Fables of Fido’s Food | Student study discovers misconceptions about the role of animal byproducts in dog food
Reanne Forshner feeds kibble to her German shepherd named Odie.
That hasn’t changed following completion of a study she and two other University of Alberta students recently conducted on dog owner awareness of pet food and nutrition.
Called Fables of Fido’s Food, the study project was conducted through the university’s Capstone program in the agriculture, life and environmental sciences faculty, which students take at the end of their degree programs.
Forshner said their survey of dog owners across Canada yielded interesting data.
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“Our results have shown that they actually don’t have a huge understanding of what is in their pet food and why,” she said.
“With our survey that we sent out, we did find that the majority of people are within the ‘have a little knowledge’ category.”
Fact sheets and pamphlets that dispel pet food myths and guide consumers to reliable information have been prepared and will soon be posted on the Alberta Agriculture website.
They will also include information on how to interpret pet food labels.
Among the common myths discovered by Forshner and her fellow students is a mistaken belief that animal byproducts in dog food are unhealthy.
“People think that animal byproducts are not a good source of nutrition for dogs, and that’s because a lot of people think that it contains the heads and hoofs and feathers and things like that,” Forshner said.
It doesn’t.
She said the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) regulates pet food, and any company seeking certification from it must abide by certain rules.
One of those rules is that animal byproducts can include organs and intestines but not hair, horns, teeth, hoofs and stomach digesta from the food source animals.
Forshner said animal byproducts are a good source of nutrition for dogs. It’s also an economical choice because there is no competition for them from processors of human food.
Another fable involves the benefits of raw food diets for dogs, which Forshner said continues to be controversial.
Some dog owners say feeding only raw food to their pets is more natural and contributes to a shinier coat, healthier teeth and disease prevention.
On the other hand, there is no regulation on raw food, which can lead to bacterial contamination in food that dogs can shed in their stool, compromising the health of their owners and family members.
The value of corn and other grains in dog food is yet another fable the students explored. Some dog owners think grain is not well digested by dogs and question its feed value.
“The thing with corn is that it’s a good carbohydrate source because the animal can easily absorb the glucose and utilize it as energy.”
Forshner said her main advice to dog owners as a result of the study is to find reliable sources of information when making decisions.
“I would say definitely do your own research and find out your own truth, without just believing what you see on the TV and on the internet. It’s hard to do. Veterinarians are a good source.”
Margurite Thiessen, value chain specialist with Alberta Agriculture, said the Fables of Fido’s Food project came from an effort to better connect veterinarians with pet food processors and foster collaboration.
From that came an effort to communicate information to veterinary students and those in related fields.
“It’s amazing what they came up with,” said Thiessen.
- There were slightly more than five million dogs in Canada in 2011.
- About 35 percent of Canadian homes have a dog.
- The pet food market in Canada was valued at $1.7 billion in 2011. Dog food alone had a value of $969 million.
- Dog food has consistently had the highest retail sales relative to cat and other pet food.
- Dry dog food has the highest market share and reached a value of $625.7 million in 2011.
- More than 322,000 tonnes of pet foot are sold annually in Canada.
