{"id":726,"date":"2019-04-24T09:00:56","date_gmt":"2019-04-24T16:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.moonlightdogcafe.com\/pet-health-pet-nutrition\/?p=726"},"modified":"2025-04-11T14:48:07","modified_gmt":"2025-04-11T21:48:07","slug":"pet-kibble","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moonlightpetstore.com\/pet-health-pet-nutrition\/dog-cat-health\/pet-food-research\/pet-kibble","title":{"rendered":"Pet Kibble Explained: Ingredients, Risks & Better Alternatives"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Understanding Pet Kibble: Composition and Ingredients<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pet kibble food are little dry ‘biscuits’ of dog \/cat food made using carbohydrate, meat, sprayed with fat and in most cases, supplemented with synthetic vitamins. Typically grains or in the no-grain formulas potatoes are used as the carbohydrate. In this blog, we will continue our blog series on how to choose pet food and what should be in your dog or cat’s food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Evolution of Pet Kibble: A Historical Perspective<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Kibble is relatively new in terms of feeding pets. James Spratt launched the first commercial dog biscuit around the 1860s. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The story states that he saw a ship that had docked in England from the US throw stale biscuits overboard. The hungry dogs of the day ate these biscuits with gusto and consequently, an industry was born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The convenience of dog kibble was above all marketed to pet owners. <\/strong>The main motive of the industry was to sell a product.  That motive however has not changed since James Spratt launched kibble. Pet food represented a way for large companies to sell by-products of human consumption to pets.<\/p>\n<\/div>

\"Advertising<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Pet Kibble Market Trends: Current Sales and Statistics<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 2017, according to Statista, sales of the leading dry dog food accounted for billions of dollars in the USA<\/a><\/span>  with private labels at around $769 billion while Pedigree Petfoods, Purina and Iams raked in hefty sales of over $100 million in different lines of pet food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, the sales of the leading dry cat food kibble brands in 2017 in the USA <\/span><\/a>is also about another billion dollars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am not suggesting that there is anything wrong with the motive of making money. The profit motive will need to be balanced against above all with a ‘do no harm to the dogs and cats.’ However, I’m not sure that is the case.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Kibble Manufacturing Process: How Dog and Cat Food is Made<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pet food kibble is commonly made through a process called extrusion.  Firstly, extrusion takes a combination of raw and wet ingredients to make a dough. Here are the steps to making kibble pet food:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. The dough is fed through extreme heat and\/or steam and then forced through an extruder at high heat and pressure.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. At this point, the cooked dough is cut into tiny ‘kibbles’ at the end of the extruder, which has different shaped die holes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. The pet food kibble is then put through a drying oven, which removes the remaining moisture.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. The kibble is cooled and then sprayed with fats, oils, minerals and vitamins.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. The pet food is sealed quickly before the fats and oils react with the air to go rancid.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    The major consistent element in the process of making kibble is heat (See Step 1 to 3 above) and to a lesser extent pressure<\/strong><\/span>. This will be important when we talk about nutrition needs.<\/p>\n\n\n

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    \"Kibble
    Schematic of Pet Food Kibble Extrusion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

    Schematic of how pet food is made<\/a> from manufacturer of equipment. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    AAFCO’s Role in Pet Food Regulation and Standards<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    This topic requires a whole other blog. Here are the important things to remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n