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Breed Specific Pet Foods…Are they Worth it?

Many pet owners are turning to foods that appear to be specifically formulated for a particular breed’s nutritional requirements. Is there any truth to Breed Specific Pet Foods?

Many pet owners are turning to foods that appear to be specifically formulated for a particular breed’s nutritional requirements. Is there any truth to Breed Specific Pet Foods?

Breed specific nutritional requirements is a science that continues to be researched. Although pet food science has not quite discovered many nutritional variations needed by specific breeds, pet food marketing is going gang busters selling pet foods supposedly developed to meet a particular breed’s nutritional requirements.

As example, a popular pet food line produces five different breed specific dog foods; we’ll look at a food designed for Boxers and a food designed for Dachshunds. The American Kennel Club describes Boxers as a hearing guard dog; his bearing is alert, dignified, and self-assured. Their size runs from 21 inches to 25 inches at the withers; 60 to 80 pounds average. Alternatively, Dachshunds are described as a lively breed with a friendly personality and keen sense of smell. Standard Dachshunds average 16 to 32 pounds, miniature Dachshunds average 11 pounds. Obviously, these are two very different breeds of dogs, both in size and in characteristics.

The Breed Specific Dog Foods available for these two breeds however, are very similar; in fact, they are almost identical.

Here is the complete ingredient list for the Boxer Breed Specific Dog Food…
Ingredients:
  Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal (Natural source of Chondroitin Sulfate and Glucosamine), Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Natural Chicken Flavor, Brewers Rice, Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Fish meal, Dried Egg Product, Brewers Dried Yeast, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Beta-Carotene, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Flax Meal, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), Dried Chicken Cartilage (Natural source of Chondroitin Sulfate and Glucosamine), DL-Methionine, L-Carnitine, Rosemary Extract.

Here is the complete ingredient list for the Dachshund Breed Specific Dog Food…
Ingredients:
  Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal (Natural source of Chondroitin Sulfate and Glucosamine), Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Natural Chicken Flavor, Brewers Rice, Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Dried Egg Product, Fish meal, Brewers Dried Yeast, Potassium Chloride, Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Salt, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Flax Meal, Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), Dried Chicken Cartilage (Natural source of Chondroitin Sulfate and Glucosamine), DL-Methionine, L-Carnitine, Rosemary Extract.

The two dog foods, supposedly developed for the specific nutritional needs of two very different breeds of dogs, contain the exact same ingredients. The only variations in the two foods, highlighted in bold, are very minor order of ingredients or very minor amount of ingredients by weight.

As a reminder, ingredients listed on a pet food label are listed by order of pre-cooking weight; heaviest to lightest. The Boxer Specific Food has a tiny bit more fish meal than the Dachshund Specific Food; the slight change is the tenth/eleventh ingredient on the list. The only other difference in these two foods, again designed for two completely different breeds, is the amount of fish oil; fish oil is listed higher on the ingredient list for the Dachshund Food. This pet food manufacturer must believe that the smaller Dachshund needs more fish oil than Boxers.

Breed Specific pet foods are a wonderful idea. However, science has not yet provided us with enough information. Perhaps some time in the future we will be able to have foods that can be designed specific to every pet’s exact nutritional needs; perhaps developed from specific DNA. In the meantime, look closely at the ingredient list before you consider a Breed Specific pet food.

 

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author, Buyer Beware
Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
PetsumerReport.com

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