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Commercial or Premium dog food Pet foods are broadly classified as dry, semi-moist, or wet (canned). Wet food contains as much as 30 per cent water, semi-moist foods about 30 per cent, and dry food has as little as 5 per cent water.
Meat sources for many canned dog foods are those parts of livestock which are no longer regarded as fit for human consumption. Lungs, hearts, livers, spleens, tracheae, and oesophagi are added.
The vegetables included are generally carrots, sometimes leeks, and finally a small amount of onion, which adds flavor. Some authorities think that onions have other useful properties as well, including natural antibiotics, although heating tends to render these properties inactive.
Rice, porridge oats, and in some cases wheat, accompany the vegetables. Manufacturers include a low percentage of lactic or hydrolysed yeasts.
Other ingredients include various mineral substances, bone and grain meals, and fat- and water-soluble vitamins. Sometimes fresh pork fat, sunflower oil, or corn oil are added to the product.
Apart from the dry foods, a dog eats food that is, for the most part, soft in consistency. As a result, the animal's teeth may suffer from tartar buildup and decay.
The most efficient way to control tartar is by regularly brushing or scaling your pet's teeth. Contrary to popular belief, giving the dog a bone to gnaw will not really result in cleaning its teeth, except for the incisors and the canines.
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