Determination of fat preferences of adult dogs

This study was carried out to determine the preferences of dogs for some commonly used fat sources in dog food. Three different types of food were produced using 5% additional sunflower oil, poultry fat, or beef tallow. The food was extruded using a twin-screw extruder at approximately 25% moisture and temperatures in the range of 90 °C to 135 °C. The extrudates were dried for 30–45 min at temperatures of up to 148 °C in a belt dryer. Next, the heated fats were sprayed onto the extrudates. The foods were cooled, sampled, and packaged. A total of 30 neutered adult between 1 and 3 years old male dogs were used. The preference of the dogs for the 3 different fat sources was determined via a 2-pan preference test. Preference tests were conducted for 12 days in pairs, and the dogs consumed each food for 8 days. The dogs had the greatest preference for food containing the additional sunflower oil, with a preference rate of 56%. Beef tallow was the least preferred fat, with a preference rate of 44%. Dogs preferred food containing sunflower oil more than food containing animal fats. It was concluded that dogs showed a preference in proportion to the linoleic acid level in each food.