Abstract

The nutritional quality of dry dogfood commercialized in Chile for growing dogs was studied. Samples from at least three different batches of 26 dogfood brands were mixed. The resultant samples (n=26) were chemically analyzed to determine their concentrations of dry matter (DM), gross energy, fiber, ash, crude protein, essential amino acids, total fat, linoleic acid and minerals. The metabolizable energy (ME) content of each sample was estimated using modified atwater factors. The results from the chemical analyses were compared with the nutrient profiles published by the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). Dogfoods that were found to contain an estimated ME of over 4,000kcal/kg DM were corrected for their high energy density before comparison. All of the dogfoods contained adequate levels of protein, total fat, linoleic acid, iron, copper, manganese and selenium. The concentration of tryptophan was adequate in 92.3% of the samples. All of the other essential amino acids were present in adequate quantities. However, the situation was different for many of the minerals. Only 92.3% of the dogfoods contained an adequate Ca:P ratio. A total of 96.2% of the dogfoods contained an adequate level of Ca, 96.2% for P, 96.2% for Mg, 92.3% for I, 88.5% for Cl, 80.8% for Na, 80.8% for Zn and only 34.6% were adequate for K content. Overall, only 23% of the dogfoods evaluated in this study fulfilled all of the requirements established by the AAFCO in terms of their content of crude protein, amino acids, total fat, linoleic acid, and minerals. It appears that the majority of the dogfoods evaluated in this study (77%) would not satisfy all nutritional requirements of the growing dog.