Canine Cuisine: What Exactly is Your Dog Digesting?

There has been a lot of controversy over the last few years regarding what exactly is in canine cuisine or dog food.

Some doggy parents want to make sure that nothing unnatural is being fed to their pup.

They also want to make sure that the food that they are giving them is actually nutritious and can benefit their overall health.

If you’ve been concerned about what is in your dog’s food, here is some information about the ingredients that your dog may be digesting.

Canine Cuisine: What Exactly is Your Dog Digesting?

Kibble

Kibble or the odd little hard pieces that dogs consume by the mouthful may seem mysterious.

However, the process itself is pretty simple. Initially, corn is ground down into a fine powder along with oats and grains.

Meats—such as chicken, beef, and pork—is then dried in a dehydrator and milled into a powder.

These dry ingredients are then measured and mixed together.

This carefully measured mixture is then pressure-cooked in animal feed processing equipment called an extruder.

At this point, it has turned into a paste form and is cooked in a high-pressure, extremely hot environment. It then goes through a piping mold, and is cut into a variety of shapes.

As it cools, the shapes expand due to the change in environmental pressure.

Once the pieces of kibble have dried and cooled, they are sprayed with oil and coated in flavoring—beef and vegetables, chicken, pork, etc—to make it more appealing to dogs.

The biggest concern with kibble is the addition of so much grain due to that not being a dietary need of canines.

The grain is a filler and rather than actually adding nutritional value to the dog’s diet. It also may just be increasing their amount of fecal production.

At this point, you may be asking yourself “Okay, where is the nutrition?”

You’ve probably heard that kibble is healthy for your dog’s teeth, but is it really?

Keep reading to find out.

Canned Foods

Canned Dog foods go through a similar but different process as kibble.

The canning process begins by putting thawed meats in a machine that shreds and cooks them at the same time.

The juice from the initial cooking process is used as a broth in a large vat where the gravy-like substance is cooked with added vegetables such as asparagus or carrots.

This stew is slow-cooked until it thickens and the meat is added back into the mixture.

The entire stew is cooled and then measured into cans.

The cans are pressure-cooked once sealed and then labeled.

Once the product has gone through production it must pass quality assurance before release.

Canned food may seem like your dog is receiving less of a meal but they are receiving just as much or more of what they need if fed the right portions.

There are far fewer fillers in canned dog foods, which makes them a healthier choice for your canine friend.

Homemade Food

Have you ever fed your dog food off of your plate and seen how much they enjoyed that?

Truth is that not all human food is bad for canines and that you can actually make your own dog food.

All it takes is a bit of ground-up meat (like turkey or chicken), brown rice, and chopped or shredded vegetables.

You cook it up, let it cool, and then it’s ready to serve. You can also use unique storage bags, such as myler bags, to keep the food well-preserved in the fridge throughout the week.

If your dog has any allergies, then this might be the best way to go about feeding him or her. This way, you can make sure that you know what is being provided to them.

Eating is a pleasurable experience for humans.

We make sure that we get the nutrition and value that we deserve when it comes to our food.

Why shouldn’t we do the same with canine cuisine for our 4-legged pals?