Talk:Dog food

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 5 January 2022 and 4 April 2022. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Osad3840 (article contribs). Peer reviewers: ZM9900.

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Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 19:39, 16 January 2022 (UTC)

Misc

There need to be sources listed on what foods are toxic to dogs. Where is teh source that says avocados aren't safe? Brumpz 18:05, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

I went ahead and added some sources, and clarified that the avocado has only been associated with poisoning in dogs in two known cases. We really need a new article on foods poisonous to dogs. Any thoughts on a good title? --Joelmills 01:55, 21 April 2007 (UTC)

Regarding consumables poisonous to dogs, how about a heading in this article rather than an additional article?

The content of this article is disapointing. I did not learn anything new. I wonder why there hasn't been more interest paid to this entry considering the huge industry dedicated to feeding our dogs, or considering the fanatical interest in all things dog by their owners. I hope someone with a vested interest (like accepting a regular paycheck for being a part of that aformentioned industry) will take a role in making this article more encyclopedia-ready. Anthronify 02:13, 8 May 2007 (UTC)

The third paragraph of the intro needs some serious reconsideration. It starts with a stark summary of those (ignorants assumed) that think table scraps makes a balanced diet for dogs (I hope they don't have children). Let's shoot for an intro that better embodies the principles of dog nutrition. Anthronify 02:33, 18 May 2007 (UTC)

External links - Dog Food Nutrition

Having looked through the website "Dog Food Nutriton" I found it is not commercial, and does seem independent. I have removed the warning "NOT INDEPENDANT - SHOP TRYING TO SELL THEIR BRANDS OF FOOD." Unless anyone can provide support otherwise it would seem this was an act of vandalism.

List of Ingredients?

I'm not sure what purpose the "List" sections that User:HarryCarrey44 added to the article are serving, but I'm going to refrain from messing with them a little while so that Harry has an opportunity to explain them. I don't think it's practical- speaking as someone with a fair bit of industry knowledge, I think the various types of dog foods and ingredients used therein are just too numerous to fairly attempt to list. As far as "types of dog foods" go, most foods fall into multiple categories (for example, several foods are both weight management and joint support formulas- joint support, as an aside, being the preferred term versus "arthritis relief," as there are several problems that can be treated in the same manner as arthritis). As far as ingredients are concerned, well, how come lamb, salmon and venison make the list, but pheasant, cod, beef and chicken don't?

My point is this: while I appreciate the sentiment, I don't think it's possible to make an inclusive list that serves a real purpose. For now, it looks like they're just clutter, unfortunately. --Moralis (talk) 21:06, 15 July 2007 (UTC)

The firse paragraph in homemade diets doesent make any sense and sounds completley biased. Also raw food seems messed up: Raw food Main article: Raw feeding Raw food is also a growing industry. Concerned pet owners are now turning to freeze-dried food or the Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods (BARF) diet. [14]

Dog treats are usually higher in grease or fats. These are usually designed to be held in a person's hand without being messy, and are often designed in fanciful shapes and colors. A top selling brand is Milkbone. There are also many kinds of natural chewing treats for dogs like rawhide. As is the case for most chewing toys, the dog will clean its teeth by itself during the lengthy chewing process. Dog jumper100 21:14, 24 July 2007 (UTC)

Health benefits

It'd be interesting to see more about the health claims for dog food - are there regulations on what claims can be made, what is the evidence, etc. Some of these foods that say they'll extend lifespan, cure arthritis, keep weight under control, give you a glossy pelt... shoot, they make me want to eat the stuff myself! ;) 204.186.19.202 13:57, 27 August 2007 (UTC)

External links

Seems like this page has too many external links... a lot of which duplicate each other. Also, the history suggests this page attracts a lot of people promoting their own sites. Anyone have any thoughts on which (if any) of the links should be removed? -Watchsmart (talk) 20:37, 10 January 2008 (UTC)

Fresh dog food?

I work at a fairly major retailer of the various higher-end pet products (no byproducts, no filler type foods, etc.) and I'm unable to decipher what products this paragraph is referring to. Is it talking about homemade dog food? --Moralis (talk) 19:40, 23 January 2008 (UTC)

YOu no dog food is good for the heart!!!!!!!!111  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.123.158.54 (talk) 21:21, 27 October 2009 (UTC) 

Dog Nutrition

I've been wondering this for a long time. What are the % protein, fat, carbohydrates as well as the amounts of vitamins and minerals that dogs need each day. If someone decided that they wanted to make their own dog food (only in recent history have dogs been fed industry dog food, after all) what would be healthy things to feed them. I live in the country in Ecuador at the moment and sometimes it makes more sense for me to cook food for my dogs instead of feeding them dog food. When I do this, I try really hard to make it balanced. Nonetheless, I've found little information on the internet about dog nutrition so it's made this more difficult.

Thus, I advise either adding a section about the nutritional requirements for dog food (this might be more useful than a list of ingredients) or make a whole new article about dog nutrition. Saritamackita (talk) 05:51, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

For min and max nutrient values you can refer to AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profile.--Dodo bird (talk) 01:21, 11 April 2008 (UTC)

Hey man whats upi(----)

Dry Food Beneficial

Is there any evidence to back up the suggestion that dry food is beneficial to tartar build? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ajshep1984 (talk • contribs) 21:09, 10 August 2008 (UTC)

Hi. This page is to discuss the article, not to ask questions. However, if what you say is true it would be a good addition to the dry food section. So, research the subject and when you have found out the answer, with references, add it to the article in the dry food section. Thanks. Bob98133 (talk) 13:08, 11 August 2008 (UTC)

http://dogfoodchat.com

The reviews and comments on these pages are my opinion. These opinions are based on information gained from the research of these dog food brands. Further research is needed and your vet should be consulted when choosing a new brand of food. The owner of http://dogfoodchat.com can not be held accountable for any information given on this website.

The disclaimer above [1]indicates that this page is personal opinion and so does not meet the requirements for a Wiki EL. Please discuss your rationale for adding this link prior to reverting. Bob98133 (talk) 21:00, 11 November 2008 (UTC)

Meat byproducts

I removed this part from the Contents section as it only contained one source which was listed as a single employee of a single plant. The reference website 404ed when I tried viewing it. It was not a reliable source, but with the webpage out of existence, this section has no basis and was removed. Feel free to add it back if proper sources and references are listed. --Elysianfields (talk) 21:16, 27 December 2008 (UTC)

Hi - I agree previous ref was shaky, but the info was OK. I found some new refs from reliable sources (AVMA,AAFCO) and reworded new info. This is pretty gross stuff that is generally not mentioned, so I think it is good for it to be included in the article. Pls check it out and make changes if needed. Thanks Bob98133 (talk) 15:04, 28 December 2008 (UTC)

POV Template

I find this article written in an unfair manner. It insinuates in every section that dry dog food is unilaterally harmful. Please help to re-write sections for a more neutral point of view. Teque5 (talk) 10:39, 7 January 2009 (UTC)

Hi - I just re-read this and don't agree with your POV tag. Can you point out specificially what sort of changes might be needed, or where the article disparages dry dog food. It seems pretty balanced to me but maybe I'm missing something. Thanks Bob98133 (talk) 14:18, 7 January 2009 (UTC)

I find I have to agree with Teque. The introduction, for example, basically notes that some people have positive opinions of non-commercial dog food, and some people have negative opinions of commercial dog food. There is no point in either of those statements. The "Commercial dog food" section appears to make a comparison of canned and dry food, where the facts in question are that dry food is cheaper, lasts longer, and is "more convenient", and that canned food spoils faster but has a longer shelf life, and contains more protein on a dry matter basis. This isn't exactly appropriate, and all of these facts are mentioned again in the article, so this comparison seems intended to criminalize dry dog food. Further, the concept of "dry matter" probably needs to be explained, as anyone who hasn't taken a Nutrition course is unlikely to know what that means. If you dried out wet dog food, and then— without the water weight— compared it on a gram to gram scale with dry dog food, yes, it would have more protein. However, a serving of wet food is mostly moisture, while a serving of dry dog food is mostly dry matter. So, as I understand, a dog gets a higher quantity of protein from a serving of dry food than a serving of wet food. I haven't added this to the article myself because I'm only repeating what I've been taught, I'm not intimately familiar with the subject. Moving on, in the "Alternate dog food" sections, it is insinuated that commercial dog foods have no or significantly less nutritional value than alternate dog foods (freeze dried, I believe, to be specific); a more appropriate statement would possibly be that freeze dried foods retain more of their natural nutrients, while processed foods add nutrients back artificially. Next, the statement "Many commercial dog foods are made from materials considered unusable or undesirable" is entirely opinionated. A statement that some ingredients can be unhealthy could be acceptable if backed by a citation of scientific research. Further, any list of "contents" should not include only "undesirable" ones. It should include all common ingredients. Otherwise, the list should be removed, as it draws focus to those specific ingredients. I just have to note, the only line in this section that suggests dry food has any value whatsoever is that expensive foods may contain "suitable" ingredients. It's true that the cheapest brands have the quality of shoe leather, and any brand with adequate nutrition will be more expensive, but no note is made that the expensive food brands tend to be, nutritionally, very healthy for dogs. As well, there is mention of some of the less savory by products that are allowed into foods by AAFCO, but no mention of the nutritional requirements necessary to be AAFCO certified. I'm not saying that having cow brains in dog food is desirable, but it should also be noted that dog food must meet certain nutritional standards to be AAFCO certified. Generally, the difference is considered to be that between "complete" and "complete and balanced". A dog can survive on a solely complete diet, whereas a balanced diet is actually healthy (and necessary to be AAFCO certified). Interestingly, many prescription diets aren't AAFCO certified, because they will often deliberately reduce some kind of nutrient, like sodium. While this might have ill effects on a typical dog, it's more healthy for one having heart problems. On the same topic, under "Labeling", AAFCO certification is disparaged. However, the only source for this is a person's opinion. The main point seems to be that AAFCO standards are worthless— whether or not they are, I couldn't say— but the point should be that the organization requires food to meet healthier standards. Next, a question— if there's an entire article on 2007 dog food recalls, is it necessary to go into such detail here? A more abridged form, like that used for "past recalls", that directs readers to the separate article might be more appropriate. Overall, the article focuses on negatives of dry dog food and does not allow for the facts that some types of dry dog food are very healthy, that some types of wet food may be unhealthy, or that some alternate foods may not be healthy. Further, there is an over-reliance on this type of statement: "Some argue..." "Some maintain..." "Proponents criticize..." "Supporters believe..." "Critics argue..." The majority of which, I'd like to note, promote negative opinions of dry dog food. Just because it is someone else's opinion, though, does not make it any less of an opinion. Most of these statements lack any support or citations, as well. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.78.55.63 (talk) 22:50, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

Actually, upon checking the source of the person who disparages AAFCO, I find the text to read thus: " 'Although the AAFCO profiles are better than nothing, they provide false securities. I don't know of any studies showing their adequacies and inadequacies.' Rogers also states that some of the foods which pass AAFCO feeding trials are actually inadequate for long term nutrition, but there is no way of knowing which foods these are under present regulations (Smith, 1993)." The article in question is from 7-8 years ago, and the quote from said article is over fifteen years old. Further, I think omitting the second half of the quote misrepresents the meaning behind it; it implies that Rogers does not believe AAFCO is adequate, where in reality, he was noting that there were not studies at that time to prove either way. Considering how far this field has come in the last fifteen years, I find it unlikely that there have been no studies of the health differences between an AAFCO certified diet and one that is not certified, making this quote outdated. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.78.55.63 (talk) 23:01, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

The person disparaging the AAFCO standards is an AAFCO panel expert, a DVM. He IS saying that the AAFCO standards are not adequate. "some of the foods which pass AAFCO feeding trials are actually inadequate for long term nutrition." Couldn't be more clear. The AAFCO standards are not worthless, they are "better than nothing". I guess we can find sources that explain why it is "better than nothing." The AAFCO profile was last updated in 1995 so whatever progress the field is making, it is not reflected in the profile.

I find it unlikely that there have been no studies of the health differences between an AAFCO certified diet and one that is not certified

The studies the panel expert guy is talking about is studies that show/disprove that the AAFCO profiles are reliable ways to measure long term nutritional adequacies, it has nothing to do with comparison to non AAFCO-profiled foods. If we want to make the distinction between feeding tests and profiles, he says that profiles are "better than nothing, they provide false securities. I don't know of any studies showing their adequacies and inadequacies.", feeding tests are (paraphrased by the article writer) "inadequate for long term nutrition". He criticized both the feeding test and the nutrient profile.

a serving of wet food is mostly moisture, while a serving of dry dog food is mostly dry matter. So, as I understand, a dog gets a higher quantity of protein from a serving of dry food than a serving of wet food.

Not necessarily true. A serving of wet food is much heavier than an equal serving(calorie-wise) of dry food. When you compare the as-fed protein level, wet food is likely to have more. For example, a 6.5 oz can of by nature cat food(150 kcal serving) contains 0.65 oz of protein(10% protein). The dry food is 460 kcal per cup, so a 150 kcal serving is about 1/3 cup. It is stated that one cup holds 4.2 oz, so 1/3 cup is 1.4 oz. With 33% protein, that works out to 0.43 oz of protein, about a third less than the canned food. I presume the same would be true for most dog foods. Lets not forget that a significant amount of protein in dry food is plant protein while canned food is mostly meat protein.

it should also be noted that dog food must meet certain nutritional standards to be AAFCO certified.

It already says that. "dog foods labeled as "complete and balanced" must meet standards..." There is a "Further information" link to Pet_food#Labeling_and_regulation which explains the testing requirements. Or are you are talking about the actual individual nutrients? --Dodo bird (talk) 04:31, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

Pets in pet food

I removed the part that says

The AVMA and FDA confirmed in 1990 that some pet food manufacturers were using euthanized pets in their dog food.Dog Food Ingredients

The FDA's own statement contradicts that. And consumersearch does not meet Reliable Source standards. Please try to find the original FDA statement which confirms that. Of course even without dogs and cats, that pentobarbital is/was found in pet food should be mentioned.--Dodo bird (talk) 06:55, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

Some claims here.--Dodo bird (talk) 06:59, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

Vegetarian dog foods

There are vegetarian dog foods on the market. Why is any discussion of them in the alternative dog food section always deleted? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.181.106.191 (talk) 15:29, 21 July 2009 (UTC)

The unproven belief that vegetarian dog food is unhealthy may have lead a person or group of people to remove it, or perhaps someone just thought it wasn't significant enough to mention. Personally, I think it's an important enough part of the dog food industry to warrant an entry, so I will add it to the alternative food section.Kay320 (talk) 20:18, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

It's because of their lack of ground for their insists. They provided "Vegetarian diets, low-meat diets and health: a review" for the citation for "studies have demonstrated that a plant-based diet can be just as edible and palatable as animal-based diets for dogs", but that citation is not for the dogs but for the humans. 121.149.56.123 (talk) 00:31, 10 June 2018 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 121.149.56.123 (talk) 00:29, 10 June 2018 (UTC)

Criticism of wet dog food

Several places in the article assert that wet dog food is nutritionally inferior to dry. These are loaded with uncited claims and weasel words, which I have marked.

If there is in fact evidence to support these claims, I think it should not only be cited, but also explained in the text. The claim as it stands is counterintuitive and causes the reader (me, at least) to suspect that the author is confused or trying to be misleading. It is not at all clear why higher moisture content would be a problem; surely if it causes the dog to consume more water than it needs, the dog will simply urinate more. Of course, it does mean that a given weight of wet dog food will be less nutritious than the same weight of dry dog food. But surely this just means that a dog has to be fed a greater quantity of wet food than dry, which is patently obvious. It isn't evidence that wet dog food is inherently inferior to dry, which is the impression given by the present text. It looks like the author is worried that some reader may switch their dog from 200g of dry dog food to 200g of wet dog food per day and thereby starve it to death.

By the same token, one might say that oatmeal porridge is less nutritious than dry rolled oats, and therefore one ought not eat the former!

I have changed it. I have researched and found no evidence of any kind to support the author's point of view. Kay320 (talk) 18:49, 16 May 2010 (UTC)

Statistics

It is said that "The acceptable level of bacteria in meats sold at grocery stores is 30% or less because it is meant to be cooked." This sentence is irritating as it is not said what 30% refers to. It does surely not mean that 30% of the mass of the dog food canbe made of bacteria. So what does it mean? This should be explained further or deleted from the article 78.54.89.176 (talk) 10:13, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

128.84.234.60 (talk) 04:13, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Horse meat

I removed "* Horse meat " because horses can no longer be slaughtered in the U.S., even for pet food. The article seems US-centric. Please replace this if you can find a better source. Gigemag76 (talk) 14:56, 3 December 2010 (UTC)

References

Not dog meat

Anyone object to me removing this from the top? "Not to be confused with Dog meat, which covers human consumption of canines." While humorous its extraordinarily unlikely that anyone assumes that "dog food" refers to people eating dog meat.--RobertGary1 (talk) 22:59, 14 December 2011 (UTC)

Also note that the opening paragraph makes it very clear that it is food designed to be consumed by dogs. I think that makes it clear enough. Agree? --RobertGary1 (talk) 22:37, 19 December 2011 (UTC)

Dog meat and Dog food

This terminology is not universal. The article as an article 'topic' can be called Dog Food but Dog Food Meat here in Australia is usually referred to as Dog Meat, i.e. Meat for Dog consumption. This article implies that calling meat for dog consumption Dog Meat is incorrect when it is not, perhaps it depends which country you are in. And no, we don't have any other Dog Meat here - we Australians don't consume dogs. We also often refer to food for cats as catmeat if it is meat too.

--ZhuLien (talk) 23:25, 4 November 2017 (UTC)

Dog Food facts

I have undone the user Hilo48 change. I guess they have never done any research into this topic like some people have. Here is a list of print references that most of this info can be found in that are not selling pet foods. I'm sure if I took more time and looked threw all of my books and did a little research online I could give a lot more references for whats not covered by the ones listed below
Healing Pets With Nature's Miracle Cures By Henry Pasternak DVM CVA,
Natural Pet Cures by Dr John Heinerman
Food Pets Die For by Ann N Martin
Home Safe Home by Debra Lynn Dadd
Prisoned Chickens Poisoned Eggs by Karen Davis PhD
Fluoride The Aging Factor by John Yiamouyiannis
Mad Cowboy By Howard F Lyman
Everyday Health Tips by Prevention Magazine
mvarney85 was right in stating that this is info that all pet owners should know, I have known it for years. Just because something sounds disgusting and revolting doesn't mean its not true.
Moose278 (talk) 02:11, 15 April 2012 (UTC)

Thank you Moose278. I was trying to make a list of references as I originally wrote this 2 years ago and it was taking me a little while to find them, but you beat me to it. Thank you for your help
Mvarney85 (talk) 02:29, 15 April 2012 (UTC)

The problem is that the source offered by User:Mvarney85 and now restored by User:Moose278 does not look at all reliable. The only link associated with it that gives any indication about who is providing the information is to a seller of dog food. And that's still the only source provided. It's not acceptable. As seeming newcomers to Wikipedia you may find it helpful to look at Wikipedia's policy on sourcing of article content. You need to follow those guidelines to add suitable references to the article, otherwise that content cannot remain. As for those printed sources you have listed above, although it's difficult for me and others to check them right now, they could be acceptable if you provide an indication of where someone else can find them. ISBN numbers for books others could find in a library can be useful. However, I do have my concerns. A publication titled "Fluoride The Aging Factor" immediately raises concerns. It may be promoting what is widely regarded as the fringe view that fluoride is dangerous. That won't work here either. Are the others of that nature too? Finally, it's not a matter of this content being disgusting and revolting. It's a matter of it being hard to believe without very reliable, mainstream, verifiable, independent sources. HiLo48 (talk) 02:33, 15 April 2012 (UTC)

As I wrote this a while ago give me a few days and I will find all the references you need and ad them to the site.
Mvarney85 (talk) 03:04, 15 April 2012 (UTC)

• Moose is an obvious sock of Mvarney and is now blocked as such (just look at their use of hard breaks). Given that Mvarney's name also appears in the URL of the website they're plugging I'm blocking them as well. HiLo, your good faith is appreciated... Drmies (talk) 03:15, 15 April 2012 (UTC)

Assessment comment

The comment(s) below were originally left at Talk:Dog food/Comments, and are posted here for posterity. Following several discussions in past years, these subpages are now deprecated. The comments may be irrelevant or outdated; if so, please feel free to remove this section.

The mention of euthanized pets/animals in petfood (meat/by-product meals specifically) should be removed. The footnoted reference(11) cites (improperly) articles written in 1990 and 1981. Both are seriously outdated and non-applicable to the current situation. I did research on this at University and in the USA, euthanized animals cannot find their way into meals coming out of rendereing facilities. The regulations around disposal of euthanized companion and stock animals are strict. Also the veterinarian that wrote the footnoted reference is extremely biased against commercial petfoods, so while his spirit has the best of intentions regarding the animals, it does fall far left of center when it comes to unbiased, scientific fact. Woody 18:28, 16 October 2007 (UTC)GGWOODY

Last edited at 18:28, 16 October 2007 (UTC). Substituted at 13:34, 29 April 2016 (UTC)

External links modified

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Raw dog food

I changed the raw food section to better reflect the content of the raw feeding article Fvialard (talk) 19:11, 1 December 2017 (UTC)

Puppy food

This needs a section on puppy-specific food to go along with the one for senior dogs; WP:SUMMARY can be employed on material from Puppy nutrition. I have redirected Puppy food to Puppy nutrition in the interim. It was somehow a red link. Weirder yet, so was Dog nutrition, which now redirects to Dog food. We have a WP:CONSISTENCY policy problem here, and need to settle on titles and article structures that are similar instead of confusingly conflicting.  — SMcCandlish ☏ ¢ 😼  11:14, 7 February 2019 (UTC)

Link between grain-free dog food & DCM

Peer-reviewed studies have showed no clear link between grain-free diets and DCM in dogs: https://academic.oup.com/jas/article/98/6/skaa155/5857674

Moreover, in late September 2020, the FDA issued an update on the grain-free pet food and canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) investigation, walking back their initial reports implying a causation between grain-free foods and DCM: http://www.ksvdl.org/resources/documents/dcm-forum/DCM-Forum-SolomonOpening-Remarks.pdf — Preceding unsigned comment added by Fangfabio (talk • contribs) 15:03, 16 February 2022 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: Research Process and Methodology - SP23 - Sect 201 - Thu

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 25 January 2023 and 5 May 2023. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Tc3739 (article contribs).

— Assignment last updated by Tc3739 (talk) 18:45, 6 April 2023 (UTC)

Request to edit: Conflict of Interests

There has been updated research and FDA reports regarding the link between DCM in dogs and a grain-free diet. Beyond its effect on our brand, it is important to inform dog owners about the most updated studies on the subject, to tackle misinformation and reduce anxiety. This edit is based on the most up-to-date FDA statement.

−

Grain-free and low-carbohydrate Some dog food products differentiate themselves as grain- or carbohydrate-free to offer the consumer an alternative, claiming carbohydrates in pet foods to be fillers with little or no nutritional value. A study published in Nature suggests that domestic dogs' ability to easily metabolize carbohydrates may be a key difference between wolves and dogs. Some consumers and manufacturers say dogs perform better on grain-free diets, while some veterinarians doubt this for a lack of scientific evidence. In 2019, a study comparing dry dog food that was manufactured in the United States found that 75% of food containing feed grade grains also contained measurable levels of various mycotoxins (discussed below), while none of the grain-free dry diets tested had any detectable levels of mycotoxins. Feed grade (lower quality grade) grains that are allowed to spoil and become moldy are the suspected source of the mycotoxins. This is the first published study to show a potential health benefit to feeding grain-free commercial dry pet foods. In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration identified 16 dog food brands linked to canine heart disease. The FDA has investigated more than 500 cases of dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs eating food marketed as grain-free. The 16 brands are: Acana, Zignature, Taste of the Wild, 4Health, Earthborn Holistic, Blue Buffalo, Nature's Domain, Fromm, Merrick, California Natural, Natural Balance, Orijen, Nature's Variety, NutriSource, Nutro, and Rachael Ray Nutrish. These brands are labeled as "grain-free" and list peas, lentils, or potatoes as the main ingredient. The top three brands associated with reports of cardiomyopathy are Acana with 67 reports, Zignature with 64, and Taste of the Wild with 53 reports.

+

Grain-free and low-carbohydrate [edit] Some dog food products differentiate themselves as grain- or carbohydrate-free to offer the consumer an alternative, claiming carbohydrates in pet foods to be fillers with little or no nutritional value. A study published in Nature suggests that domestic dogs' ability to easily metabolize carbohydrates may be a key difference between wolves and dogs.[80] Some consumers and manufacturers say dogs perform better on grain-free diets, while some veterinarians doubt this for a lack of scientific evidence.[81] In 2019, a study comparing dry dog food that was manufactured in the United States found that 75% of food containing feed grade grains also contained measurable levels of various mycotoxins (discussed below), while none of the grain-free dry diets tested had any detectable levels of mycotoxins. Feed grade (lower quality grade) grains that are allowed to spoil and become moldy are the suspected source of the mycotoxins.[82] This is the first published study to show a potential health benefit to feeding grain-free commercial dry pet foods. In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration identified 16 dog food brands linked to canine heart disease. The FDA has investigated more than 500 cases of dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs eating food marketed as grain-free. The 16 brands are: Acana, Zignature, Taste of the Wild, 4Health, Earthborn Holistic, Blue Buffalo, Nature's Domain, Fromm, Merrick, California Natural, Natural Balance, Orijen, Nature's Variety, NutriSource, Nutro, and Rachael Ray Nutrish. These brands are labeled as "grain-free" and list peas, lentils, or potatoes as the main ingredient. The top three brands associated with reports of cardiomyopathy are Acana with 67 reports, Zignature with 64, and Taste of the Wild with 53 reports.[83][84] In 2022, the FDA released an update which showed that no causal link was found between a grain-free diet and non-hereditary DCM. It concluded that it did not know of any specific connection between these diets and non-hereditary DCM.

Sources: https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-health-literacy/questions-answers-fdas-work-potential-causes-non-hereditary-dcm-dogs, https://ksvdl.org/resources/documents/dcm-forum/FDA_KSU-Science-Forum-slides_09-29-2020.pdf), https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/outbreaks-and-advisories/fda-investigation-potential-link-between-certain-diets-and-canine-dilated-cardiomyopathy

I would appreciate your consideration ChampionPetfoods (talk) 06:06, 30 August 2023 (UTC)

Reply 30-AUG-2023

  Clarification requested  

1. Most of the references provided contain several pages worth of information. In order to expedite your request, please provide the verbatim text from the supplied references via the |quote= parameter in the ref note which confirms the requested text to be inserted into the article.
2. Please be sure to place the ref notes so that they abide by the guidelines at WP:INTEGRITY.
3. When ready to proceed with the requested information, kindly change the {{Edit COI}} template's answer parameter to read from |ans=y to |ans=n. Please note that prior text entered in the Edit request proposal should not be retro-actively altered. Instead, a new reply post supplying the needed information should be posted below this review. The original {{Edit COI}} template may then be altered.

Regards,  Spintendo  21:17, 30 August 2023 (UTC)

Hi again. As I said on the other thread, I am new to Wiki-ing and am trying to follow your instructions. Please bear with me.

• Specific text to be added or removed: In 2022, the FDA released an update

|quote: [2] which showed that no causal link was found between a grain-free diet and non-hereditary DCM. It concluded that it did not know of any specific connection between these diets and non-hereditary DCM.

|quote=[3]

• Reason for the change: Update according to the latest FDA report
• References supporting change: see refs in text

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In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration identified 16 dog food brands linked to canine heart disease. The FDA has investigated more than 500 cases of dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs eating food marketed as grain-free. The 16 brands are: Acana, Zignature, Taste of the Wild, 4Health, Earthborn Holistic, Blue Buffalo, Nature's Domain, Fromm, Merrick, California Natural, Natural Balance, Orijen, Nature's Variety, NutriSource, Nutro, and Rachael Ray Nutrish. These brands are labeled as "grain-free" and list peas, lentils, or potatoes as the main ingredient. The top three brands associated with reports of cardiomyopathy are Acana with 67 reports, Zignature with 64, and Taste of the Wild with 53 reports.

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In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration identified 16 dog food brands linked to canine heart disease. The FDA has investigated more than 500 cases of dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs eating food marketed as grain-free. The 16 brands are: Acana, Zignature, Taste of the Wild, 4Health, Earthborn Holistic, Blue Buffalo, Nature's Domain, Fromm, Merrick, California Natural, Natural Balance, Orijen, Nature's Variety, NutriSource, Nutro, and Rachael Ray Nutrish. These brands are labeled as "grain-free" and list peas, lentils, or potatoes as the main ingredient. The top three brands associated with reports of cardiomyopathy are Acana with 67 reports, Zignature with 64, and Taste of the Wild with 53 reports. In 2022, the FDA released an update <div class="reflist " > </div>

Tilly4ChampionPetfoods (talk) 07:39, 7 September 2023 (UTC)

@Spintendo Hi again, please do let me know if there is anything is I need to do so my edit request is considered? Thank you! Tilly4ChampionPetfoods (talk) 06:36, 12 September 2023 (UTC)

@Tilly4ChampionPetfoods Reading the source that you provided, I do not believe that your proposed text adds coherence to the issue at hand in the article. You are free to seek additional input from other editors in order to establish a consensus for this change, but please do so before you invoke the edit COI template. Regards,  Spintendo  22:20, 20 September 2023 (UTC)

The edit keeps cutting off the rest of the text, pasting here again:

In 2022, the FDA released an update which showed that no causal link was found between a grain-free diet and non-hereditary DCM. It concluded that it did not know of any specific connection between these diets and non-hereditary DCM. Tilly4ChampionPetfoods ([[User

References

|ans=n

COI edit request: revised text

Here is a suggested edit that might highlight the importance of the additional information. The goal is to provide full and credible information and prevent misinformation and health scares.

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Grain-free and low-carbohydrate Some dog food products differentiate themselves as grain- or carbohydrate-free to offer the consumer an alternative, claiming carbohydrates in pet foods to be fillers with little or no nutritional value. A study published in Nature suggests that domestic dogs' ability to easily metabolize carbohydrates may be a key difference between wolves and dogs. Some consumers and manufacturers say dogs perform better on grain-free diets, while some veterinarians doubt this for a lack of scientific evidence. In 2019, a study comparing dry dog food that was manufactured in the United States found that 75% of food containing feed grade grains also contained measurable levels of various mycotoxins (discussed below), while none of the grain-free dry diets tested had any detectable levels of mycotoxins. Feed grade (lower quality grade) grains that are allowed to spoil and become moldy are the suspected source of the mycotoxins. This is the first published study to show a potential health benefit to feeding grain-free commercial dry pet foods. In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration identified 16 dog food brands linked to canine heart disease. The FDA has investigated more than 500 cases of dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs eating food marketed as grain-free. The 16 brands are: Acana, Zignature, Taste of the Wild, 4Health, Earthborn Holistic, Blue Buffalo, Nature's Domain, Fromm, Merrick, California Natural, Natural Balance, Orijen, Nature's Variety, NutriSource, Nutro, and Rachael Ray Nutrish. These brands are labeled as "grain-free" and list peas, lentils, or potatoes as the main ingredient. The top three brands associated with reports of cardiomyopathy are Acana with 67 reports, Zignature with 64, and Taste of the Wild with 53 reports.

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Grain-free and low-carbohydrate Some dog food products differentiate themselves as grain- or carbohydrate-free to offer the consumer an alternative, claiming carbohydrates in pet foods to be fillers with little or no nutritional value. A study published in Nature suggests that domestic dogs' ability to easily metabolize carbohydrates may be a key difference between wolves and dogs. Some consumers and manufacturers say dogs perform better on grain-free diets, while some veterinarians doubt this for a lack of scientific evidence. In 2019, a study comparing dry dog food that was manufactured in the United States found that 75% of food containing feed grade grains also contained measurable levels of various mycotoxins (discussed below), while none of the grain-free dry diets tested had any detectable levels of mycotoxins. Feed grade (lower quality grade) grains that are allowed to spoil and become moldy are the suspected source of the mycotoxins. This is the first published study to show a potential health benefit to feeding grain-free commercial dry pet foods. In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration identified 16 dog food brands linked to canine heart disease. The FDA has investigated more than 500 cases of dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs eating food marketed as grain-free. The 16 brands are: Acana, Zignature, Taste of the Wild, 4Health, Earthborn Holistic, Blue Buffalo, Nature's Domain, Fromm, Merrick, California Natural, Natural Balance, Orijen, Nature's Variety, NutriSource, Nutro, and Rachael Ray Nutrish. These brands are labeled as "grain-free" and list peas, lentils, or potatoes as the main ingredient. The top three brands associated with reports of cardiomyopathy are Acana with 67 reports, Zignature with 64, and Taste of the Wild with 53 reports. In 2022, an FDA update

superseded the previous update, concluding the administration did not find any statistical evidence of a specific connection or causal link between the diet and non-hereditary DCM. In terms of the disease, there was no difference between dogs fed a grain-free diet or a grain-inclusive diet

.}}

Tilly4ChampionPetfoods (talk) 12:05, 9 October 2023 (UTC) Tilly4ChampionPetfoods (talk) 12:05, 9 October 2023 (UTC)

References

Reply 9-OCT-2023

The problem here is that the text from the FDA source you've provided does not match the text you're wanting to add to the article:

Comparison of texts

Text as it appears in the Proposed edit request:	Text as it appears in the FDA source material:
In 2022, an FDA update superseded the previous update, concluding the administration did not find any statistical evidence of a specific connection or causal link between the diet and non-hereditary DCM. In terms of the disease, there was no difference between dogs fed a grain-free diet or a grain-inclusive diet.	The FDA does not know the specific connection between these diets and cases of non-hereditary DCM and is continuing to explore the role of genetics, underlying medical conditions, and/or other factors.

It's interesting to note that you placed the ref note for the FDA source at the very beginning in the first sentence of the passage of text and, only then, placed an AKC source at the very end of the passage to act as verification for the additional information that the FDA did not state. The AKC source is an interpretation of the FDA source. It's best to let the FDA speak for itself; thus, if you want this information added to the article, your edit request should have a strict quote from the FDA and nothing more (e.g., "In 2022, the FDA released a report stating 'lorum ipsom dolor mit'."). Regards,  Spintendo  13:12, 9 October 2023 (UTC)

@Spintendo Please remember that I am not an experienced Wikipedian like yourself. I am doing my best to stick to Wiki rules and expectations. Thank you for pointing out what you have, I appreciate it. We will reword and try again. Tilly4ChampionPetfoods (talk) 08:58, 10 October 2023 (UTC)

COI edit request revision #2

Revised to quote FDA report verbatim.

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In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration identified 16 dog food brands linked to canine heart disease. The FDA has investigated more than 500 cases of dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs eating food marketed as grain-free. The 16 brands are: Acana, Zignature, Taste of the Wild, 4Health, Earthborn Holistic, Blue Buffalo, Nature's Domain, Fromm, Merrick, California Natural, Natural Balance, Orijen, Nature's Variety, NutriSource, Nutro, and Rachael Ray Nutrish. These brands are labeled as "grain-free" and list peas, lentils, or potatoes as the main ingredient. The top three brands associated with reports of cardiomyopathy are Acana with 67 reports, Zignature with 64, and Taste of the Wild with 53 reports

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In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration identified 16 dog food brands linked to canine heart disease. The FDA has investigated more than 500 cases of dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs eating food marketed as grain-free. The 16 brands are: Acana, Zignature, Taste of the Wild, 4Health, Earthborn Holistic, Blue Buffalo, Nature's Domain, Fromm, Merrick, California Natural, Natural Balance, Orijen, Nature's Variety, NutriSource, Nutro, and Rachael Ray Nutrish. These brands are labeled as "grain-free" and list peas, lentils, or potatoes as the main ingredient. The top three brands associated with reports of cardiomyopathy are Acana with 67 reports, Zignature with 64, and Taste of the Wild with 53 reports. In 2022, the FDA released a follow up report which superceded the 2019 research and stated that it “…does not know the specific connection between these diets and cases of non-hereditary DCM” as there was no difference found in dogs fed on a grain-free or grain-inclusive diet.

Tilly4ChampionPetfoods (talk) 09:22, 22 October 2023 (UTC) Tilly4ChampionPetfoods (talk) 09:22, 22 October 2023 (UTC)

Reply 21-OCT-2023

Before the review, I just want to say that the things that I mention in my reviews are not brought up in order to impune the COI editor's Wikipedia abilities, which I actually see as being quite cordial, succinct, and completely capable. In my reviews, I only wish to point out any issues that may arise with text that could be implemented into the article. That includes issues that the COI editor may inadvertently not notice. It's my hope in our interactions that the COI editor will do the same for me, feeling free to speak up and call out any issues or concerns that need to be pointed out to me, that I've overlooked. That way, we can work together to improve the article. Now on to the review:

1. There is text from the FDA source which is very important, and deserves to be quoted in full. Most of the diets associated with the reports of non-hereditary DCM have legume seed ingredients, also called “pulses” (e.g., peas, lentils, etc.), high in their ingredient lists (although soy is a legume, we did not see a signal associated with this ingredient). These include both “grain-free” and grain-containing formulations. Legumes, including pulse ingredients, have been used in pet foods for many years, with no evidence to indicate they are inherently dangerous, but analysis of data reported to CVM indicates that pulse ingredients are used in many “grain-free” diets in greater proportion than in most grain-containing formulas. FDA has asked pet food manufacturers to provide diet formulations so we can further understand the proportions of ingredients in commercially-available diets and possible relationships with non-hereditary DCM. It concludes with what I'm going to call a caveat, simply because it resembles a caveat: The scientific community continues to assess the available information and fill data gaps to determine what factors may contribute to the development of non-hereditary DCM.
2. When one reads both of those passages, one can't help feeling that the open and shut resolution as described in the COI editor's proposed text may not be as clear as it seems. Again, let's take a look at the COI editors proposed text shown here in red font: ...as there was no difference found in dogs fed on a grain-free or grain-inclusive diet.That was their last line of text, and it's notably devoid of any caution shown in the FDA sections I quoted above. Perhaps that cautious tone exists because, as government researchers, they're naturally more circumspect in their language. I think it's in the best interests of the article that we reflect that level of caution, by ensuring that any language added through an edit request reflect —at a minimum—the same level of caution shown in the FDA source. The COI editor has done a great job of adding the quoted text directly from the FDA (thank you again for adding this) but unfortunately there is a residue of text left over from another source—AKC.
3. The text shown in red above, I believe is influenced mostly by the AKC source, which is — I surmised in an earlier review — AKC's reasoned interpretation of the FDA's findings. Now the AKC is, in my humble opinion, a proponent of pets in general and the pet industry in particular — this includes all industries surrounding the so-called pet care sector. Given their role in that sector, any interpretations from them ought to be steered clear away from. I believe that anything we say as coming from the FDA should reflect the FDA's level of caution, rather than the AKC's expeditious optimism. I ask editors to look closely at the information in the two sections of green text above, and I look forward to all feedback, specifically, what those passages mean to the COI editor, and most importantly, what the COI editor feels Wikipedia's readers should ideally take away from what is stated there by the FDA. Thanks again to the COI editor for their help working on this request, it's much appreciated!

Notes

References

Regards,  Spintendo  14:43, 22 October 2023 (UTC)

 Partly done The COI editor's proposed text included a direct quote from the FDA report: The FDA does not know the specific connection between these diets and cases of non-hereditary DCM Unfortunately, that direct quoted text the COI editor wanted to add, if placed in the article by itself, would have been "out of context" (i.e., the full nature of "these diets" that their proposed direct quote was referring to is elaborated upon only in the preceding text.) To rectify this, the FDA text immediately preceding that direct quote was combined with the COI editor's proposed direct quote and placed in full into the article as a {{quotebox}}. I'm sure the COI editor would agree that when text is selected from a source to serve as a direct quote, any other text surrounding it — which in all likelihood might help to provide context — should spur that editor to err on the side of caution and thus be moved along with it. Regards,  Spintendo  21:33, 22 October 2023 (UTC)

@Spintendo Thank you for the detailed review, I appreciate it. As suggested, I believe both iterations, on this entry and on dilated cardiomyopathy should rely on the FDA report. I would like to point out two additional quotes from the same report that might help understand some of the context:

1. "Is this an issue with only grain-free diets or diets containing legumes or pulses?

No. FDA has received reports of non-hereditary DCM associated with both grain-free and grain-containing diets. Most of the diets associated with reports of non-hereditary DCM have non-soy legumes and pulses (e.g., peas, lentils, etc.) high in their ingredient lists. However, it is important to note that legumes and pulses have been used in pet foods for many years, with no evidence to indicate they are inherently dangerous. CVM’s data show that pulse ingredients are likely used in many “grain-free” diets in greater proportion than in most grain-containing formulas."

2. "How long will it take to pinpoint the cause(s) of non-hereditary DCM?

We see this as an ongoing, collaborative scientific venture, of which FDA has just one piece as the regulator of animal food and reviewer of adverse event reports received as part of the pet food early warning and surveillance system. The scientific community continues to assess the available information and fill data gaps to determine what factors may contribute to the development of non-hereditary DCM. We look forward to continuing to engage with scientists as opportunities arise. We will also provide additional updates to notify the public if or when substantive scientific information comes to light."

These two sections indicate that:

a. The FDA questions whether certain types of legumes are the culprit for non-hereditary DCM, however these have been used in dog food for many years, with no evidence of being inherently dangerous.

b. It is understood that further research is required to determine the actual cause(s) of non-hereditary DCM.

For the sake of informing the public and curtailing any attempts to create panic around a specific type of dog food, not only that which is manufactured by our company, it is highly important to us that the text indicates there is no real cause for alarm at this point in time.

I will go back and draft a new suggestion based on all of the above.

Tilly4ChampionPetfoods (talk) 13:19, 23 October 2023 (UTC)

"Chewing treats" listed at Redirects for discussion

The redirect Chewing treats has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2024 April 5 § Chewing treats until a consensus is reached. Jalen Folf (Bark[s]) 20:01, 5 April 2024 (UTC)