Understanding Dog Food
Pet food started to become commercially available a little more than 100 years ago. The idea that a commercial product had everything a dog needed for optimal nutrition took hold of pet owners. So prevalent was this attitude that people were told not to feed table scraps, as these could upset the nutritive balance (as well as the tummy). Supplements and additives were discouraged. It was truly believed that feeding a dog anything besides what was manufactured as being a food for dogs was simply spoiling a dog or risking making him sick.
Recent years have seen a reversal of this theory, and there is no greater proof of it than the pet-food recall scare of early 2007, in which many manufacturers of dog and cat foods had to take their products off the shelves after pets died from eating them. The source of the problem? Tainted wheat gluten from China. It didn't seem like something like this could happen in the wake of a virtual revolution toward healthier pet foods since the 1990s.
Pet food is a billion-dollar industry, and competition is fierce. Confused by manufacturers' claims, disheartened by pervasive health problems, and aware of the ills of their own diets, dog owners have begun to take a closer look at what they're feeding their animal companions. After all, if people are being told to eat fewer processed foods and more fresh foods, then wouldn't it make sense that pets should benefit from that advice as well?
It does make sense, and capitalism has benefited our canine friends, who overall now have a healthier, better-tasting, and wider variety of foods than they've ever had before. It is possible to marry convenience with sound nutrition, and as this chapter will explore, there are many options available to dog owners seeking to provide such a diet for their dogs.
