Legislation A.B. 4217 passed unanimously by the Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committe late May. However Read more:Dog Food
, Swords
Vitamins in Dog Food - Vital or Fatal? 2007-07-02 03:23:45 No doubt about it, vitamins are essential for a healthy happy dog. But as is true for everything in life; too much of anything can hurt. As Paracelcus (1493-1541) postulated: “It’s not the substance that defines what is toxic and what isn’t, but the amount“. Though we do not generally consider vitamins as toxins, intake of high amounts can give unwanted results.
In February 2006, Mars Inc. recalled seven lines of its Royal Canin dog and cat foods after discovering an overage error in the formulation of its diets. Royal Canin company executives said they recalled the food as a precaution due to elevated levels of vitamin D3.
Late March, a 50 million dollar class-action suit was filed against Royal Canin. This Canadian lawsuit has yet to be certified. It seeks compensation for anyone who has purchased Royal Canin dog or cat food since Aug. 1, 2004.
Foods contain low levels of vitamin D and an overdose is only seen when using artificial supplements. A vitamin D ove Read more:Dog Food
, Vitamins
, Vital
, Fatal
Are We Living In a Dog Eat Dog World? 2007-07-02 03:20:36 Pentobarbital is a drug that is used to euthanize our pets after sharing a hopefully happy life together. As the dog food you are feeding probably contains meat like beef, duck, pork or fish you would not expect pentobarbital to be present in your doggie’s dinner. However, pentobarbital continues to be found in pet food which leads to the hypothesis that our once beloved dogs and cats are in pet food. The pentobarbital-concern started off with anecdotal reports from veterinarions in the 1990s saying pentobarbital was losing its effectiveness as an anesthetizing agent in dogs.
The FDA’s explanation of pentobarbital residues in pet food:
Source of these residues is euthanized, rendered cattle and horses.
The amount of pentobarbital in pet food is very small and doesn’t cause problems. Studies show that the drug metabolism is not altered at these levels and therefore the presence of pentobarbital in dog food is not an explanation for the apparent loss of effectiveness as an anesthe Read more:Living
, World
Food Safety Crackdown Shuts 180 Factories in China 2007-06-28 08:14:13 China’s export of contaminated vegetable protein resulted in one of the largest pet food recalls in US history (March 2007).
Last tuesday, China’s watchdog AQSIQ (General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine) published their findings. The results so far: 180 plants were closed, 37 firms lost their licence and 11 cases have been forwarded to court. Director Han Yi addressed a press conference and said: “These are not isolated cases”.
Inspectors have uncovered more than 23,000 food safety violations in Chinese plants. Mostly in small plants with less than 10 employees. However, according to China Daily, about 75% of the 1 million food processing plants in China are small and privately owned. Many plants were using industrial chemicals, dyes, recycled or expired food and other illegal ingredients in a range of food products including dog food.
This malpractice appears to be the result of:
Corruption and bribery.
Lack of cold storage and Read more:Safety
, Crackdown
, China
Antibiotics, Prebiotics and Probiotics 2007-06-26 15:56:18
A few days ago my Japanese Akita dog Kensho got ill. He refused to eat, had a dull coat (though he’s in his shedding period) and appeared very lethargic. When he did not wag his tail when I entered the room (!) I knew enough and we went to see our veterinarian. My Akita dog was subjected to an extended examination and blood samples were taken. It appears he’s suffering from anemia (low red blood cell count). As we have been walking a lot in the woods lately and I’ve had to remove just about more than one tick, the vet suspects some kind of tick disease (and there are multiple and even deadly tick transmitted diseases).
And so it happened Kensho is now taking his third antibiotics cure this year. Because antibiotics also affect the intestinal flora making my dog more prone to infections I asked the vet: “Shouldn’t we give him probiotics as well?” This had not crossed his mind but he thought it was a very good idea indeed!
When your dog is gett Read more:Antibiotics
, Probiotics
Top 5 Dog Food Companies 2007-07-16 15:18:32
For years there has been little change in the top players in the dog food industry. The list of top dog food manufacturers typically only changes due to acquisitions and mergers.
Mars Inc. (Mars Petcare)
Nestlé SA (Nestlé Purina Petcare)
Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G Petcare)
Colgate-Palmolive (Hill’s Pet Nutrition)
Del Monte Foods Co.
For more information about market drivers (both in developed as well as in emerging markets) and the complete top 10 list of dog food companies visit the page about dog food manufacturers on Best Dog Food
Guide. Read more:Companies
Botulism Fear in the US – Recall of ‘Natural Balance’ Canned Dog Food 2007-07-24 18:57:57 At least 4 people have been taken to hospital in Indiana and Texas because of botulism poisoning associated with eating Castleberry’s Hot Dog Chili Sauce.
The food was produced by Castleberry’s Food Company of Augusta, Georgia, and distributed across the nation. This company is now voluntarily recalling every product (about 80 types) manufactured on a specific production line in the past two years. Their products are sold in more than 17,000 stores in the US and Canada.
This operation could involve tens of millions of cans that pose an urgent public health treat to both humans and pets. Currently 4 varieties of ‘NaturalBalance
’ canned dog food are being recalled.
(more…) Read more:Canned
A Bit of Tender, Love and Care for Dogs 2007-07-22 18:32:29 I feel the urge to inform you why it has been silent for a few days here at Dog Food Blog. I have been busy with dog food but it doesn’t show in the online world (yet) . The reason is that I’m working on an e-book that is a complimentary gift to those who subscribe to HoundBytes, my free e-zine.
As DogFoodBlog.com and BestDogFoodGuide.com are both dedicated to dog food, one might wonder what to do with all the other requirements for a healthy happy dog. That’s why I’m selecting articles written by various experts to emphasize that there is more to it than “just” selecting the best dog food. Choosing the best dog food for your canine companion is of course necessary but the same is true for socializing and training.
In my new e-book you will find information about dog biology and dog language, choosing a dog breeder, introducing a new dog into your family (whether it’s your children, your cat or another dog), the essential dog supplies you need Read more:Tender
Advertising Complaints Against Cat and Dog Food Manufacturer IAMS 2007-07-27 08:47:08 Ad watchdog Advertising
Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld 2 complaints against Iams. Iams is the pet food division of Proctor & Gamble, a large multinational firm based in Ohio (US). The complaint was filed by competitor Hills Pet Nutrition (Colgate-Palmolive Co).
(more…) Read more:Manufacturer
Beat That Marketing Buzz! Learn about Dog Food Labels 2007-07-26 03:09:06 When one designs a new product one should always have the customer or consumer in mind. This is perhaps lesson 1 in doing business. But several dog food manufacturers seem to think YOU are their target audience, the consumer! Why else would they come up with dog food names such as:
Irish Stew with Beef
Chinese Takeout with Vegetables and Chicken
Southern Style Dumpling With Chicken
Hobo Chili With Chicken
Dogs can’t read, can they? Looks like this food is designed especially for you! These four examples are the recalled types of Natural Balance Eatables that are being recalled because of the botulism fear.
It is pet food but it sounds like people food. This food is obviously designed to appeal to you when you are browsing the dog food isle in the shop. Nice marketing language but are they thinking about you or your dog, that’s the question. What’s inside the bag is what counts. Your dog couldn’t care less about the nice package, the buzz words, the appealing c Read more:Marketing
, Labels
, Dog Food
Nutritional Defiency Risk When Feeding Home Made Dog Food 2007-07-25 14:03:36 There appears to be a trend in home made dog food and canine cuisine classes. Surely this can be tied to the massive recall that started in March 2007 that involved multiple brands. It certainly feels safer to use ingredients that you buy at regular grocery stores selling human food.
It’s perfectly fine to supplement commercial dog food or switch to home made dog food for a while, either because your favorite dog food brand is missing on the shelves or because your furry friend is suffering from stomach upsets or recovering from an illness.
Nutritional deficiencies in dogs that are fed commercial dog food are rare.
(more…) Read more:Feeding
Debut of Wellness CORE Natural Dog Food: a High Protein & Grain Free Dog Food 2007-07-25 13:41:26 Knowledge of pet nutrition is increasing every year and not all experts agree with each other on how certain data should be interpreted. One group supports the ‘scientific assembly theory’ where a diet can be scientifically engineered. Composed of all required nutrients, coming from a range of different sources and on a mathematical level everything your dog needs is present. A second groups theorizes that Mother Nature will always beat science. This school of thought we can call the ‘natural or holistic theory’. Human grade ingredients are used and any meat-by products or artificial additives or preservatives are avoided.
A new holistic dry dog food was launched in July 2007 by the Wellness
brand of Natural
Food and Treats for Pets. This product is developed by followers of the second school of thought. Wellness CORE Dog is based on the raw feeding philosophy and the belief that “You are what you eat!”.
(more…) Read more:Dog Food
, Grain
Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against 14 Pet Food Manufacturers 2007-07-27 10:10:31 In a federal court in Miami a nationwide class action lawsuit was filed against pet food companies. It alleges the pet food industry misleads consumers about the ingredients in cat and dog food.
An example of ‘false advertising’ that is given is the advertisement of dog food as though it is people food when in reality the proteins inside the bag are coming from leftover hooves, chicken feet, feathers, heads and bones considered inedible by people.
Another complaint is the usage of the confusing term ‘meal’. It sounds good and most dog owners don’t know what this means exactly. Attorney Jeffrey Maltzman says that meal comes from a rendering plant that grinds up leftover parts, or diseased or sick animals unfit for human consumption, and it is superheated.
Questions arise whether the dreaded 4D’s are still present in cat and dog food. 4D’s is an industry term that stands for dead, diseased, dying and disabled animals. These are eligibly used in pet food. The fifth D stands Read more:Action
, Lawsuit
, Manufacturers
, Class Action
, Lawsuit Filed
Dog Food Puzzles and Treat Dispensers for Brain & Body 2007-08-01 10:12:16 A dog, by nature, is a pack animal. It has to be trained to be by itself and just be relaxed about that. It’s not natural for a dog to be alone for longer periods of time, as is the case with cats. Usually when you start with a young puppy you increase this time alone with 5 minutes only so you’re training it for success (not failure so don’t run off for a whole hour the first time your pup is alone).
Dogs were meant to forage for their daily meal. Hunting is both physically and mentally challenging. Eating meat off bones also keeps their teeth clean. As our companion dogs usually don’t have to work (really work!) for their food, they tend to get bored and inactive. This can also result in behavioral issues such as excessive barking and destructive chewing or separation anxiety.
Zoo animals get their food in a big icecube or hidden in a kind of puzzle to mimick the hunt for food in the wild. They get mental stimuli and it usually takes a couple of hours to ingest their Read more:Brain
, Dog Food
, Puzzles
Better Doggie Training with Fish Fat for Brains 2007-08-05 13:35:02 You’ve probably heard about omega-3 fatty acids. These are abundantly present in fish oil and are highly marketed as essential supplement to your food or your dog’s food for that matter.
Omega-3 fatty acids are added to just about every human food and the year 2007 may get labelled omega-3 fatty acid year for that matter. [...] Read more:Doggie
, Training
, Brains
French Bulldog with Problems Digesting Commercial Dog Food 2007-08-05 10:51:23 On August 3rd I received a very specific question about dog food. For privacy reasons I won’t copy the complete mail in this blog post but I’ll explain the question to you.
This dog lover previously ran a Labrador retriever kennel and is now faced with a FrenchBulldog
(received as a gift) that has food [...] Read more:Commercial
, Dog Food
Melamine Continues to be Found in Ingredients for Dog Food (EU) 2007-08-07 13:20:53 An overview of the European Commission shows that in the last week of July, multiple alerts of melamine contaminated feed have been reported. The Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) found contaminated rice protein in France, Greece, Spain and the UK - all imported from China.
The Commission publishes a weekly overview of alert [...] Read more:Ingredients
, Dog Food
Trust is Good, but Security is Better When it comes to Pet Food Safety 2007-08-06 19:58:04 On July 31th, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a list of ‘best practices’ on how food safety experts should inspect US businesses that manufacture, process and package food, including dog food.
For 5 years this has been discussed by federal and state officials and as such this is not a direct consequence of [...] Read more:comes
, Safety
Concerns about the Dog Food you’re Feeding Fido? 2007-08-14 06:59:48 As melamine keeps popping up in corn gluten and rice protein all around the world, how can you be sure the dog food you’re feeding your beloved pooch is not going to kill him?
The dog food label should state the name and address of the manufacturer. Contact them and ask them how they can assure [...] Read more:Feeding
Now Released! ‘A Bit of Tender, Love and Care for Dogs’ 2007-08-17 09:02:08 Do you remember my post from July, 22th? I told you I was working on an e-book called ‘A Bit of Tender
, Love and Care for Dogs’.
Well….. IT IS FINISHED !
All subscribers to my free newsletter ‘HoundBytes’ have received download instructions.
A total of 20 authors have contributed to this book ranging from [...] Read more:lsquo
Would You Pay More for Local Grown Dog Food Ingredients? 2007-08-20 12:57:35 Dog food labels show you the company and product name, net weight, list of ingredients, feeding guidelines etc. but not all ingredients are usually listed and also the country of origin of those ingredients is missing.
Foods are shipped all over the world because of huge differences in market price and decreasing shipping costs. But as [...] Read more:Local
, Grown
, Ingredients
Delicious Doggie Birthday Pie 2007-08-25 19:18:37 Today we celebrated Kensho’s birthday as he turned two.
I’ve made him a delicious birthday pie with two blue candles on top .
As this is a very picky Japanese Akita dog that doesn’t like cereals or dog biscuits I made him a special brunch of which I was certain he would love it.
Here’s the very [...] Read more:Delicious
, Doggie
, Birthday
Now Released! ‘DogWhisperWoman Answers Your Questions’ 2007-08-30 13:45:10 From the Caribbean to Canada, Australia to South Africa, Germany to Washington State, DogWhisperWoman, Rena Murray, has been helping distraught dog owners solve their most vexatious or dangerous dog behavior problems - quickly, easily, effectively, and at very low cost - and helped each become the confident pack leader in right relationship with an obedient, [...] Read more:lsquo
Share Your Dog Allergy Stories 2007-09-02 17:27:02 Have you read the article about Demi the friendly Labrador that suffered from multiple allergies? This is a highly visited page and it contains lots of valuable information. It helps you to recognize the symptoms and prepares you for your vet visits.
If you have an allergic dog you may recognize (parts of) this story. Your [...] Read more:Share
, Allergy
, Stories
Do You Know The Early Warning Signs Of Canine Diabetes? 2007-09-02 11:59:32 Your dog is in many ways a lot like you. No, I’m not going to start a story about dogs resembling their owners or vice versa . This is a serious blog post about a disease common in man and in dogs. Dogs can develop diabetes mellitus just like humans, which is the bad [...] Read more:Early
, Canine
, Diabetes
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