Dog Food Blog

This post on dog food blog is about a complex technology (which I won’t dig into) and it amazes me that this technology is used ‘just’ to get dogs to say ‘mmmm… boss, that food you bought smells really nice‘ and at the same time I think this is so interesting and exiting. It makes me curious as to where dog food is going these days. Perhaps you recall my posts in July 2007 about K-9 Genetics and dog food in the age of the genome. I’ve heard ‘down to earth’ people say these developments are over the top, but I just love progression and fine tuning.

Several dog food companies are investigating how dogs respond genetically to a particular diet. They profile genes that are turned on and off in reaction to the dog food diet fed.

How does a dog decide whether or not he likes the food you poured into his dog food bowl? The main reason for like or dislike is the smell of it. Smell is even more important than taste as most dogs don’t chew very well. My dog is an exception to the rule as he chews kibble by kibble. I remember we met a very posh couple when we were walking and the man returned to his car to get a dog biscuit. Kensho accepted it very gently with his lips and then chewed for a long time. The woman was amazed. She said ‘that dog has more manners than most people’

Now back to my story. Most dogs display a gorging behavior when they eat. There are even special dog food bowls for sale so they can’t gobble up all of their food in just a second.

As dogs go by smell to decide whether or not to eat the dog food it’s important for dog food manufacturers that at least their dog food product has a nice smell to dogs. It’s only logical that they spend a lot of money researching what smells are a dog’s favorite.

These likes and dislikes are deeply rooted in his basic genetic composition. It is likely that there will be significant breed differences in flavor perception. A Maltese may have different preferences when it comes to smell than a Saint Bernard Dog. This would give the pet food industry another reason to have different dog food compositions for different dog breeds.

For more information about dog food, visit Best Dog Food Guide. When you subscribe to the free dog food newsletter you’ll get my e-book and a nice bonus in return.

A few months ago a new dog drink was launched called ‘Viyo’. This liquid supplement is rich in vitamins, minerals and Omega-3. You dog can drink it pure, diluted in water or mixed with his food. For each life stage LPC designed a separate vitality drink, so you can get puppy, junior, adult and senior Viyo.

It is prebiotically active since it contains inulin and oligo-fructose. Inulin and oligo-fructose stimulate the growth of Bifidobacteria in the intestines. These are the “good” bacteria and when growth of these is stimulated, there simply isn’t any room left for the “bad” bacteria. Bifidobacteria also aid digestion, stimulate the immune system and are associated with a lower incidence of allergies and tumor prevention.

Today, my dog and I went to the National Companion Animal event in Amsterdam. He emptied all bowls at the Viyo stand and kept looking for more. He was searching for water bowls and quickly continued searching when there was just plain water in it. So apparently my very picky Akita dog likes this product. So the other claim the manufacturer makes about dogs liking this drink better than water, I can substantiate.

However, since my dog is happy and healthy and all required nutrients are provided for in his food, he’s going to get just plain water from me. However, I did buy him a bottle as a treat because he was behaving so pretty and perfect today in the crowd

Learn more about prebiotics and their beneficial effects on canine health on Best Dog Food Guide.

PS Viyo is produced by Liquid Pet Food Company International Ltd

I just read an article about new dog treats and the title made me smile, so I used it for this blog post. The New Age trend seems to have entered the world of dog treats. Who could have predicted this? After reading about Meditation Classes for Dogs (oh yes, the humanization trend is heavily growing), I now stumbled upon these holistic Zen-themed treats for dogs. There are 5 kinds of treats, all with different purposes:

‘Energy’ well… this is of course for active dogs. So when it’s time to relax you just give them the ‘Peace’ treat, hmm…. wouldn’t it be convenient to have an on-off switch to your dog (via treats)?

‘Smart’ supposed to improve memory and good behavior. I think it’s pretty safe to have one of these yourselves

Fact or Fiction? As long as your dog likes these treats you can use them to train and reward him. Nevertheless, don’t be fooled by cute names and gimmicky packages. Any (healthy) tasteful treat will do the job.

PS Zen Puppy Treats are distributed in the US by UltraPet

As we take better care of our pets, they live longer and our bond with them increases… so we take care of them even better. Where will it end? We spoil our doggies with massages, spa visits, clothes and even jewelry, gourmet dog food varieties and all kind of treats to show them how much we love them. In general, we see more and more dog products appearing on the US market mimicking human type products.

When will this ongoing trend hit Western-Europe (the second largest market for dog food)? Well, it has already begun as for instance a Dutch brewer (Scheldebrouwerij) launched ‘Kwispelbier’ (‘kwispel’ means tail-wagging in Dutch). This is a non-alcoholic beer for dogs so you and your doggy can relax together drinking beers on a sunny afternoon in the park… being real pals. Understanding each other and enjoying life. Cheers!

PS In the US you could already buy your best friend a beer (’Happy Tail Ale’ is brewed by Dog Star Brewing Co and distributed in over 33 states).