Our dogs are part of our family.  It is only natural that we would only want the best for them.  That goes especially for the food they eat.  If we choose to feed our dogs commercially canned dog food instead of using dog food recipes, then it is important to know how these foods are made so that we can choose which is the best for our dogs.

Once we have chosen a particular dog food brand that we feel comfortable with, we can then examine the ingredients to see just how nutritious this canned dog food will be for our dog.  The canning of all foods, human as well as pet foods, can be a somewhat complex procedure but you will find that the most reputable dog food brands provide nutritious ingredients and have a well maintained canning process for their products.

The process of canning foods has gone through many significant improvements in the last two hundred years, but the basic principles of sterilization and sealing have remained a constant.  Canning is by far the most economical method of food preservation.

Before the food is canned the ingredients must be chosen.  Canned dog food’s main ingredient is a meat product – beef, chicken, veal etc.  These ingredients are first ground into smaller pieces.  They are then weighed and added to a mixture that includes vitamins and minerals.  Grains are sometimes added to this mixture and here is where we should be very careful when choosing our products. Some grains are not good for our dogs so it is important to know what types of grain are added to the mixture.

After these ingredients are mixed they are blended in a mixer.  While being blended the mixture is also heated.  By increasing the temperature at certain times during the procedure the starches in the blend will turn to a gelatin and the protein structure of the food is denatured.  This is done to make the food more palatable.  Certain foods containing larger quantaties of carbohydrates need to be mixed at a higher temperature so that the excess starch is fully cooked.

Once the ingredients have been thoroughly mixed and cooked the canning process begins.  As mentioned before the basic steps in canning are sealing and sterilization.  The cooked mixture is sent to a filler/sealer machine that fills the individual cans with the proper amount of product and places the lids on the cans.  To prevent any kind of spoilage steam is applied to maintain heat.  When the can cools it is vacuum sealed.

The final step is sterilization.  Here the cans are heated to a temperature of 121 degrees celsius to kill any bacteria such as Clostridium Botulinum.  Each can is sterilized for approximately three minutes.  After the cans cool they are ready to be labeled, packed and are shipped to the store.

If we choose to feed our dogs commercial dog food instead of making them food from our own dog food recipes, we should be very particular in choosing the right product.  When choosing commercial products it is vital that we examine the labels for the righ ingredients that would be beneficial to our dogs. It is a good idea to provide a mixture of both dry kibble with wet canned food.