Nature and use of commercial dog foods

Twenty-six commercial dog foods were analyzed. They represented the 4 main types of products intended to support the growth and maintenance of normal dogs, and the special dietary products intended primarily for use in dogs with chronic renal failure. None of the products contained extremes of protein, fat, or carbohydrate that could cause nutritional problems. Several products contained concentrations of calcium that might be too high if fed ad libitum to pups. The renal diets tended to be marginal in sodium and potassium contents, especially for use during renal or cardiac disease. Estimates of available energy were used as the basis for recommending amounts of the 4 main types of dog food to be fed daily to dogs of various body weights. These deviated widely from comparable recommendations in the 1972 NRC Nutrient Requirements of Dogs but agreed almost exactly with those in the 1974 Gaines Baisc Guide to Canine Nutrition.