Commercial Foods
There is no doubt that the commercial dog-food industry is large. There are hundreds of different pet foods available all over the United States, but they're not all created equal. For example, price is a big indicator of quality. It seems unlikely that a company selling a forty-pound bag of generic dog food for $9.95 would be able to use a high-quality protein and grain in its food. The cost of the quality ingredients alone would generally be higher than this selling price.
Commercial dog-food supporters cite studies that suggest this food can provide the exact nutrients a dog needs because the vitamins and minerals are fixed in each batch, regardless of what individual ingredients are used. They maintain that this is a modern advantage of commercial dog foods.
At the other end of the spectrum, there are also veterinarians and some studies that suggest that modern canines are only about 1 to 3 percent removed in DNA from wild canines such as wolves and coyotes, and domestic dogs would therefore do better on a more natural, raw diet. These proponents suggest that dogs would live longer, healthier lives if they ate foods that were closer to what they would ideally have in the wild. They emphasize that it is unnatural to expect every single meal to be exactly balanced and that instead, the diet should be balanced over time. They also contend that additives and preservatives that are included in commercial dog foods are deleterious to canine health in the long term, as no one really knows the long-term effects of additives and preservatives on canine health. There is even some suggestion that an overdose of some vitamins and minerals can be as harmful to a dog as a deficiency.
Commercial Dog-Food Ingredients
The protein in dog food comes from a variety of sources. In the United States, cattle, swine, chickens, lambs, deer, and fish are commonly used. When animals are slaughtered for human consumption, only about 50 percent of the carcass is used for human food. The remaining parts are called by-products and include the bones, blood, intestines, lungs, and ligaments, and are used in pet or animal feed.
Rendering is the process of extracting oil from fat or blubber, generally from animals that have already been dead for some time. Rendering separates fat-soluble materials from water-soluble and solid materials. It removes most of the water and kills bacterial contaminants. It may also destroy some of the natural enzymes and proteins found in the raw ingredients.
Commercial dog foods also commonly use by-product “meal.” Meal is composed of by-products or other ingredients that are rendered rather than used fresh.
There is some question about how much of the nutrition in some of the less-expensive dog foods is available for the dog to process and digest. (The term for this is bioavailability.) The cooking or baking methods used to turn by-products and meal into kibble do not necessarily destroy any hormones or drugs that may be present in the animal carcass (such as the antibiotics or growth hormones used to fatten livestock or increase milk production). Even in small amounts, these compounds may have some negative long-term effects. For instance, some contend that the presence of hormones in protein sources cause secondary sexual characteristics to develop faster than normal.
What does bioavailability mean?
The term “bioavailability” refers to how well the nutrients are used by the body. There is a growing body of evidence that nutrients from natural, nonsynthetic sources are absorbed and used most efficiently by the body.
Additionally, grains such as wheat, oats, and beans are generally difficult for dogs to digest. Many people wonder if the amount of grains used in some commercial dog foods exceed the amount a wild canine would normally eat. Nutrients in potatoes and corn are less available still to canines, and some ingredients, such as peanut hulls, have no significant nutritional value.
Preservatives
Since all commercial foods must be preserved to stay fresh and appealing to a dog from the top to the bottom of a forty-pound bag, suppliers add preservatives to the main ingredients or raw materials. These preservatives also ensure long shelf life. The preservatives may be natural or synthetic.
Synthetic preservatives include butylated hydroxanisole (BHA) and butylated hyroxytoluene (BHT), propyl fallate, propylene glycol (also used as a less-toxic version of antifreeze), and ethoxyquin. There is little information on the toxicity, safety, bioavailability, or effects of chronic use on pets. Natural preservatives such as vitamin C, vitamin E (mixed tocopherols) and oils of rosemary, clove, and other spices are used to preserve the fats in some products. Other ingredients, however, are also preserved individually.
Most fish meal and some prepared vitamin-mineral mixtures contain chemical preservatives. This means that along with some natural foods, your boxer might be eating several types of preservatives at once. There are no long-term studies on the effects of consuming multiple preservatives in combination over an extended amount of time.
What's the Answer?
If you decide to use commercial dog food, the best option would be to search for the highest-quality dog food available. Look for a product made of human-grade ingredients and the fewest, safest preservatives that you can find. There are some excellent choices out there. And remember that each dog is different. Some dogs live long, active lives no matter what they are fed, while others don't seem to do well on commercial dog foods. Gradually experiment with different options until you find what works best for both you and your boxer.
