How was dog food invented? Why is it better than giving dogs real food?

Answer 1

Any of the kibble that you find at the grocer's is far inferior to feeding a balanced 'people food' diet.
However, if you buy a premium kibble for your dog, at a good pet supply shop, it will just be so much easier than trying to feed them a homecooked well balanced diet..
Brands such as, Canidae, Innova, Natural Balance, Wysong, Wellness, and Solid Gold, are made from all human grade ingredients. My dogs do amazingly well on Canidae.
these brands are found at most local pet supply shops.

Answer 2

We haven't had any problems with Natures Recipe Venison and Rice which we add a bit of fish oil to (made for human, screened for mercury fish oil caps) and we give them some human foods from time to time, like unseasoned and de-boned chicken. When you change a food, make sure you do it gradually and you can also give your dog about a half cup canned pureed pumpkin. It helps their digestion and is great for when a dog has diarrhea/upset stomach caused by something a dog might have gotten into that didn't agree with them, or when changing foods. Though change should still be gradual. The Venison (or rabbit or duck formulations) are atypical protein sources that often work better for a dog with sensitive stomach and allergies. Homemade food can be great. If you'll notice, all commercially made dog foods add vitamins because the process they use to make food that can last a few years on a shelf, often removes a lot of what they need. When the major food recalls affecting many brands of food occurred some years ago, our dogs were on a home cooked diet and they thrived on that. We made homemade dog biscuits and their food consisted of fresh meats, usually chicken but sometimes a bit of lean beef or turkey- about 50 percent of the meal, and white rice or sweet potato- 30 percent and 20 percent veggie- like green beans or carrot or other dog friendly veggie. The also had some added fish oil caps (about half a human amount, human grade fish oil caps and they weigh over 50 lbs each) and occasionally we'd stir in some cottage cheese or low fat yogurt. We'd top off the food with some egg shells which we ground in a coffee grinder. This was tedious, but when it was found that content such as rice protein concentrates, glutens from wheat or corn were sources of problem, we went back to Nature's Recipe as it was not recalled during that time and cooking for three sizable dogs was tedious as well as having limited freezer space which would have allowed us to make bulk portions, had we had more room for our food too! Though Nature's Recipe does have some drawbacks as with any commercially prepared food, it does not contain artificial dyes, corn or wheat products and was not recalled during all those major recalls that affected so many brands of food, over 100, that were using some of the same contaminated product.NR did have recalls somewhere in the mid nineties when I believe there was a product that got contaminated and they quit putting that product in food which spared it from being recalled when the major recall issue occurred that affected over 100 brands of dog and cat food.

Answer 3

Back in the 13th century, people noticed that dogs seemed to be dying, left and right. They couldn`t figure this out at first but then realized that the dogs had become too domesticated. In other words, they forgot how to tackle elephants, their natural food source for thousands of years...They had to come up with a plan, or all the world`s dogs would be dead in short order. They decided to hold a contest to see who could save the dogs. Well, to make a long story a little shorter, a poor farmer with many old horses near death came up with a brilliant plan, implemented it, and won the grand prize ! The farmer no longer had any horses but he, Sir George Purina, won the hearts of dog lovers everywhere ! It is he that ground up the first horse ever for the making of what we all now know today as "dog food".

Answer 4

Premium and organic kibbles are great foods for your dog. However just because it may be more expensive than say, Iams, doesn't mean it's better. You must read the label. The first 5 ingredients should be wholesome (chicken, whole grains, etc..). Anything on the can stated as "Meal" such as "Chicken Meal" only mean the feet, skin, organs, etc... not the actual MEAT of the animal. Also great to have on your dog's diet is Flax Seed Oils, olive oil, and some other yummy stuff.
First 5 ingredients are MOST important.

Answer 5

I'm sure it was invented because it was convienient and cheaper to feed a dog like that then having to provide real meat.

It isn't always better... But it is balanced. Many will argue that dogs and cats still should be fed a raw diet and that store bought foods contain too many fillers.

Some brands are certainly better than others.

Answer 6

Convenience. Many things came together for the production of dry, moist and wet (canned pet food)
From the pet food manufaturers point of view, only great things go into pet food, such as plump chickens, vegetables and wholesome grains.
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From another point of view: What most consumers don’t know is that the pet food industry is an extension of the human food and agriculture industries. Pet food provides a market for slaughterhouse offal, grains considered “unfit for human consumption,” and similar waste products to be turned into profit. This waste includes intestines, udders, esophagi, and possibly diseased and cancerous animal parts.
http://www.api4animals.org/facts.php?p=359&more=1
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Ok that is disgusting. Therefore I try to buy from reliable pet advocate food manufacturers. All dog owners realize the convenience of dry dog food, It is easy to buy, store, and take along travels etc.
From reading the labels, I know that I do not have to give my dog extra vitamins, extra oil, chondroitin for the joints. It is already included.
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Not all dog food is the same. Price will determine the quality. Most owner will read the ingredients part of the label and decide what percentage of protein is acceptable for their pet (esp if they are working farm animals) or not. Too much protein is not good.
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Some owners will give their pet occasional human food. I do. They get some turkey , oranges, fruits.
Give your pet occsionally some fish oils in the form of frozen salmon bones, or baked salmon from your table mixed in with his dry dog food.

Answer 7

Because dog food is created by animals dietitians who know what vitamins and levels of protein are good for dogs. Ordinary human food is too high in fat for dogs.

Answer 8

They have a different system then us and need more vitamens and less anti-oxidents. A dog can live off of people food, but they are prone to disease and a short life. But their cousins the wolf and such will feed themselfs what they need in the wild because they are pre-disposed to what foods they need to survives......

Answer 9

Dog food is real food! It's made out of meat and chicken and grains...

Answer 10

Dogs have a diet that is different from humans.
I assume it was invented to meet their requirements.