Dog food refers to food specifically intended for consumption by
dogs. Though technically omnivorous, dogs exhibit a natural carnivorous bias, have sharp, pointy teeth, and have short gastrointestinal tracts better suited for the consumption of meat. In spite of this natural carnivorous design, dogs have still managed to evolve over thousands of years to survive on the meat and non-meat scraps and
leftovers of human existence and thrive on a variety of foods.
In the United States alone, dog owners spent over $8.5 billion on commercially manufactured dog food in 2007.
[1] Some people make their own dog food, feed their dogs meals made from ingredients purchased in grocery or health-food stores or give their dogs a raw food diet.
History
Before the advent of commercially made pet foods, most dogs lived off of grains, meats, table scraps and homemade food from their owners. It wasn’t until the mid-1800’s that the world saw its first food made specifically for dogs. An American electrician,
James Spratt concocted the first dog treat. Living in London at the time, he witnessed dogs around a shipyard eating scraps of discarded biscuits. Shortly thereafter he introduced his dog food, made up of wheat meals, vegetables and meat. By 1890 production had begun in the United States and became known as "Spratt's Patent Limited".
Canned horse meat was introduced in the United States under the
Ken-L-Ration brand after WWI as a means to dispose of deceased horses. The 1930’s saw the introduction of canned cat food and dry meat-meal dog food by the Gaines Food Co. By the time WWII ended, pet food sales had reached $200 million. In the 1950s Spratt's became part of General Mills. For companies such as Nabisco, Quaker Oats, and General Foods, pet food represented an opportunity to market by-products as a profitable source of income.
Commercial dog food
Most store-bought dog food comes in either a dry form (also known in the US as
kibble) or a wet canned form. Dry food contains 6-10% moisture by volume, as compared to 60-90% in canned food. Semi-moist foods have a moisture content of 25-35%. Pet owners often prefer dry food for reasons of convenience and price. Despite modest prices that are associated with many brands, dog owners (and there are over 43,000,000 households in the United States with at least one dog) still managed to spend over $8 billion on dry dog food in 2010 - a 50% increase in the amount spent just seven years earlier.
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Dog food - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/SUP]